Bullish AVB dismisses Tottenham sack fears

Andre Villas-Boas insists he does not fear for his job and still has the full confidence of the Tottenham board, despite Sunday’s 6-0 defeat at Manchester City.

The Portuguese was said to be on the verge of the sack after the disastrous defeat, which came despite a €132m summer spending spree on the likes of Roberto Soldado, Erik Lamela and Paulinho. Yet he insists the club are fully behind him despite worries over whether he has spent the money accrued from the world-record sale of Gareth Bale wisely.

Villas-Boas was speaking in Tromso, northern Norway, where victory would secure Tottenham top spot in Europa League Group K. Yet the future of the 36-year-old was the main topic of conversation, with Villas-Boas having to reaffirm his belief that the club would not dispense with his services after just 16 months in charge.