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Saint to Spur Hoddle quits Southampton to coach Tottenham
Updated: Wednesday March 28, 2001 3:39 PM
LONDON (AP) -- Glenn Hoddle quit as Southampton manager Wednesday to take over at Tottenham, the London club where he made his name as a playmaking midfielder 20 years ago. The official completion of Hoddle's triumphant return to his "spiritual home" at White Hart Lane looked set to take place Thursday or Friday. A bitter Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe disclosed Hoddle's departure early Wednesday. Hoddle's agent, Dennis Roach, said a new contract might take a few days to wrap up. "I hope the deal can be finalized in the next couple of days and then Glenn will take the job at Tottenham Hotspur," Roach said. "Most people know that Glenn Hoddle's heart has always been with Tottenham Hotspur. It's the one club that could tempt him away." Dozens of reporters and fans gathered outside the club's entrance, but Hoddle didn't show up. But Hoddle could be in charge for Tottenham's league game Saturday against London rival Arsenal at Highbury. The two sides meet a week later in the FA Cup semifinals in Manchester. Roach described negotiations as "amicable" and said "most of the problems are, or have been, sorted." Tottenham's official statement said only that "discussions are taking place with Glenn Hoddle. ... A further announcement will be made when appropriate."
"We can't do anything until it's complete," Tottenham spokesman Jon Rayner said. "When that will be, we don't know. It's just a case of waiting for it all to come through." Asked if there were a chance the deal might collapse, Rayner replied: "Not at all." Among the sticking points could be the 15 months remaining on Hoddle's contract at Southampton. Lowe said he would not release Hoddle until compensation was agreed. Hoddle, 42, was the favorite to replace George Graham from the minute the sharp-talking Scotsman was fired as Tottenham's manager on March 16 after falling out with the club's new owners. Hoddle, the former England coach, met for five hours Tuesday with Spurs officials about returning to Tottenham. "At 10 p.m. yesterday I received a phone call from Glenn saying he wished to end his employment at Southampton with immediate effect and join Tottenham Hotspur as their manager," Lowe said. Lowe accused Hoddle of "turning his back" on a club that had given him a chance to return to coaching after being fired almost two years ago as England coach. Hoddle is thought to have an escape clause in his contract at Southampton, allowing him to leave at any time for a buy-out price of 800,000 pounds (US$1.2 million). David Pleat has been serving as Spurs' caretaker manager since Graham's firing, guiding Tottenham to a 3-0 win over Coventry 10 days ago. Hoddle's assistant at Southampton, John Goram, announced that he would be following Hoddle to Tottenham. Kevin Keegan, the former Newcastle and England manager, is considered the favorite to replace Hoddle at Southampton. Keegan played at Southampton in the early 1980s. Hoddle is an icon at Tottenham, where he was a dashing midfielder in the 1970s and '80s. He scored 110 goals in 494 appearances for Spurs between 1975 and 1987 and played on FA Cup-winning sides in 1981 and 1982. Hoddle also played at Monaco, helping the club to the French league title in 1988, and Swindon and Chelsea. He made 53 appearances for England, scoring eight goals. Hoddle was a successful manager at Swindon and Chelsea before succeeding Terry Venables as England coach in 1996. He came under fire after England crashed out of the 1998 World Cup in the second round. Hoddle was ridiculed by the media for his reliance on a faith healer, Eileen Drewery, and criticized for his book about the World Cup campaign. Hoddle was fired as England coach in early 1999 after saying, in a newspaper interview, that disabled people were paying for the sins of an earlier life. He returned to management last year at Southampton, taking over for Dave Jones after he left to defend himself against allegations of child abuse. This season, Hoddle has guided the Saints to eighth place in the Premier League, three places and five points above Spurs, and in contention for a place in Europe.
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