Premiership: Graham to sue Spurs over sacking

George Graham threatened to take legal action against Tottenham following what he called the club's "bizarre and inexplicable" decision to sack him.

Graham was told that Spurs could no longer work with him in a meeting with executive vice-chairman David Buchler.

And Graham insists the club's new owners ENIC had intended to replace him after taking over the club from Sir Alan Sugar.

A statement issued through his legal representatives said: "Mr Graham has already instructed his solicitors to deal with this matter and will be issuing legal proceedings very shortly if the club does not honour his contract."

The statement, issued via his legal advisers, went on: "George Graham was shocked and extremely upset to have been sacked by Tottenham Hotspur today just two weeks before the most important game of the season for the club.

"When David Buchler told him that they were relieving him of his duties because he had told a press conference that the club had only a limited budget for football transfers, Mr Graham was stunned and could not believe that such a flimsy excuse was being given for his dismissal.

"George Graham said: 'I feel intensely sorry for the fans that the money men who now run the club are endangering the club's morale at this time. Anyone who cares for Spurs will see this is a bizarre and inexplicable decision.

"'Every club has a limited budget and to say that I have broken some confidence in revealing this 'secret' just demonstrates how little the new owners understand about the game. The saddest element for me is that the club had started putting together a great run of results and I had managed to build a wonderful team spirit. All of this is now at risk'.

"Mr Graham believes that ENIC always intended to sack him when they came in and for them to say that it was him who had 'his own agenda' was untrue and a complete reversal of the facts."