Bowing to the inevitable: how Jol’s season was doomed from the start

Martin Jol knew for two months that he was a 'dead man walking', due to be replaced by Juande Ramos as Tottenham manager whatever results his team achieved this season. The Dutchman - who said publicly in recent weeks that he believed his job was secure - had in fact discovered Spurs had reached an agreement with Ramos for the 2008-09 campaign, and that even winning the FA Cup would not have kept him in employment at White Hart Lane.

Ramos's appointment was brought forward last week when Tottenham's board persuaded him to accelerate his exit from Sevilla, allowing them to confirm the sacking of Jol and assistant Chris Hughton in the immediate aftermath of Thursday night's Uefa Cup loss to Getafe. The Spaniard, 53, has signed a deal worth as much as £4.2m a year until 2011. He will not take charge of the team until after today's Premier League visit from Blackburn, having flown to London in the early hours of yesterday morning with fitness coach Marco Alvarez, and should also be joined by Gus Poyet, though Spurs face laying out another hefty compensation payment to Leeds for their assistant manager.

Leeds chairman Ken Bates believes that Tottenham made an illegal approach to Poyet, aware that he was invited to spend Monday night in the company of Spurs directors at their league match at Newcastle. And Bates believes that Poyet informed Leeds manager Dennis Wise of his intended departure 24 hours before Tottenham asked for permission to speak with him - though Poyet denies this.

Leeds are understood to be seeking a seven-figure sum to release the former Uruguay midfielder, who will help translate for Ramos, and intend to report Tottenham to the Premier League if they do not receive it. Wise has asked his close friend Poyet to stay away from training and games until the issue is resolved.

That is unlikely to be the only repercussion of Spurs' poorly handled dismissal of Jol, with a disconsolate Dimitar Berbatov still more determined to leave after losing a manager he trusted and confided in. Berbatov, leading scorer in his debut season, was angered by the board's refusal to sign fellow Bulgaria international Martin Petrov this summer and asked to be allowed to join Manchester United. Spurs blocked the transfer, but are now left with a player who is described by close friends as 'depressed and wanting to leave'.

Also, Jermain Defoe might not be impressed to learn that senior club officials manipulated Jol into publicly criticising the striker earlier this season when saying: 'He [Defoe] tells everyone he loves the club, but hasn't signed a contract. I said to him he will have a fair chance if he signs. My only problem with him is his contract.' According to sources, the club asked him to 'send a message out' to the forward about running down his current deal then refused to back his words when Defoe complained about them.

Though angered by his own treatment, Jol is relieved that the most difficult period of his career has finally come to an end. He was heartened by the crowd's highly vocal support for him on Thursday night when they learned - before he had - that his three-year reign as manager was over. Jol was also pleased with the warm response from players when he said his farewells on Friday. Defoe is said to have embraced the coach.

The 51-year-old has attracted interest from PSV Eindhoven, but would prefer to remain in the Premier League, with Fulham one potential new employer. Lawrie Sanchez is under pressure at Craven Cottage, having won two of 16 League games since replacing Chris Coleman. The surprise choice of managing director David McNally last April, Sanchez was recently called into Harrods to explain Fulham's under-performance to owner Mohamed Fayed.

Wherever Jol next works, he will struggle to find a club as bizarrely directed as Tottenham, where he delivered consecutive fifth-place finishes - a high-water mark in the Premier League - yet found himself on the brink of dismissal at least twice last season and three times this. Jol also suffered strained relationships with influential directors Paul Kemsley, the vice-chairman, and Donna Cullen. Kemsley, in particular, took a disliking to the coach's direct personality, complaining about his behaviour after matches and requests for pay rises after successful campaigns.

According to sources, the vice-chairman argued for Jol's dismissal at the turn of the year, and again at the end of last season, when he sounded out Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp about replacing him. Kemsley also led a party comprising Levy, sporting director Damien Comolli and club secretary John Alexander to Seville first to invite Ramos to become manager in August.

Throughout this period, Kemsley raised the pressure on Jol to finish in the Premier League's top four this season, thereby qualifying for Champions League football. The target fitted well with Levy's efforts to sell Tottenham at a substantial profit to majority shareholder ENIC International, an investment vehicle jointly owned by the plc's chairman and Joe Lewis, his billionaire uncle. Levy and Lewis believe they could realise more than £450m in a sale and have discussed terms with at least one consortium of foreign investors.

Central to achieving such a high takeout figure are the redevelopment of White Hart Lane and the substantial extra income that comes with Champions League football. To bring about the latter, the board sanctioned close to £40m worth of spending over the close season. They did not, however, allow Jol to decide either the position or identities of the new recruits. Instead, Comolli controlled the transfers in tandem with Levy, pursuing a policy of limiting wages, and not signing players over 27 years of age.

Jol's principal requests were for a left-winger, a holding midfielder and an experienced Premier League centre-back. Expecting Mido and Defoe to be sold, he also asked for a back-up striker. Comolli provided him with Kevin-Prince Boateng, an attacking midfielder who insiders say will never be good enough for Spurs; Younes Kaboul, a talented but raw French defender who has struggled in his first months at the club; Gareth Bale, a left-back who he had to play at left-wing; and Darren Bent, a club-record £16m transfer inferior to Spurs' established strikers.

The board refused to purchase Petrov and Elano despite Tottenham being offered first option on the left-winger and Brazil playmaker. Both went to Manchester City, proving central to the club's fine recent form. Jol's attempt to bring Sylvain Distin in as cover for the chronically injured Ledley King were also blocked over the Frenchman's age and wage demands.

Jol was angered by Comolli's consistent failure to support him in either the transfer market or discussions with the chairman. He also does not understand why the club would not grant him permission to talk with Freddy Shepherd when the then-Newcastle chairman enquired about his services earlier this year.

Instead, Jol entered a season in which his future was called into question after two fixtures, had to watch as his board approached Ramos ahead of the third, and was forced to limp through 11 more knowing he would be replaced whenever Ramos could be convinced to come.

Last night Spurs refused to comment on the record, but denied blocking moves for Petrov and Elano, making an illegal approach for Gus Poyet, and said Paul Kemsley had no role in the appointment of managers.