June 6 – Tottenham Sans Frontiers

WHEN they got rid of Glenn Hoddle in September 2003, you’d have forgiven Tottenham fans for thinking that the board might have had a ready-made replacement waiting in the wings. This wasn’t to be however, as it was only today in 2004 that Glenda’s successor was given the job, when the club appointed France national team boss Jacques Santini.

For nearly a whole season Spurs persisted with caretaker David Pleat as they searched for the man who would bring ‘the glory days back to the Lane’ for the umpteenth time.

Contenders came and went, as bookmakers took bets on over 85 different names before, like everyone else, they got bored and closed the book. Days after meeting with newly jilted ex-Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri, chairman Daniel Levy decided on his man and took a chance on Santini who was then preparing France for their Euro 2004 tilt.

Santini came with an impressive pedigree. He had secured the France job after taking Lyon to their first league title in 2002, and he must have done something right there, because they haven’t surrendered their grip on Ligue 1 since, winning seven consecutive titles.

He took over Les Bleus following their shock first-round exit in the 2002 World Cup, but didn’t have the best of it in Euro 2004 as the defending champions lost to eventual winners Greece in the quarter-finals.

His appointment was seen as a coup for Spurs, as they believed they had their Mourinho or Wenger, throwing adjectives like ‘cerebral’ and ‘thinker’ down on to press releases for all to see. Title challenges and European nights were around the corner if you believed the White Hart Lane spin doctors.

But, as most seasoned Premier League watchers know, for all the hype, Spurs never quite manage to take it to the next level. Santini’s preferred tactic was to keep it tight at the back and his negative brand of football meant that he had the fans on his back almost from the start.

Santini would only last 13 games at the Lane, with a meagre six goals scored during the 11 league matches he oversaw that would only garner Spurs eight points. It’s fitting that his most memorable contribution to the Premier League was to annoy the Special One, when Jose Mourinho complained that all his side did was ‘park the bus in front of the goal’ after a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge.

In September Santini stood down, citing personal problems that meant he had to return to France. However, many reports at the time gave the impression that he was going a bit Steven Ireland on us, as he was giving his wife a phantom illness and the real reason for his departure was a feud with sporting director Frank Arnesen.

Santini’s next stop was a season in charge of Auxerre where he again struggled, as he was filling the shoes of their legendary coach Guy Roux, who had spent the best part of the last 40 years in charge of the club. Taking over the reigns after one man has made himself an institution is never a wise career move, as we’re sure the poor sod that takes over the Old Trafford hot seat will realise in a couple of years or so.

Spurs meanwhile, put all of Santini’s ‘anti-football’ behind them in their next game as Martin Jol kicked off his regime with a 5-4 loss at home to Arsenal, in one of the best games of the last few seasons. As we’ve got nothing interesting to show you from the Santini era, it’s probably best that we show you highlights from that game. Enjoy the goalfest below and come back tomorrow for one of the greatest games of all time.