Levy waits til the midnight hour to make sensational announcements

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy waited until the witching hour before announcing the sacking of Juande Ramos. The clock was ticking towards midnight and most of the Spurs players were tucked

Levy waits til the midnight hour to make sensational announcements

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy waited until the witching hour before announcing the sacking of Juande Ramos.

The clock was ticking towards midnight and most of the Spurs players were tucked up in bed in advance of Sunday's home game against Bolton Wanderers when the sensational news began to sweep through footballing circles.

Match of the Day had just finished, with the Premiership table showing Tottenham rock bottom after their worst-ever start and most of the Sunday papers were already on the streets in central London.

Spurs fans tuned in to Sky Sport were among the first to hear the news and within minutes, former Tottenham stalwarts Graham Roberts and Jason Cundy were voicing incredulity at the timing of the announcement, late on the evening of what many see as a vital game.

Sky reported that Martin Allen was expected to be in charge of the team for the Bolton fixture as Gus Poyet, sporting director Damien Connolly and the rest of the coaching staff had already been sacked.

Both the former Spurs players were also voicing criticism of Levy's handling of the affair, pointing out that it was almost exactly a year on from the controversial sacking of Martin Jol. On that occasion the news leaked out during half time of a game at White Hart Lane.

But a sensational night was far from over, because within minutes Sky was speculating, then confirming, that Harry Redknapp was the new manager of Tottenham Hotspur.

Significant announcements involving the management at White Hart Lane have been expected for several weeks, but few people could have expected just how dramatic the night of Saturday October 25 would prove to be.