Damien Comolli has defended his record as sports director at Tottenham. Now in charge at St Etienne, the Frenchman told The Sun: "My time at Tottenham went exceptionally well.

"I took a lot of pleasure in what I achieved. I think Tottenham was rated as the 11th biggest club in the world - it was extraordinary.

"I took a lot of knocks, there is lot of pressure. But with me, we qualified for Europe three times, which hadn't happened at the club for I don't know how long.

"We also won a trophy, beating Chelsea and Arsenal on the way to winning it.

"It was very positive. We were successful."

Comolli arrived at White Hart Lane in 2005 boasting of how he had found France's finest footballers for Arsenal.

But Spurs chairman Daniel Levy apologised for the club's transfer dealings when he got shot of the director of football.

Yet Comolli insisted: "I had a lot of success. I did a lot of good for the team and left a club in great shape. The current results are showing what I did for Tottenham. The team is great and young."

Spurs fans hold Comolli responsible for seeing Martin Jol lose his job in October 2007.

But Comolli does not know why he was given the chop along with Ramos.

The Frenchman said: "I am still asking myself what happened in the end. I don't understand it. I advised the club to take a coach (Ramos) and it went well at first. But when he had problems the club turned on me.

"I am leaving a club with a lot of assets, many, many good players."