Hoddle: A defeat waiting to happen

Last updated : 29 September 2002 By SpursMAD
Hoddle kept the players in the dressing room for nearly an hour after the game and although Spurs started the game without 12 regular first-team players he said he could not make any excuses for them.

"That's the poorest we've played since I've been manager here," he said.

"It was poor from first minute to last and I just can't explain it because we were so solid at Man United last week.

"I could use our injuries as an excuse and maybe this was a defeat waiting to happen, but there can be no excuse for going down like that.

"It was a result that was fully deserved on the day. When you perform like we did you get results like that."

"We're even deeper in trouble as regards injuries for Tuesday night. There's no depth to the squad at the moment and most of the injuries are in defence.

"We're having to play people out of position, but that doesn't explain a performance as bad as this one.

"I haven't seen one as poor as that for a very long time."

To add to Hoddle's injury worries, defender Christian Ziege, making his comeback from a calf injury, strained the muscle again and had to be substituted after just twelve minutes of the 'Boro game.

As for the others missing through injury for the Boro game - who knows when they'll return!!