November 1 - Out with Ossie | On This Football Day

PINCH punch, first of the month and here at OTFD we’re kicking November off with another managerial casualty.

Despite losing his job in the most underhand way, poor old Martin Jol can at least console himself with the fact that it was ever thus at Tottenham. It was on this day in 1994 that Spurs dispensed with the services of Osvaldo Ardiles as manager, just 16 months after giving him the job.

The suits down at White Hart Lane seem to have something of a penchant for employing former star players as managers as they increasingly desperately try to win something. Sometimes, as in the cases of Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw, it has proved highly successful. In others, such as with Glenn Hoddle and Ossie, things have not quite worked out.

It was Burkinshaw who brought Ossie to England, when he shocked the football world by signing him and his compatriot Ricky Villa in 1978 after they had just won the world cup with Argentina.

Ardiles and Villa were hits with the Spurs faithful, and Ossie stayed in North London for ten years, apart from a season spent on loan with Paris St Germain.

In 1989 Ossie landed his first managerial post at Swindon Town and quickly got them playing attractive and exciting football which saw them earn promotion to the first division…. until the spoil sports at the Football League demoted them immediately for some dodgy payments to players.

The unlikely Swindon dream began to unravel for Ossie, and he left to have spells in charge at Newcastle and West Brom, before taking up the reigns at his beloved Spurs.

Sadly, he could not work his Swindon/samba magic at White Hart Lane and the club finished 15 in the 1993/94 season. SPurs then did what they always seem to do, back the manager to go on a massive summer spending spree, before giving them the old heave-ho before the leaves have fallen off the trees.

Ossie signed JÃ¼rgen Klinsmann, Ilie Dumitrescu and Gheorghe Popescu in the close season and played with his ‘famous five’ attacking line-up of Klinnsy, Sheringham, Nick Barmby, Darren Anderton and Dumitrescu. Despite Jurgen the German banging the goals in like nobodies business, the grande fromages at Spurs realised they hadn’t sacked anyone for over a year so gave Ossie the bullet to make way for Gerry Francis.

Since leaving Ossie has managed clubs all over the world including Japan, Croatia, Mexico and Israel, as well as his native Argentina where he has been in charge at Racing, and is now boss of Club AtlÃ©tico HuracÃ¡n.

Right enough of all this managerial madness for the moment, but come back tomorrow to read about a footballer being really rather nasty to another footballer. It’s just not cricket.

And here’s the clip you’ve all been waiting for of Spurs’ 1981 FA Cup song with Ossie telling everyone he’s going to win the cup for Tottingham.