On 5 September 1998, Christian Gross was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur after leading the club to its worst Premier League finish since the 1993/94 campaign.
Christian Gross during his time with Spurs
Gerry Francis was put in charge at White Hart Lane in November 1994, but after leading the club to 7th, 8th, and 10th-placed finishes, he was sacked on 19 November 1997 with the club sitting just above the relegation zone.
It was a surprise to many when Gross was announced as Francis’ replacement the following day.
The once-capped Swiss defender had spent his entire playing career in his home country, save for two seasons in the Bundesliga with VFL Bochum.
Gross was head coach of Swiss side Grasshoppers when he was chosen to mastermind Spurs’ climb out of the relegation zone.
Having only spent one season outside the top flight since 1950, it would have been a travesty for a club of Spurs’ stature to face relegation, and so the selection of a manager with minimal reputation outside of Switzerland was something of a gamble.
Even stars like Les Ferdinand couldn’t arrest Spurs’ slide
Gross did not get off to the best of starts. In his first match in charge, Spurs lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace (who would finish in 20th place that season) at home. Gross won his first three points five days later with a 2-0 victory over Everton, but followed it up with a 6-1 trouncing at home to Chelsea and a 4-0 defeat at Coventry.
After the defeat to Coventry, Spurs found themselves in 18th place with relegation a realistic proposition for Gross’ men.
They were to drop down to 19th and didn’t jump out of the relegation zone until the 25th round of matches and a 3-0 win over Blackburn.
With three games of the season remaining, Gross’ side were in 17th place, but the inspirational Jurgen Klinsmann – who was to retire at the end of the season – fired Spurs to the safety of 14th with two goals in the win over Newcastle and the draw with Southampton, as well as four goals in the 6-2 victory over Wimbledon.
German superstar Klinsmann was a Spurs legend
The start to the 1998/99 campaign saw no improvement in fortunes for Gross, and his decision to bring in only one player during the transfer window in the shape of Italian defender Paolo Tramezzani was not a popular move.
A 3-1 loss at Sheffield Wednesday and 3-0 reverse at home to Wimbledon meant the writing was on the wall for the Swiss boss, and a 1-0 win over Everton wasn’t enough to safe Gross’ job.
He was sacked one week after the Everton defeat with the club lying in 14th place, and after a brief period with a caretaker manager, George Graham took over the reins and guided Spurs to 11th place that season.
Gross returned to Switzerland and became manager of Basel, where he remained in charge for 10 years.
His time in London was an out-and-out disaster. Not only did results not go his way, but he was characterised as an oddball in the press while his fitness-oriented approach did not find favour with his players, with Les Ferdinand in particular disliking the manager’s methods after he was forced to train while injured, thereby aggravating the injury.
Ex-Arsenal manager George Graham succeeded Gross
Spurs equalled Gross’ 14th-place finish in the 2003/04 campaign under the stewardship of Glenn Hoddle and David Pleat, but Gross’ tenure remains the worst in Spurs’ history since a 15th-place finish in 1994. Since 2009, the club has finished no lower than 6th.
Gross led his most recent club, Al-Ahli, to a Saudi Arabian domestic double last season, but his time in Tottenham will not be fondly remembered in the annals of the club.
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