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Saturday 09 May 1998

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JURGEN FORGETS THE ROWS,
THE INJURIES AND THE CRITICISM

GERMAN striker Jurgen Klinsmann takes his final curtain call in English football at White Hart Lane on Sunday, insisting his return to the Premiership has been a success…even if his relationship with Spurs' coach Christian Gross hasn't.

Klinsmann's second spell with Spurs had been marred by a broken jaw, an on-going row behind the scenes with Gross and criticism of his performances until his four goal spree against Wimbledon last weekend; a devastating display which virtually secured the club's Premiership status.

Everton's defeat at Arsenal a day later meant Spurs were safe from the drop and Klinsmann safe in the knowledge he had done his job, even though critics have claimed he has been nothing short of a hired, short-term mercenary out to get himself fit for the World Cup making a cool £200,000 in five months in the process.

But the German insists his main aim on his return to White Hart Lane was to ensure Spurs stayed in the top flight, and considering that the club were in the relegation zone when he first appeared on December 28 against Arsenal and are now clear of the drop zone he believes he is leaving on a high with his reputation intact.

Klinsmann admits the past couple of months have not been "an easy period", given his publicised rows with Gross. But he insists he has genuine feelings for Tottenham and has simply been paid the same wages he was earning at Sampdoria.

Yet even now, with his bags packed and his flight home booked, Klinsmann still cannot find the words to pay tribute to Gross' role in Spurs' survival, preferring instead to credit his team-mates and the return of Les Ferdinand and Darren Anderton from injury with their rise from the ashes.

The German, who will wait until after the World Cup and a family holiday before deciding his next move, maintained: ''Obviously, I have had my problems with the manager but overall it has been a success. It didn't look very good for Tottenham when I came over but the players have stuck together and we have got ourselves out of the situation we were in. I'm glad that I came back as, even if there has been some negative points, it's always been an experience and you always learn from it.''

He was unwilling to go into detail about his falling-out with Gross, with whom he is understood to have quarrelled over tactics, the use of David Ginola and his own belief he had been hired to act as a go-between from players to management.

''It was obvious that we had different ideas and opinions about tactics and a lot of other stuff. We were just totally different people,'' said Klinsmann, who has scored eight times in his 17 starts for Tottenham this time around. ''But that's alright. I just said at a certain point - okay, I'm keeping quiet. I'm not giving my opinion anymore if there's no feedback. I'll just try to give my best on the pitch.''

Gross tried to hide his feelings when told Klinsmann had credited his team-mates as the main reason Spurs had stayed up, but he was clearly not impressed.

The Swiss coach said: ''That's just the way he judges things. He has been in this business for 15 or 16 years and has played under many coaches and it's just his way of quitting a club with those feelings.''

Gross did admit, however: ''Bringing Jurgen here was the right decision at the right time. I gave him the platform to perform on because he hadn't played many games in Italy due to an injury. He has been important for us.''

Whatever occurred behind the scenes between the two men, Klinsmann insists his final game against Southampton will be a special moment, bringing back memories of the last time he emotionally signed off at White Hart Lane for the first time a couple of years ago.

''It's a proud moment because it is a special stadium to me and Spurs are not getting relegated. That's why I came back. That's why they wanted me back and I played my small part in it,'' he explained.

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