Berbatov row hits Jol

Spurs boss' position in question after striker's antics

Last updated: 24th October 2007   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Berbatov row hits Jol

Jol: Denied row with substitute Berbatov

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Martin Jol's unstable standing as Tottenham boss has been further eroded following an apparent rift with Dimitar Berbatov during the defeat at Newcastle.

The striker, left on the substitutes' bench due to a 'slight injury', reportedly ignored Jol on three occasions when his manager ordered him to warm up during the 3-1 defeat at St James' Park.

The Bulgarian eventually heeded the command to replace Steed Malbranque after 58 minutes.

Jol was quick to play down any suggestion of a dispute with Berbatov.

"I've heard about this and it's rubbish - there was no problem," Jol insisted afterwards. "Dimitar knows exactly what the schedule is for him and he is fine. I don't know who this rubbish is coming from.

He said: "He played when (Darren) Bent did not play for two weeks and he could train.

"I need him on Thursday (for the Uefa Cup clash with Getafe). He knows that and I don't know where this rubbish is coming from."

But, according to The Guardian, 'Jol's words were somewhat undermined by the actions of Tottenham's press officer, who, clearly nervous about the subject, attempted to block questions on Berbatov before Jol overrode him and spoke regardless.'

Confidence

The Dutchman has plenty to answer about Spurs' early-season form, too. After a fifth league defeat of the season, they remain in the relegation zone.

Asked if confidence was a problem, he said: "You could say that was from the start of the season, but I cannot agree with that because if you lack confidence, you cannot lead 2-1 against Liverpool, come back from 4-1 down to 4-4 (against Aston Villa), be 3-1 up against Fulham and could have scored five.

"I feel if we get one result, the confidence will be there. But after the Liverpool game, they all went away on international duty and then we had to come to Newcastle, so the schedule doesn't help."

Jol's mood was not improved by a foot injury to Gareth Bale, who will undergo a scan on Tuesday.

The manager said: "Hopefully he is not out for long because we have five games in 13 days.

"Hopefully, it is not too bad, but it doesn't look good.

"His foot was swelling up after the game, so it could be a pretty tough injury."

Comments (44)

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Calum Phillips says...

I have to say we do have a few too many average players. But I do feel we're leaving out good ones. For example we tussled with Palace to get Routledge but never play him. I think he would be the best natural replacement for a non fit lennon. I also think you have to start Defoe now. The man deserves his chance. I think it may be Martin Jol's favouritism towards certain players which is the reason he has lost the dressing room a bit. They're all playing for their individual places and to get noticed at international level rather than put in a spirited effort to help our team. We need to see players like Jenas bleed for the club to prove they are worthy of playing for Tottenham, In Europe and for country.

Posted 08:25 24th October 2007

Gareth Williams (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

I'm rather annoyed with spurs at the moment, the players are not giving anything for martin jol and its so dissapointing to watch them. Robbier keane is the only player that ever seems to try!. Maybe the spurs board should start taking money back from the players that dont try! Jermain defoe is a yiddo too ya know martin, why not play him with keane and berbatov, go forward and scare teams. Our defense is sometimes juts not there and that maybe because they are young, Maybe some leadership at the back needs to be applied!

Posted 08:20 24th October 2007

Marc Upperton (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

I agree with both sides of the Martin Jol arguement but there is only so much a manager can do no matter what the team. For years now, we have struggled to perform at the highest level consistently. This is due to the "bad old days" when we just did not have the money to buy the right players and when we did buy players we did so to play the "Spurs" style which is not always the right style. Injuries have also impacted the team's ability to properly gel and perform. There is no question that Jol is a good manager and he definitely has a good support staff, but there is only so much they can do, they cannot get out on the park and play the game. If the club is going to move forward, we need to sell Bent. He has not performed all season and the miss against Arsenal was disgraceful and certainly did not suggest him to be worthy of the price we paid for him. The proceeds of his sale can be used for defenders because, let's face it, without a strong defence in the premiership you are always going to struggle. The other obvious move is to move Robbie Keane (easily our best player so far this season) into an attacking midfield role ala Paul Scholes and pair Defoe and Berbatov up front. Tom Huddlestone needs to be used as the holding midfielder and if we can get a decent left side back, move Gareth Bale into a left side midfield role and never ever leave Lennon on the bench if he is fit. This would give the side the balance it is clearly lacking. Dare i say it, but we can learn from what Arsenal did years ago when they were boring Arsenal. They had a strong defence, built a squad around that defence, won games by keeping clean sheets & nicking 1 or 2 goals. This allowed them to build success which then allowed them to attract quality players and now look at them, 7 goal winners in Champions League. I would hardly call that boring. For now though, we will just keep hoping for a change of fortune sooner rather than later.

