Football Dispatch

Weekend Football
26 October 2007
by Jerrad Peters

LESS than 24-hours after it was learned that Martin Jol was no longer the manager of Tottenham Hotspur, more and more details are surfacing and filling gaps in the chain of events which led to his departure. First and foremost, it should be understood that Jol was sacked; he did not resign. As the Dutchman prepared for Getafe's visit in the UEFA Cup, yesterday, he remained in the dark concerning his future. As it happened, chairman Daniel Levy's mind had already been made up. On Tuesday morning, following Tottenham's 3-1 loss to Newcastle at St. James' Park, Levy telephoned Sevilla manager Juande Ramos and informed him that Jol would be relieved of his duties in the coming days. Ramos, who had been targeted by Spurs in August, agreed to a three-year deal and will now join the club immediately, rather than in the summertime as previously thought. In fact, Ramos will be in attendance when Spurs play Blackpool in the Carling Cup on Wednesday. In the meantime, reserves coach Clive Allen will take over the managerial duties on an interim basis. Jol, meanwhile, is one of the favorites to succeed Henk ten Cate at Ajax. Most embarassing for Spurs, however, was the nature in which news of their decision was leaked. Levy never addressed Jol directly. Rather, the manager caught wind of his firing as rumors spread through the corridors of White Hart Lane. As a result, he offered to relinquish his duties. By the time the Getafe match had kicked-off, Jol fully knew that his tenure as Tottenham boss was officially over. And by half time, word had spread throughout the stands, as well. At the final whistle, the fans chanted "Stand up for Martin Jol." And the beleagured former manager of Tottenham Hotspur shed a tear, said goodbye to his players, and headed off into the night.

Sven-Goran Eriksson will attempt to lure Shawn Wright-Phillips back to Manchester City after Christmas. Eriksson, who has overseen an early-season renaissance at the club, counts himself among Wright-Phillips' greatest admirers and will attempt to take advantage of the 26-year-old's unsettled status at Chelsea. After playing his way into Jose Mourinho's squad early in the campaign, the right-winger has either been relegated to the bench of left out of the team entirely under Avram Grant. If he is not playing regular football by January, he will be sure to attract bids from a handful of clubs. "I'd personally open the gate for him tomorrow if he wishes to return here," stated Eriksson. "He has pace, good technique, and is very direct."

Owen Hargreaves is set to start for Manchester United when Middlesbrough visit Old Trafford, Saturday. The former Bayern Munich midfielder has battled tendonitis since arriving in the summer; although the swelling in his knee has receded as the result of an injection. His availability is a massive relief for manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Paul Scholes suffered a knee strain while training in Ukraine, Monday, and Michael Carrick is sidelined as well. Both Carrick and right-back Gary Neville, however, are believed to be in the mix for next week's crucial match against Arsenal.

Patrick Vieira will be out of commission until the new year. The Inter Milan midfielder and France captain left the field after 17-minutes against CSKA Moscow in Russia this week after agravating his calf. Earlier in the season, he fought a hamstring problem which kept him out of Roberto Mancini's squad for much of the early going.

Leicester City are scrambling for a new manager after Gary Megson left for Bolton Wanderers. Atop Foxes' wishlist is Coventry boss Iain Dowie. Coventry is currently 14th in the Championship and just five points back of the play-off places. Dowie arrived in the West Midlands after a tumultuous eleven matches in charge of Charlton Athletic last season. The 42-year-old did, however, guide Crystal Palace to promotion in 2003. Blackpool's Simon Grayson would be Leicester owner Milan Mandaric's second choice.