Matt Doherty says Tottenham's players have to take some responsibility for Jose Mourinho's departure in April after just 17 months in charge
Saturday 5 June 2021 21:09, UK
Matt Doherty has admitted he and his Tottenham team-mates have to take their share of responsibility for former boss Jose Mourinho's premature departure.
Spurs parted company with the Portuguese in April just 17 months after his appointment, with the club lying in seventh place in the Premier League table having been dumped out of the Europa League by Dinamo Zagreb.
But asked if the manager's demise had been a case of burnout, full-back Doherty said: "He was only there for 18 months. If it was three or four years, it could be a different conversation, but we just weren't getting the results for him.
"The manager is always the one to lose his job, but as players, we were the ones on the pitch and we weren't able to get the results for him, which was a shame because he's one of the best managers ever."
Doherty, who is currently on international duty with the Republic of Ireland ahead of Tuesday's friendly in Hungary, was a regular in Mourinho's team before a positive Covid-19 test cost him his place, and he had no problems with the way he was treated by the manager.
The 29-year-old said: "I definitely got a fair crack of the whip. I still played 25, 26, 27 games - that's a lot of games in a season, so I definitely got a fair crack.
"I had a great relationship with him. He was my neighbour for the whole year, so the relationship was fine. He was a great guy, but unfortunately these things happen in football.
"That was the case, but he is Jose Mourinho, he is one of the best ever and I have nothing but praise for him."
Tottenham have called off plans to appoint Antonio Conte as their new head coach following a breakdown in talks.
Negotiations were at a standstill on Friday evening, with Spurs holding concerns over some of Conte's demands including a reluctance to work with promising young players at the club.
According to Sky Italy, Conte had major doubts about becoming Tottenham's next head coach and was inclined to turn the offer down.
Fabio Paratici, who left Juventus last month and worked with Conte between 2011 and 2014, remains close to joining Spurs as their new sporting director.
