Other Spurs managers whose debut was the NLD – Part 1

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·21 February 2026

Other Spurs managers whose debut was the NLD – Part 1

Igor Tudor will join a rare list of names on Sunday when he becomes only the third manager in Premiership history to make his debut in the NLD.

Both Arsenal and Spurs fans saw the timing of Tomas Frank’s sacking and are aware of the new manager’s bounce being a possibility this weekend.

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While the appointment of the Croatian took many by surprise, his best chance of winning over his new supporters is by damaging the Gunners’ title dreams.

At the very least, the 47-year-old has a reputation for demanding high fitness levels, but can he do what Glen Hoddle and Martin Jol couldn’t do?

Not only did they lose their first Tottenham fixture to their next-door neighbours, but both games remain two of the most famous occasions in the fixture’s history.

Glenn Hoddle Replaces George Graham

Just over a week before the FA Cup semi-final, Spurs tried to give the whole club a lift by bringing back one of their biggest icons. The irony being that by doing that, they sacked Highbury legend George Graham.

The appointment gave Spurs hope for Old Trafford that they might not have had otherwise. At Southampton, Hoddle had rebuilt his reputation; he was in charge of England as a young coach whose ideas were innovative and ahead of his time. 8 days didn’t give him a lot of time to implement his ethos, but maybe his tactics would catch Mr Wenger by surprise.

It didn’t; the Frenchman was just worried about what his team did, and that was mostly dominate possession, forcing our rivals to try and defend a lead they got with their only attack.

(Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Sol Campbell’s Final Tottenham game

The high risk their new boss mentioned before kickoff consisted mainly of starting an unfit Sol Campbell, who was then subbed for an even less healthy Ledley King. Neither, in truth, had any business playing that day.

It would turn out to be Mr Campbell’s last appearance for Spurs …

I wonder what he did next?

Dan Smith

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