Jol in charge as Santini walks out

Stunned Tottenham players will face Charlton at White Hart Lane today without a manager following Jacques Santini’s decision to quit.

Assistant coach Martin Jol will take charge of the team for today’s match, and looks certain be handed the top job on a permanent basis.

Santini quit blaming “private issues in my personal life”, but Tottenham midfielder Michael Brown said Santini’s decision had come “out of the blue” as far as the players were concerned.

Brown, in the Spurs hotel ahead of the game with Charlton, said: “All the players are shocked and surprised. It came totally out of the blue.”

Tottenham spent much of last season looking for the right man to lead them, and Santini’s sudden decision has also put the spotlight on chairman Daniel Levy.

Last season, Spurs sacked Glenn Hoddle just six games into the season and now it is almost a case of déjà vu as Santini heads for the exit door after only 13 games in charge.

Levy spent much of last season scouring Europe for a manager with the right credentials to restore the glory days to the club. His insistence on introducing a continental style structure to Spurs will be labelled a failure following Santini’s walkout.

It will be left to first assistant coach Jol to pick up the pieces and there are signs this will suit not only the club, but the players as well.

They discovered the news last night while on the coach to the team hotel.

Santini said: “My time at Tottenham has been memorable, and it is with deep regret that I take my leave.

“Private issues in my personal life have arisen which caused my decision. I have therefore requested to return to France.

“I very much hope that the wonderful fans will respect my decision. I should like to thank (sporting director) Frank Arnesen and Daniel Levy for their understanding. I wish the club and the supporters all the best for the season.”

Arnesen voiced the club’s disappointment at Santini’s decision but wished him well.

He said: “We are obviously disappointed that Jacques is leaving us. We fully respect his decision.

“I can assure you that the club will act swiftly to minimise the impact of Jacques’ departure. Our priority is to ensure that this season’s performance remains unaffected by this move.

“I shall make a further statement on Monday, clarifying our position. We wish Jacques well.”

Former France coach Santini had started his Spurs career in style as the team enjoyed much of the early part of the season with the front runners.

But in recent weeks there have been signs Santini’s style of management and his team selections were causing problems with the players.

Santini was alleged to have had a bust-up with midfielder Michael Carrick – a rumour subsequently denied by Spurs.

But some of his team selections were puzzling to say the least. England striker Jermain Defoe had been left out of Santini’s side altogether on occasions and striker Robbie Keane often asked to play an unfamiliar holding role in midfield.

Carrick has failed to make a start under Santini, partly because of injury, but mainly because the Frenchman insisted the former West Ham man was not fit enough.

Santini insisted nothing was wrong with the Spurs team spirit after their 2-0 defeat by Fulham last weekend but the body language of several of the players told otherwise.

Then there was Santini’s unfortunate decision not to attend a press conference after their home defeat by Bolton – on the day managerial legend Bill Nicholson passed away.

It was a massive own goal by the Frenchman and the club. Spurs were forced to issue a statement later that evening denying Santini had snubbed their late manager and then backed that up with quotes from the Frenchman the following day.

But by then it was too late and the damage had been done. On the pitch, Santini’s side had become strong defensively but lacked creativity and vision in the middle of the pitch. Then there was the continental style of management that clearly did not fit well with Santini.

He had no real power to sign the players he wanted. That was the job of sporting director Frank Arnesen.

Santini was therefore given players to work with that he did not really want and the cracks began to show in spite of their relatively good start to the season.

Rumours of bust-ups between Arnesen and Santini had begun to surface even before the season began but both sides denied there was a problem.

Jol was unhappy at taking on the role of assistant coach when he was first appointed and now, more by accident than design, he appears to have got what he wanted.

But the fans will want to know why it has all gone wrong again and many will now begin to question Levy’s position.