Jol insists Mourinho won’t take his job
Despite finding his side in the relegation zone - a stark contrast to the media’s pre-season prediction that this would be the year Spurs would break into the top four - Tottenham boss Martin Jol insists that his job will not be taken by departed Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.
A disappointing 1-1 draw at struggling Bolton increased the pressure on Jol and left a team boasting star names such as Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane and Paul Robinson languishing in the bottom three. An Ivan Campo header cancelled out Keane’s early strike, leaving the London outfit with just five points from their first seven league games.
Spurs meeting with Sevilla boss Juande Ramos at the beginning of the season, and media reports claiming they made five calls to Mourinho’s agent in the day following his departure from Chelsea, suggest it’s just a matter of time before Jol’s tenure at White Hart Lane comes to an end. It is understood, however, that a clause in Moruinho’s settlement with Chelsea prevents him from taking a job with another English club.
Despite the inevitable pressure on Jol, he insists he has received assurances from chairman Daniel Levy that Mourinho will not be taking his job.
Jol said: “There is a joke in London that he (Mourinho) is the Special One, but he’s not that special. This would be a hard job for him and he knows it.
“Daniel Levy phoned me and said it’s rubbish. He said I hope you are with me next year and he has always been good to me.”
Although few would argue Jol has had a successful time at Tottenham, Spurs fans are becoming increasingly bewildered by his strange team selections and tactics. Midweek hero Jermaine Defoe, and the promising Gareth Bale were both left out of yesterday’s encounter, but the Dutchman stood by his decisions.
Jol said: “I had Bale as the seventeenth man because, for young players, it is still a joy to have them around the squad. It is not so good for experienced players.
“Robbie Keane has been our top scorer for a couple of years and he scores many away goals. But if Jermain is a substitute, he can only replace Keane, and I can only have four outfield players on the bench.
“Jermain scored against Famagusta in midweek, but so did Robbie. Robbie has his leadership qualities as well, he is an important player to us and we need them to develop. We need players who can lead the pack.”
Ironically, Campo’s equalier, which heaped so much pressure on Jol, may have saved the boss of his Bolton counterpart Sammy Lee. After last year’s European qualification, the Reebok side have started even worse than Tottenham, sitting 19th out of 20th after 7 games, with only 4 points.
The former Real Madrid man, a pivotal part of Sam Allardyce’s side, played his first game of the season and repaid his manager with a 39th minute equaliser.
