Andre Villas-Boas sacked: Manager paid price for making football 'too complicated' at Tottenham

Spurs suffered a humiliating 5-0 defeat to Liverpool at the weekend

Tottenham's manager Andre Villas-Boas puts his arms out in frustration on Sunday (AP)

Andre Villas-Boas may have paid the price for making football "too complicated" and his replacement at Tottenham needs to unite the fans, according to the joint-chairman of the club's supporters' trust.

Villas-Boas lost his job on Monday morning in the wake of a 5-0 home drubbing by Liverpool, with Spurs still failing to adjust to life without Gareth Bale.

The money from the forward's sale to Real Madrid was reinvested by Villas-Boas but the transition has been hard, with the Spurs board deciding that enough is enough.

Villas-Boas is renowned for his methodical approach to the game, an attitude borne out of his previous work as a scout, and Darren Alexander believes his fastidious style may have played a part in his downfall.

"I think if there is one criticism of Andre it is that he complicated football," Alexander told Press Association Sport.

"(He had) dossiers for this and dossiers for that and maybe he over-complicated things.

"He concentrated on what the opposition were going to do and not how we were going to play."

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The 36-year-old's sacking will divide Spurs fans, some of whom remained loyal to him.

Alexander admits that the former Chelsea manager was not unanimously popular and hopes that whoever takes over can have the full backing of the supporters.

"Our main thing is, the decision has been made, rightly or wrongly by the football club, and all we have to do is look forward," he said.

"There has been lots of in-fighting and different factions with Spurs fans ever since Martin Jol was sacked.

"I don't know what (chairman) Daniel Levy is thinking, bringing in a caretaker or not, but you would hope it is someone who can bring some degree of unity to the Spurs fans so we can all unite together.

"Andre signed some good players in the summer but hasn't managed to bed them in the team. Rightly or wrongly this decision has been made. We need to pull together and move on."

Villas-Boas was helped in the transfer market by technical director Franco Baldini, the Italian most commonly known for his work with Fabio Capello.

Russia manager Capello was at White Hart Lane on Sunday and heads the early betting for the job, and although Alexander has reservations about his style, he accepts that he knows how to win games.

"Capello was at the game and the link is he's Mr Baldini's best friend and he's kicking his heels before the World Cup," he said.

"He's a fantastic club manager and has won the title at every club side he's managed. However, one of the biggest complaints about AVB was the style of football he played and I am not sure if it would be that much different.

"But it's a results business and not too many people in world football would have a better record at club level than Fabio Capello."

Alexander did add, though, that Villas-Boas would always be in credit with Spurs' fans for never shirking blame.

"Andre always talked about 'we', whereas Harry (Redknapp) was 'them' or 'they'. A lot of people liked that about Andre," he said.

While Capello may be the favourite, former Spurs striker Gary Lineker wants Glenn Hoddle to get the job.

Hoddle - a Tottenham great as a player - managed the club between 2001 and 2003 but has been out of management since he left Wolves in 2006.

But Lineker feels that now is the time for him to make a return.

England's record goalscorer wrote on Twitter: "AVB has been sacked by Spurs. Would love to see Glenn Hoddle given another chance at this level. Has a brilliant football mind."

Villas-Boas watched on as Spurs were beaten 5-0 by Liverpool, just three weeks after a six-goal thrashing at Manchester City.

That loss at the Etihad Stadium prompted former Spurs chairman Lord Sugar to call for the Portuguese to be sacked and Sir Alex Ferguson to be appointed.

Sugar had scaled down his expectations on Monday, though, tweeting: "Spurs need to put Les Ferdinand and Tim Sherwood in charge for a while."

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini, who led his side to a 6-0 thrashing of Spurs in the league last month which also contributed to Villas-Boas' dismissal, said: "Always when a manager is sacked, I am surprised, especially when it is an important manager. He is a very young manager, he has done very well with all the teams (he has managed) - Porto and here in England.

"He didn't have time in both clubs but I am absolutely sure he will continue his career."

Sunderland manager Gus Poyet, a former Spurs player and coach, agreed Villas-Boas did not get the time he needed to mould his team.

He said: "Nothing surprises me in football. Now, it's not nice. From the managers' point of view no, it is not nice.

"We always want time, especially when you have just made a new team with plenty of new faces. Without any doubt, you need time.

"But I don't know the reasons, so it's difficult to analyse."

Poyet has been touted as a possible candidate to replace the Portuguese in recent weeks, but he insists he is concentrating only on the task of dragging the Black Cats out of relegation trouble.

He said: "It's always flattering, but I just came here and I am concentrating here. My aim when I go to a place is to think very quickly about the first team and then slowly, long term.

"It's the way I am, I try to see how I can help the whole club, so I am doing that, concentrating here.

"Yes, I follow the news, of course, but it's no problem."

PA