Tottenham Managers During Daniel Levy’s Time as Chairman
By Logan Holmes
Jacques Santini (July – November, 2003)
Brief in the Extreme
After ten months, the manager of the French national team was identified as the next Tottenham manager and would take charge following the 2004 European Championships. It was a summer of many new signings including Paul Robinson from Leeds United, Pedro Mendes from Porto, Sean Davis from Fulham and Nouredinne Naybet. The season started for Santini with a home draw against Liverpool when Jermain Defoe scored and with a well-organised team, Timothee Atouba’s goal at Newcastle brought Spurs first win under Santini. As results slipped and style was sacrificed for graft Santini unexpectedly resigned on the day before a league game against Charlton Athletic, after only 4 months in charge.
Martin Jol (November, 2004 – October, 2007)
Took Spurs As Far as He Could
Appointed in the summer as assistant to Santini, Jol stepped up to take temporary charge and was quickly appointed on a permanent basis. Jol displayed an immediate affinity with the club, the fans and its history, finishing in mid-table in the initial season. He then took Spurs to 5th place in the League and qualification for European football for the first time since the 1999-2000 season but missed out on the Champions League on the last day of the season when most of the team were struck down by a virus.
Another 5th-placed finish and a UEFA Cup quarter-final followed but when the following season started poorly, Jol was sacked in unusual circumstances when news of his dismissal filtered around White Hart Lane during a European game against Getafe. The general view of Martin Jol’s time as Tottenham manager was that he had taken Spurs as far as he could with the board looking for a manager to take Tottenham to the next level.