Posted 04:59 24th October 2007

Andy Mu (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

I made the mistake of watching the game last night. It was a total embarrassment for any spurs supporter. The loss of Bale was bad but Lennon and Berbatov were both on the bench but instead Jol brings on TIANIO!!! Surely a premiership manager can see he shouldn't be in a premier league side. He does nothing whereas Lennon would have made a contribution. Berbatov on the bench for Bent? Bent won one header all game (the goal) why not play Defoe for Berbatov if he isn't expected to win anything in the air. The left side is a huge problem why Tianio and Lee ever get a place in the team I don't know. For them to have played so many games is a crime and one which Jol should be sacked over. They are both awful and no other team in the premier league would have them in a starting 11. Ledley King is a huge loss but defending set pieces always looks difficult for spurs. The only plus is that Robbie Keane puts everything into his performances just a pity he is the only one and if Jol has fallen out with Berbatov I know who I would rather keep. He did more in 20mins that Bent did all game. Hopefully the season will turn around soon I just hope Daniel Levy replaces Jol before that is too late.

Posted 14:32 23rd October 2007

Steve Laird (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

The old chant "Your not fit to wear the shirt" could apply to at least half the team at present. In fact, I use the word 'team' advisedly - they're more like a bunch of strangers who happen to meet up occasionally to play a game of footy. If I were a member of the board I'd save the fortune it woud cost to get rid of Jol and spend the money on a decent 'shrink' instead, or hire Paul McKenna for a few days/weeks/months!

Posted 14:02 23rd October 2007

David Berry (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

I agree with the comments that we should get behind MJ. I was very disappointed with the performance last night, defencive errors, non existent midfield, and the less said about Bent the better. The only positive I can take is that we have played more away games than home so far, and (swapping Sunderland and Sheffield utd, and Derby and Watford) in the same 10 games last season we got 8 points. If we can beat Blackburn, then for the corresponding 11 fixtures we will be 2 points better off!! This is the time for the supporters and team to pull together as with some self belief, we can still do alright this season.

Posted 14:00 23rd October 2007

Des Webster (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

Bale was a loss on the left hand side, the only decent crosser of the ball from the left. Berbs attitude stunk, sitting there like a spoilt child. As for BMJ, i think his time is up, one win in ten aint cutting the mustard.

Posted 13:54 23rd October 2007

Joe Kinrade (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

We need two players in January, as well as some lay-offs. Firstly, a leader in midfield - I'd had loved it if Riquelme signed, but someone in that vein of class and leadership. Secondly, a left winger such as Gamst Pedrsen or van der Vaart - someone that can produce a quality cross every time, and beat their man. As for letting people go, Teemu, Stalteri and the likes just aren't up to standard, and the defence needs a shake up. The key point is that we need a leader on the pitch, like Liverpool's Gerrard or Chelsea's Terry. Jol is a proven manager, he's not the problem.

Posted 13:44 23rd October 2007

Stuart Gavin (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

I have always had my faith in Martin Jol and firmly believe that what he has done for the club in these past few years has given him the respect he so richly deserves, but i also now believe that he has run out of ideas and is almost losing the plot a bit. If Martin Jol leaves now, i think he will be remembered for the good boss he is and setting Spurs up well for the future. If he stays any longer i think he will end up ruining that memory and will probably leave most people with a bitter taste in the mouth.

Posted 13:27 23rd October 2007

Steve Hodges (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

I have to say I watched the game last night and was bitterley disappointed. Bent is NOT a premiership player, Chimonda wants to play on the right wing and clearly cannot defend, Kaboul wants to play in midfield and should stick to centre back. Dawson needs a leader to play alongside and until Ledley is back we havent got one. Where was Huddlestone ? he keeps the ball and plays the easy passes. Berbatov ands Keane should start every game if fit and sell Bent. Finally, what has happened to the young goalkeeper we bought from Sunderland last year??

Posted 13:21 23rd October 2007

David Freeman (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

Why oh why did Spurs buy Darren Bent only to displace Defoe who is a very capable goalscorer and a crowd pleaser. Spurs performance this year has matched Defoes absence. Defoe can make a goal out of nothing and at the moment thats exctly what Spurs have.

Posted 13:10 23rd October 2007

Chris M (spurs fan) (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

As a life long spurs supporter nothing is more painful than watching these sort of results. Looking through other emails i agree with some of them in that our defence look all lost at sea, For me last year Dawson was awesome in the absence of King and at such a young age. We simply cannot defend, especially set pieces the defenders need to be more proactive when crosses come in, they seem to wait rather than attack them, but with that said we definately lack a great deal of punch in the midfield, i believe Huddlestone is and will become an even better playmaker, but we need a Freund or Davids to fight and win balls in the midfield. I have a lot of respect for Jol, he never shys away from the true reasons why we are playing badly but he does need to get them training and working on this on the training field, they need to stand up and be counted now. Noone is above the manager or the club and they all need to pull together in the right direction, we have alot of quality and Robbie Keane has been inspirational this season, deserving of the armband, the others should follow his example. COME ON YOU SPURS !!

Posted 12:58 23rd October 2007

Ron Baner (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

I listened to the game last night and got the impression that we started OK but then lapsed into our current trait of giving the ball away too easily and hoping it will come back to us before the oppo score. We don't have a fighting midfielder and we need one badly, someone to give some heart & passion to those around him, JJ isn't that person he's too soft nor is Teemu too slow or Zakora too eratic so that's my priority. And a question, When we're struggling for points, why leave Defoe in London, and Berbatov on the bench and play Bent who, so far this season, can't hit a cows behind with a banjo? Clearly a problem with Jol/Defoe and I think I'd rather lose Jol than Defoe in the longer term.

