PLEAT CREASES FRONT PAGE

Football managers have become public property and like anyone in a position of "power", the tablods are quick to pounce on any slip in behaviour. The Sun of course seems to get the scoop more often than not and it was David Pleat who made the headlines on October 23rd 1987.
 Having been previously cautioned for "curious behaviour", Pleat joined well known footballers such as Tommy Docherty and John Bond who could not escape the press' eye. The Pleat expose in June 1987 when the Sun led with a story about new Tottenham manager being cautioned by police while managing Luton Town. The Spurs' management took a dim view of this of course but it was related to his previous club. However a similar accusation was made 4 months later and Pleat was on his way.
The Sun devoted the entire front page to this and ran an exclusive on their back page  speculating that Terry Venables would be taking over the reins at White Hart Lane. All this before Pleat resigned and before Venables had been approached.
Pleat had joined Spurs in May 1986 from Luton and lasted 18 months.
He had been manager at Luton Town from 1978-86 successfully
1986-87 at Spurs
1987-91 Leicester City
1991-95 Luton again
1995-97 Sheffield Wednesday
and then between 1998 2004 he filled a gap at Spurs as caretaker manager while they fiddled about.
Since then he has been respected enough to work in media, on television and amongst the papers. .
From 2006 he had an advisory and scouting role at Nottingham Forest.

In 2008 he worked for UD Marbella taking an advisory role and was well known for dealing with some of the best young English players having achieved a great reputation from his time at Spurs when he produced some of the best attacking players in the Football League including the great feat by Clive Allen who scored 49 goals in a season in 1986-7. In the end he attended 980 games with a win ratio of 36% but a ratio of over 50% with Spurs!

Pleat had been an England Schoolboys international and played at Nottingham Forest, Luton Town, Shrewsbury, Exeter City, and Peterborough Utd for around 180 apps between 1962-71. He is with Al Jazeera Sport at the moment.