Furious AVB hits out at Sportsmail's Neil Ashton after Spurs against United (... and you can read the full transcript here)

By David Kent

PUBLISHED: 10:09 EST, 1 December 2013 | UPDATED: 13:13 EST, 1 December 2013


Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas confronted Sportsmail's Neil Ashton in his post-match press conference after Sunday's 2-2 draw with Manchester United on Sunday.

Villas-Boas, who saw his side twice give away the lead against the reigning Barclays Premier League champions, was in a prickly mood when he spoke to the written press.

The former Chelsea boss said he was feeling disrespected and took exception to this week’s Ash Wednesday column.

Scroll down to watch Andre Villas Boas' post-match press conference

Unhappy: Andre Villas-Boas hit out at Sportsmail's Neil Ashton in his post-match press conference

Unhappy: Andre Villas-Boas hit out at Sportsmail's Neil Ashton in his post-match press conference

WHAT MADE AVB ANGRY?

Read the columns that annoyed Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas:

Neil Ashton: Any of us could have had AVB's success at Porto - but he was out of his depth at Chelsea and he is the wrong man for Tottenham

Martin Samuel: What's the beauty of being AVB? It's always someone else's fault

'A couple of people insult my integrity, my human values, my professionalism and one of these people is sitting over here,' he said, singling out at Sportsmail's Football News Correspondent.

'It insults the success that I have achieved in other clubs and I don't think it's fair. I think it's a lack of respect and an attack on a person's integrity.

'I don't want to undermine other managers. You can easily compare situations. We have sat above Man City before and above Man United before and we haven't seen any kind of these personal attacks to somebody so I think that is unfair.

'It's something that obviously comes with the 6-0 thrashing but more important is the team and the response and I think the players did that in great, great fashion.'

Not happy: Villas Boas did not like Neil Ashton's Ash Wednesday column

Not happy: Villas Boas did not like Neil Ashton's Ash Wednesday column

Opinion: Villas-Boas was also unhappy with Martin Samuel's column from Wednesday's paper

Opinion: Villas-Boas was also unhappy with Martin Samuel's column from Wednesday's paper

 
Bullet: Sandro (left) scored in Tottenham's 2-2 draw with Manchester United at White Hart Lane

Bullet: Sandro (left) scored in Tottenham's 2-2 draw with Manchester United at White Hart Lane

Double: Wayne Rooney (left) scored twice to earn United a point on Sunday

Double: Wayne Rooney (left) scored twice to earn United a point on Sunday

Villas-Boas also accused the club's former chairman Lord Sugar of having a 'very driven agenda' against him.

Sugar questioned Villas-Boas' tactical approach in midweek and even suggested ex-Man United manager Sir Alex Ferguson should come out of retirement to replace the Portuguese at White Hart Lane.

'I've struggled to understand AVB's tactics,' Sugar told talkSPORT in the wake of Spurs' 6-0 defeat at Manchester City last Sunday.

Opener: Kyle Walker (centre) scored a free-kick to grab Tottenham's first goal

Opener: Kyle Walker (centre) scored a free-kick to grab Tottenham's first goal

'The formation that AVB plays, I don't understand at all. I put my hands up, I am no great football expert, but I don't understand it at all.

'My dream would be that my good friend Sir Alex Ferguson will get itchy feet in about a year or so and decide he wants to get back into management and maybe bring his wonderful wife down to London and manage our team.'

But after a fighting draw with David Moyes' United side Villas-Boas hit back.

Gift: Hugo Lloris (bottom) conceded a penalty for this challenge on United's Danny Welbeck (centre)

Gift: Hugo Lloris (bottom) conceded a penalty for this challenge on United's Danny Welbeck (centre)

Strike: Kyle Walker (third left) celebrates with team-mates after scoring Tottenham's first goal

Strike: Kyle Walker (third left) celebrates with team-mates after scoring Tottenham's first goal

'I think it's a very driven agenda by somebody that doesn't honour the club, neither myself nor my players,' Villas-Boas told BBC Radio 5Live.

'It's their team, their passion and they don't trade it for anything else, not like Alan Sugar who trades it for money.'

ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS V NEIL ASHTON - FULL TRANSCRIPT

Question from another journalist: Your point is that you're under pressure so why is the United manager not under pressure?

Villas-Boas: Well I think... I don't want to undermine other managers. You can easily compare situations. We have sat above Man City before and above Man United before and we haven’t seen any kind of these personal attacks to somebody, and they are in this room, so I think that is unfair.

It's something that obviously comes with the 6-0 thrashing but more important is the team and the response and I think the players did that in great, great fashion.

Ashton: What was personal about it, Andre?

Villas-Boas: You can easily understand. I don't need to explain. I think you have always chased people, you attack people. You don't attack them by the front, you attack them sitting when you write. You attack integrity, you attack competence, you attack the integrity of the person, their human values and you don't even know that person. We never got a chance to sit down and speak about it.

Andre Villas-Boas

Ashton: I’m happy to speak about it.

Villas-Boas: Only when I give you that chance, when I know you and you know me are you able to reach conclusions like the one you did. I think yours and Martin's (Samuel) articles were completely out of order. That is my opinion.

Ashton: And I’m entitled to mine.

Villas-Boas: Of course, but I’m entitled to mine.

Ashton: But you are the one who has the problem with it, not me.

Villas-Boas: Ok but I’m making it public.

Ashton: Surely you don’t think there is a personal agenda?

Villas-Boas: I don’t think that, when I say there are articles that attack my integrity and human values. I think I don’t need to explain myself on that. Each one of us draws their own conclusions, that’s mine, obviously Neil and Martin have theirs and I respect their opinions as well but this is my opinion of what they write… even mixing the words that I said in the press conference after Man City.

Ashton: Sorry, can you explain?

Villas-Boas: I never told that the players should feel ashamed of themselves. We, that includes me.

Ashton: But if you say we should feel ashamed of ourselves, you are including your group of players?

Villas-Boas: Obviously.

Ashton: So…

Simon Felstein (Tottenham head of media): It’s not about dividing them, that’s the difference. It’s not a discussion for right now, not with the cameras on Neil. I think we can talk about this after.

Ashton: No, I am happy to talk about it now.

Villas-Boas: We is us. We are everybody at the club. Don’t you agree? Why do you think this is any intention to separate myself from it?

Felstein: Move on.

Question from another journalist: Paulinho, Dembele and Sandro, moved the ball quicker, is this the missing link?

 

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So who's favourite for the swivelled eye loon manager award then? Gotta be a close thing between Plan AVB and Davie Boy. Both furiously thrashing about like non-swimmers in the deep end, both seriously out of their depth.

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That's a big improvement as Spurs manage to hold Man U to a draw. The new project must be working once again for AVB.

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A V no plan B

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Its nice its not Arsene Wenger getting it in the neck this season and every day in the papers. Should we feel sorry for AVB.... NO he deserves a media drumming after a 6-0 defeat, lack of goals and wasting £100 million on average players........Nice to see Bale starting to find his feet at RM. Oh do spurs miss him and his ability to create a goal when the odds are stacked against Spurs.

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AVB hasn't got what it takes to do well in the EPL. His results with Chelsea and Spurs speaks for itself!

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AV Bye Bye

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Some wise sage once said "Never pick a fight with someone who buys his ink by the gallon.' Someone should advise AVB of this. It is a fight he will not win

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Yes, it's those bitter little Goonies who are 10 points ahead for now and are still worried about us! - Eddie G, New York, United States, 01/12/2013 16:51 Actually we really aren't. More concerned about the big clubs.

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You have to earn respect mate....... - contessa, london, 01/12/2013 16:02 And Arsenal fans showed Wenger respect booing after the first game of season, last November and the year before all calling for his sacking? Come back fool end if may lets see how big your mouth is then - daveo, somewhere great, 01/12/2013 16:51 Who's the fool? You carry on calling me names mate. Third time today ......water off a ducks back. Would expect nothing less from a spud.

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So AVB thinks a draw at home to a mid table team means we should look at him differently? No he is still destroying Spurs, they way he almost destroyed Chelsea two years ago.

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