Posted 12:05 23rd October 2007

Jay King says...

I watched the game last night and there only seemed to be I Spurs player playing and that was the mighty Robbie Keane. Why the hell did we buy Bent? when we badly need some decent defenders. Yes we have Ledley but he seems to spend most of every season injured lately. Berbatov is a great player but only plays when things are going well. I'm getting sick of reading everyday that Jol's job is on the line. Leave the guy alone he's been the best manager we've had for years and can only tell the players what to do if they don't want to play then maybe they should look for new clubs. We will fight back COME ON YOU SPURS

Posted 11:54 23rd October 2007

Martyn Lucking (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

Simple problem, midfield has no bite and the defence are clueless currently. Jol needs to play Berbatov and Keane for a match, then Bent and Defoe for the next match and keep rotating so they all get to play - there's no point having 4 strikers and only playing 3 of them, they all need a run. Defoe is quality and needs to play, Berbatov looks bored! And Jol needs to stick to a settled team and stop playing players out of position - ditch Tainio and Zokora get in two tough holding midfielders - stick Malbranque and Lennon on the wings, play Berbatov and Keane one match and then Bent and Defoe the next match and keep rotating. We miss King but he is unfortunately injury prone and show's no sign of returning, we need a strong leader in defence. Bale is excellent, I bet he wonders why he joined us!! Chimbonda is good, Dawson seems to have lost his way, Kaboul needs time but looks a bit iffy so far, Jenas is gifted but is too soft and disappears when the going gets tough, Bent hasn't had a chance yet but so for doesn't look too hot, Malbranque is a bit hit and miss, Tainio is not up to premier league quality, Berbatov is excellent but something is wrong because he's not interested at the moment, Keane is fantastic but can't carry the team and Lennon is also great but needs to play in position... if we haven't got a left sided player, don't make that the focus of the team trying to fix it!! I think Jol has unfortunately lost the plot, I like him a lot but he's not brought in the right players and he's not making the best of the players he has - he either sorts it in the next 2 or 3 matches or he needs to get out and let someone else with a fresh approach take over - Jol seems to have lost the team or at least some of them and when that happens things usually go from bad to worse. Jol seems to be taking it out on some of the players, mainly Defoe and that's not right, he's not making the right decisions!

Posted 11:45 23rd October 2007

Derek Nicholson (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

I do believe that we have to get behind Jol because he has had us finish 5th in the last 2 seasons so he is a good coach. We need to do something at the back though and soon. I would play Cerny instead of Robinson because Robinson should not expect to play every game even when he is in poor form like he is now. He should be made to fight for his place as should all the players. I belive the captain should not be a striker as he cannot read the game from the front and I also think that the midfield has got to contain the strongest players possible, certainly not Jenas. We have a great forward line but that counts for nothing if you are letting in as many as we are at the moment. We have got to look at the defence urgently and build from there. If we have to defend and get the odd 1-0 win or draw let's do it, get some points on the board, climb the table and get some confidence in the team again.

Posted 11:42 23rd October 2007

Mick Gowans (Newcastle United fan) says...

As a Newcastle fan its nice to see other teams struggle its about time that happened. Now we have a decent manager and a settled dressing room we are really seeing the benefits. Not sure about Owen and Martins together but Owen will be injured shortly so we look good upfront. Come on the Mags!!!

Posted 11:22 23rd October 2007

Jon Archibald (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

Jol should do the right thing and fall on his sword. How long is this farce going to continue? We are pathetic at the moment. I'm actually embarrased to be a Spurs fan. Jol needs to go, now! He can take Jenas, Tainio, YPL, Bent, Rocha, Staltieri and Robinson with him. There's only one man for the job. He saved us from relegation as a player, and he can do it again as manger. That's right, I'm talking about Juergen Klinsmann.

Posted 11:12 23rd October 2007

Ian Straughan (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

What the hell is happening - Second to every ball and a totally lack lustre performance. I got the feeling that none of them wanted to be out there. The Tottenham board need to sort this out now - Everyone is joining the sack Martin Jol bandwagon, but where does the fault really lie. Only the board will know what has being going on behind the scenes and it is their responsibilty to fix it or go.

Posted 11:11 23rd October 2007

Scott Robbins (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

I'm torn to be honest, i do like Martin Jol and where he's taken us the last two seasons, but with such high expectations this season and some of the Spurs faithful saying that 4th place was a forgone conclusion, i had a bad feeling that we were going to be cursed. With key injuries, Defoe and Burbatov unsettled, Bent (surprise-surprise) is struggling, the midfield can't seem to keep the ball and the defense/goalkeeping looking alarmingly exposed. To say that we're in a mess is a understatement. I'd say to give Jol until Christmas, otherwise if this kind of shocking form continues, changes will have to be made.

Posted 11:09 23rd October 2007
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