And so history repeats itself. Keith Burkinshaw (the last really successful Spurs gaffer) was forced out of the club following UEFA Cup success in 1984 over wage demands. Apparently vice-chairman Paul Kemsley was unhappy at the way Jol asked for pay rises following good seasons, which is rich coming from a man who bought the old Midland Bank HQ in the city for £40million five months ago and recently sold it for £72million.

It seems fat cats (never before has this expression been so apt) are rewarded for doing nothing, while fat managers who are good at what they do, have the love of the fans and are respected by the best managers in the game, are tossed onto the scrapheap.

I nearly cried when I read about Jol's demise, purely because I love the man - his loyalty to the club, his character, his sense of humour, his Dutchness, his sticking-out bottom jaw, and because he was the undisputed hardest manager in the Premier League (Roy Keane would give him a run for his money and any bout would be worthy of Sky Box Office. Remember Wenger s****ing himself on the Highbury touchline?).

'I nearly cried when I read about Jol's demise because I love the man - his loyalty to the club, his character, his sense of humour, his Dutchness, his sticking-out bottom jaw, and because he was the undisputed hardest manager in the Premier League'


Even my dad, whose interest in the pinnacle of English football has cooled considerably since it became a corporate vehicle, was visibly upset at the thought of Jol not being in the dugout. The man had built the club up after inheriting it from years of mismanagement by Glenn Hoddle, David Pleat, Jacques Santini et al and threatened to become untouchable by building a legacy worthy of Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson and Bill Shankly.

All we needed was a left winger and a winner in midfield. Sadly that last part will always be an 'if 'as his reign is over and he will never wave at the Park Lane End again. They say Spurs fans are a fickle bunch and I know this has a resonance of truth (what fans aren't?). But I challenge you to find a single fan who has a bad thing to say about him, as he is a true gentleman of the game and the only figure who can walk away from this shambolic affair with his head held high.

I remember thinking 'Uh, oh' when Mido left, speaking about politics at the club. And how right I was - we were genuinely touted as Champions League material until this season, when our board sent everything belly up by undermining the manager and managed to p*** off half the team in the process.  Dimitar Berbatov has constantly spoken of Jol in the highest regard and cited him and his interest as the reason he came to Spurs. His poor form and permanent scowl is down to the board.

Consequently his loyalty has evaporated and he allegedly told Jol after the Getafe game that ''we both need to find bigger clubs''. If he goes, probably to another Premier League club, we will get good money for him (it's all our board are interested in). But it is hardly the point - keeping hold of him was supposed to be a statement of intent of our future plans.

Still, after all, I am a Lilywhite and a Lilywhite I remain. Juande Ramos is a new era, and although I am ashamed to link myself with the club after what it has put BMJ through, the show must go on. Ramos's teams have played good attacking football, and he obviously has a winning mentality (statistically, Sevilla are currently the world's best team - five trophies in 15 months).

Although Champions League football does seem out of our reach, the club can still consolidate their position by getting into the UEFA Cup via the Premier League again this year. The last three years have shown us a brief glimpse of what the days under Burkinshaw were like - and this has merely whetted our appetite for bigger and better things.

What do you think of Jol's sacking? How will Ramos fare under our directorship? Leave your comments below.