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Friday, March 6, 1998 Published at 21:48 GMT



Sport: Football

Klinsmann's tunnel row with Gross
image: [ Klinsmann: Will leave at the end of the season ]
Klinsmann: Will leave at the end of the season

Jurgen Klinsmann is leaving Tottenham Hotspur after a furious row over tactics with club coach Christian Gross.

The German striker and Swiss manager argued in the tunnel after beating fellow strugglers Bolton Wanderers 1-0.

Klinsmann confirmed he will leave White Hart Lane at the end of the season.


[ image: Gross: His tactics led to the row]
Gross: His tactics led to the row
The German striker was hailed as Spurs' saviour when he returned to the club last Christmas.

But his row with Gross over the role David Ginola should play in the team has deepened the sense of crisis at the north London club.

Klinsmann said: "I will give my best until the end of the season and then we will go different directions.

"Christian and I obviously have totally different opinions about things."

Klinsmann, who likes operating in a two-man central strike force, was furious that Gross detailed forwards Chris Armstrong and David Ginola to take up wide positions in the Bolton match.

He was angry at being played as the team's sole centre forward but Gross believes Spurs' survival depends on wide players swinging in crosses.

Gross confirmed the row over tactics but said that the German captain was a squad player for Spurs who had to accept his decisions.

He said: "He was the only player not happy with what was a vital result. This was simply because he did not agree with where I had decided to play certain players, in particular David Ginola.

"I could not understand his reaction. He is still a squad member and has to accept my decisions about who I play and where I play them."

Spurs, fourth from bottom in the Premiership, have nine remaining matches to avoid the drop.

The win against Bolton took them five points clear of the relegation zone but the bottom three teams all have two games in hand.

Klinsmann was signed from Sampdoria with the sole aim of keeping Spurs in the Premiership.

Since then he has scored once and been sidelined with a broken jaw.

He was only signed on a six-month contract until the end of the season but he had agreed to sit down with the club chairman Alan Sugar to discuss his Spurs future.

Now that future will be away from White Hart Lane.
 





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