David Ginola blamed George Graham for his shock exit from Tottenham, claiming he was "pushed out" by his former manager. The Frenchman's departure in 2000 to sign for Aston Villa in a £3million deal left the fanbase stunned, with the ex-footballer's two former sides set to meet today (Saturday, September 19) in north London.
The 59-year-old had spent three years at Spurs and endeared himself to the supporters with his maverick personality and entertaining style on and off the pitch. Ginola admitted he never wanted to cut short his time at the club and laid the blame at Graham's feet for his sale to the Midlands side.
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Ginola detailed the acrimonious manner of his exit in his 2000 autobiography 'Le Magnifique' and wrote: "I never wanted to leave Tottenham. I was pushed out. George Graham tried to put all the pressure on Alan Sugar by saying in the press how he didn't want me to leave, but that the chairman had accepted a good offer for me from Villa.
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"The bottom line is that Graham had the responsibility for choosing who played, not Sugar. He was never man enough to tell me face to face that he didn't want me at the club any more. I had given so much to the club for three years and I was looking forward to playing for another two, then this manager takes it all away from me.
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"I wasn't surprised that George wanted me out. Ever since he arrived I was under pressure to play out of my skin for him to put me in his team but, even with me playing well, he substituted me in 36 of the 79 matches I started. I could never understand why he did that. Maybe I was too much for him to cope with, in terms of my personality, image and popularity with the fans."
He added: "He would always look for the negative things to say about me, trying to out me under pressure. I tried my hardest but Graham would always give me hassle.
"He would single me out and criticise something in my game, so that I lost the respect of my team-mates. Even if I had been the best player on the pitch, he would say 'I expect more from you, it was not good enough.'"
The moment Ginola finally opted to leave the club came after finding out he'd been dropped for a pre-season friendly against Birmingham City.
He explained: "We arrived at St Andrews and got changed. Graham said I wasn't in the team, so I assumed I'd be one of the substitutes and went on to the pitch to warm up. When it was time to go back to the dressing room, a steward stopped me and asked me for my autograph. He handed me a team sheet and I looked down it to find my name, so that I could sign beside it. I couldn't find my name.
"It was then I realised that I wasn't one of the substitutes. I had changed and done the warm-up and the manager never told me. I sat on the bench anyway and the fans were chanting my name, but the other players just looked at me and we laughed. The icing on the cake came at the end of the game, when Graham made me train on the pitch with the rest of the players who never got on.
"Stewart Houston took the session and I was looking at him with a smile on my face. 'Why are you smiling?' he asked. 'Because you are so pathetic,' I replied. 'It is unbelievable how you are treating me, and it makes me laugh.' It made me take stock. I had given so much for three years, then this manager, who hasn't really proved himself at the club, takes it all away from me.
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"Graham is living on the edge, he has to provide something big for Spurs this year but all I can say is that he is the reason I am not at Spurs today. My transfer was sealed the day after. I finally went to meet John Gregory. There had been interest from clubs abroad, including France, Turkey and America, but my heart belonged in the Premiership."
Ginola played just 41 games for Villa, scoring five goals before joining Everton in 2002. However, he played just five times for the Toffees before retiring later that year. Both Spurs and Villa are winless in the top-flight heading into their weekend clash.