Football: Venables is happy to earn short cease-fire: Tottenham's turmoil shows no sign of abating as their chief executive survives to fight another day against Sugar

JUDGING by the reception he received from some 200 supporters thronging the Strand outside the High Court yesterday, one would have thought Terry Venables had won his battle with Alan Sugar. In effect, he had. But the war is still there for the winning.

Venables' side were claiming a 'hands down' victory after Vice- Chancellor Sir Donald Nicholls agreed to their request to adjourn the case until 8 June because of what the judge described as the 'voluminous evidence'. He ruled that the injunction secured by Venables 12 days ago against his dismissal as chief executive of Tottenham Hotspur should remain in force in the meantime. But the real shots in this war, perhaps most crucially Sugar's, have still to be fired.

All the same, round two, like round one in the High Court, had gone to the Venables camp and Sugar was sufficiently pragmatic to realise it. At his instigation - and at the request of the judge - the two men met with their lawyers for 30 minutes after the two-hour hearing to agree a 14-day cease-fire.

'A set of protocols for the running of the company were settled very amicably and quickly,' Nick Hewer, the spokesman for the Sugar camp, said.

Venables was led by his solicitor from a packed Court 62 on the 11th floor of the Thomas More building through still more crowds of media people and supporters milling directly outside to a rapturous welcome from supporters. Asked if he was happy with the outcome, Venables

replied: 'I've got to be, haven't I'

The greeting he received contrasted sharply with the gauntlet of abuse a deflated-looking Sugar had to run before making a hasty exit from the building via a rear lift. 'Judas]', 'Barrow boy]' screamed supporters after he told them, in response to a request to speak to them: 'I'll talk to you when the time is right.'

The Sugar man aptly described it as a bitter-sweet day. 'We would like to have had the matter dealt with straightaway,' Hewer said. 'But at least we have got a firm date which is earlier than they had requested and there is no room for prevarication.'

If he did not know already, Venables was left in no doubt about who, if not exactly what, he will be up against on 8 June. Though what is believed to be the central case against Venables, his conduct in the signing of Teddy Sheringham from Nottingham Forest, was not presented, extracts from several other affidavits were.

They included those of fellow directors, Tony Berry, Douglas Alexiou and Colin Sandy, the club secretary, Peter Barnes, and the commercial manager, Mike Rollo. All of them, to varying degrees, came down on Sugar's side but what was particuarly surprising was the suggestion by one or two that Venables' departure would have little or no effect on the playing side. Even Sugar has never disputed Venables' contribution as a coach.

'I don't consider Terry Venables as fundamental to the management of Tottenham,' quoted Philip Heslop QC, for Tottenham plc, from Alexiou's statement. 'I don't even think the football side would suffer if he left.

'I've seen many conflicts in my time at Tottenham and I've come to the conclusion that the club functions better with one boss than two. It is clear to me that the chief executive role is beyond the capabilities of Terry Venables. He is a footballing man.'

In Barnes's affidavit, he said that the club could continue even without Venables and that Doug Livermore and Ray Clemence, the first-team coaches, were capable of handling players' contracts despite no knowledge of such matters. 'On the playing side Mr Venables is not essential to the working of the team. The team can survive without any individual.'

His view that it was difficult for the club to function properly was echoed by the commercial manager. Rollo said that he had pounds 4m worth of business to organise with regard to the hiring of executive boxes and that the situation at the club made that very difficult. He did, at least, afford Venables the compliment that he was 'the greatest coach in the UK if not the world'.

Berry, a one-time supporter of Venables who abstained when the vote was taken to sack him on 14 May, said that he would vote in favour of Venables' dismissal if it came to it again.

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