Christian Gross's hopes of turning round Tottenham's dismal season suffered another setback yesterday when his fitness guru Fritz Schmid was refused a work permit for the second time.

The club does plan to make another appeal, but the block on Schmid is another blow for Gross as his team struggle near the bottom of the Premiership table, splutter in the FA Cup and are reportedly still dogged by dissent over the new coach's tough training techniques.

Schmid is more than just a fitness trainer. He is Gross's friend and someone the coach likes to bounce tactical ideas off. At one stage Gross hinted that he may quit the London club if Schmid failed to gain a work permit, though later he pledged his future to the club whatever the outcome.

"Of course, I am disappointed," said Schmid yesterday, "but you have to take it, that's how it goes. You have to go onto to the next goal and try and achieve that. I think it is not the end of the road yet and I'm keen to work on the problem. I will speak to Spurs tomorrow and we are hoping for the best."

The British Department for Education and Employment turned down the original application for Schmid on the grounds that Tottenham had failed to prove that his job could not be done by an EC national. The appeal was yesterday rejected on the same grounds, despite Tottenham enlisting the help of FIFA and the English FA. Having twice now been refused a work permit by the Department of Education and Employment, Tottenham have the right to appeal to the Overseas Labour Service. But to win they will need show that, having now advertised for a suitably qualified EU citizen, the right person for the job could not be found.