Hoddle won't let work get him down

Adrian Curtis13 April 2012

Glenn Hoddle will suffer another 90 minutes of tension and anxiety on Sunday when his relaxed approach to football management will be pushed to the limit once more.

A week after Liverpool's Gerard Houllier was taken ill with serious heart problems during his side's draw with Leeds, Hoddle is determined to maintain the calmness that has become his managerial trademark. But the Tottenham manager knows it will be difficult.

Houllier faces a long haul back to full fitness after undergoing open-heart surgery. The stress to which he succumbed can be seen etched on the faces of most Premiership managers every match day but Hoddle is not among them.

Yet for a man who was hounded out of the England manager's job for his controversial remarks about the disabled, Hoddle should have more reason than most to be uptight about the game he loves.

However, he remains largely unaffected by the stress of managing at the highest level.

He said: "I can honestly say that in all my time as a manager I've lost, maybe, four nights sleep over the job and they were during my first days in charge of Swindon.

"Back then I suddenly wondered what I had let myself in for and felt out of my depth. I thought I might not be able to cope with the stress. But I soon found my feet and I am lucky in a way because I've always had an in-built ability to put things in a draw and come back to them later on.

"I don't dwell on problems. It is my firm belief that how you cope with stress is related a lot to the make-up of the individual concerned.

"But there is no stress to being a football manager in terms of what else is going on around the world. In fact, my assistant John Gorman and I would often have a laugh about stress because football management is a fantastic job. Real stress is suffered by people with serious problems on their hands, not by football managers.

"The only real stress I suffer comes with the 90 minutes of football. So much depends on things that are outside your control as a manager, like refereeing decisions that have a direct effect on the outcome of games. The rest of the time, managing a football team like Spurs is a pleasure."

Hoddle will need to use all his calming influence if Spurs are to return from Newcastle on Sunday with any reward.

Central defender Goran Bunjevcevic, who fractured his cheekbone earlier this season, played for the reserves in midweek but Hoddle is not convinced he is ready for a first-team recall. The Yugoslav has been fitted with a 'Phantom of the Opera' mask to protect his face but has not had enough time to get used to it.

Hoddle said: "I still think he needs another game under his belt before being more comfortable with it.

"We played him in midfield in the reserves to save him from having to make too many challenges in the air. So I think Newcastle will still be a little early for him."

Uruguayan international Gus Poyet has recovered from a bout of flu but Darren Anderton is still not completely free of his Achilles problems.

Anderton is suffering from inflammation of the tendon and does not train fully for at least two days after each game.

The precautionary measure has helped Anderton play more regularly but the midfielder said: "For two days after every game now, I hardly do a thing. That is because I'm still feeling the soreness.

"The main problem with doing so little training is remaining match fit. In some games I find I'm getting tired in the second half. I want to be training all the time to build it back up but I know I can't do that. I have to work hard for the two days before a game."

Newcastle v Spurs
2pm, Sunday, St James' Park Live on Sky pay- per-view

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