Spurs stand by Santini no-show

Tottenham tonight denied French coach Jacques Santini insulted the memory of legendary former boss Bill Nicholson when he failed to attend a post-match press conference following his side’s home defeat to Bolton.

Nicholson, who guided Spurs to the double in 1961 and Britain’s first European success two seasons later, died peacefully in a Hertfordshire hospital after a long illness early on Saturday morning. He was 85.

The club held a minute’s silence for their former manager before today’s game but Santini failed to appear afterwards to give his reaction to their performance.

But after accusations that Santini had snubbed the achievements of Nicholson, Spurs issued the following statement tonight: “The fact that Jacques did not attend the post-match press conference is in no way a mark of disrespect to Bill Nicholson but rather a reflection of his intense disappointment at today’s performance. He is a passionate man.”