Hughton: I'm not angry with Spurs

From the moment Spurs officials were pictured meeting Juande Ramos back in August, the days were numbered for head coach Martin Jol and his assistant Hughton. It was another two months before Spurs finally lured Ramos from Sevilla and, in the meantime, Jol and Hughton were left in limbo, trying to steer the team away from the relegation zone in impossible circumstances.

Jol was finally sacked on a surreal night at White Hart Lane after the UEFA Cup defeat to Getafe. Hughton quickly followed out of the exit door but the 48-year-old, in his first interview since leaving, reveals he does not feel angry towards the club.

"Not at all," he smiled. "I've got no complaints. I've always had a good relationship with the club. They treated me well over the years.

"I enjoyed a wonderful career at White Hart Lane. I had some terrific highs as a player in the eighties and to go from there and have so many years on the coaching staff is something that makes me very proud. It's very difficult now to be bitter about what's happened."

The former full-back, who joined Spurs as a 13-year-old, survived seven managerial changes in his time on the coaching staff.

It was his old playing colleague Ossie Ardiles who invited him to become reserve-team coach and since then he's worked under Gerry Francis, Christian Gross, George Graham, Glenn Hoddle, David Pleat, Jacques Santini and Jol as Spurs spread their net far and wide in a bid to recapture the glory days of Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw.

"When I signed as a pro in 1977 Keith was manager," said Hughton. "We had some great times with him."

His 13 years on the Tottenham playing staff produced winners medals in the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup, plus 53 caps for the Republic of Ireland.

His kind of loyalty is rare in the modern game - Arsenal's Pat Rice is one of the few in a similar category - so it made his exit last month all the more surprising. "A succession of managers have come and gone and the club has always wanted me to stay," he said. "They stood by me over the years and I've been thankful for that.

"There's some disappointment, of course, because Martin had led Spurs to the brink of success.

"I don't think they are far from having a very good team and Martin has played a big role in that development. He's a very good coach and a big personality.

"It won't be long before he's back in business.

"The fact that we finished fifth in the Premier League in the last two seasons suggests we were not far away. It's up to the club now to find the formula that ensures the progress continues."

On Sunday, Spurs visit West Ham, where Hughton ended his playing career in the big-time. They are unbeaten in the four games Ramos has been in charge and West Ham, unbeaten in their last five games, are also beginning to find some form.

Hughton joined West Ham, initially on loan and then on a free transfer, in November 1990. "In a sense it was like going home," he said. "I was born about 10 minutes away from the ground. My mum and dad still live there."

Billy Bonds signed him to deputise in defence for the injured Julian Dicks as West Ham's bid to win promotion from the old Second Division gathered momentum.

"I only had one full season but it was a great season," he said. "I had enormous respect for Billy and I made some great pals. We won promotion and had Keith Hackett seen Tony Gale's tackle in a different light in that semi-final against Nottingham Forest we would probably have played Spurs in the FA Cup Final."

Last March, Hughton was in the Tottenham dug-out with Jol when West Ham, fighting for Premier League survival, visited White Hart Lane.

"It was a classic," said Hughton. "Spurs won 4-3 with a couple of goals in the last two minutes. West Ham played really well but I thought that was the end for them. They went on a roll after that, though, and I was delighted when they stayed up." Hughton, who finished his playing career in 1992 in Phil Holder's Third Division title-winning team at Brentford, is now looking for new challenges.

"I'd like to have a go at managing a club," he said. "It hasn't happened in the past because there's always been a good reason to stay at Spurs."

The atmosphere at Spurs was poor while Jol was fighting a losing battle to keep his job but, according to midfielder Jermaine Jenas, life is one big joke under Ramos.

With the players thriving on Ramos's unique training methods, Jenas said: "Juande likes to have a laugh with us now. His English is getting better, so he has started telling some more of his jokes.

"He is good to work with. You can tell he has won things and all he is trying to do is turn us into a successful team and there is respect there. But then again, he does have that side to him where he can enjoy himself and have a laugh with the players."