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Martin Jol's unstable standing as Tottenham boss has been further eroded following an apparent rift with Dimitar Berbatov during the defeat at Newcastle.
The striker, left on the substitutes' bench due to a 'slight injury', reportedly ignored Jol on three occasions when his manager ordered him to warm up during the 3-1 defeat at St James' Park.
The Bulgarian eventually heeded the command to replace Steed Malbranque after 58 minutes.
Jol was quick to play down any suggestion of a dispute with Berbatov.
"I've heard about this and it's rubbish - there was no problem," Jol insisted afterwards. "Dimitar knows exactly what the schedule is for him and he is fine. I don't know who this rubbish is coming from.
He said: "He played when (Darren) Bent did not play for two weeks and he could train.
"I need him on Thursday (for the Uefa Cup clash with Getafe). He knows that and I don't know where this rubbish is coming from."
But, according to The Guardian, 'Jol's words were somewhat undermined by the actions of Tottenham's press officer, who, clearly nervous about the subject, attempted to block questions on Berbatov before Jol overrode him and spoke regardless.'
Confidence
The Dutchman has plenty to answer about Spurs' early-season form, too. After a fifth league defeat of the season, they remain in the relegation zone.
Asked if confidence was a problem, he said: "You could say that was from the start of the season, but I cannot agree with that because if you lack confidence, you cannot lead 2-1 against Liverpool, come back from 4-1 down to 4-4 (against Aston Villa), be 3-1 up against Fulham and could have scored five.
"I feel if we get one result, the confidence will be there. But after the Liverpool game, they all went away on international duty and then we had to come to Newcastle, so the schedule doesn't help."
Jol's mood was not improved by a foot injury to Gareth Bale, who will undergo a scan on Tuesday.
The manager said: "Hopefully he is not out for long because we have five games in 13 days.
"Hopefully, it is not too bad, but it doesn't look good.
"His foot was swelling up after the game, so it could be a pretty tough injury."
The striker, left on the substitutes' bench due to a 'slight injury', reportedly ignored Jol on three occasions when his manager ordered him to warm up during the 3-1 defeat at St James' Park.
The Bulgarian eventually heeded the command to replace Steed Malbranque after 58 minutes.
Jol was quick to play down any suggestion of a dispute with Berbatov.
"I've heard about this and it's rubbish - there was no problem," Jol insisted afterwards. "Dimitar knows exactly what the schedule is for him and he is fine. I don't know who this rubbish is coming from.
He said: "He played when (Darren) Bent did not play for two weeks and he could train.
"I need him on Thursday (for the Uefa Cup clash with Getafe). He knows that and I don't know where this rubbish is coming from."
But, according to The Guardian, 'Jol's words were somewhat undermined by the actions of Tottenham's press officer, who, clearly nervous about the subject, attempted to block questions on Berbatov before Jol overrode him and spoke regardless.'
Confidence
The Dutchman has plenty to answer about Spurs' early-season form, too. After a fifth league defeat of the season, they remain in the relegation zone.
Asked if confidence was a problem, he said: "You could say that was from the start of the season, but I cannot agree with that because if you lack confidence, you cannot lead 2-1 against Liverpool, come back from 4-1 down to 4-4 (against Aston Villa), be 3-1 up against Fulham and could have scored five.
"I feel if we get one result, the confidence will be there. But after the Liverpool game, they all went away on international duty and then we had to come to Newcastle, so the schedule doesn't help."
Jol's mood was not improved by a foot injury to Gareth Bale, who will undergo a scan on Tuesday.
The manager said: "Hopefully he is not out for long because we have five games in 13 days.
"Hopefully, it is not too bad, but it doesn't look good.
"His foot was swelling up after the game, so it could be a pretty tough injury."