Les Ferdinand insists talk of a rift between Tottenham players and coach Christian Gross had been "blown out of all proportion."

Chris Armstrong, Darren Anderton and David Howells have all clashed with Gross amid the tension of Spurs' fight against relegation.

Armstrong shouted at Gross after he was substituted during Monday's 1-1 draw with Coventry and both Anderton and Howells claim they are fit but are being overlooked by Gross in the battle for survival.

But Ferdinand, who came on as a substitute for Armstrong against Coventry, last night pleaded with his colleagues to pull together for Spurs' crunch clash with Barnsley on Saturday.

If Gross' side lose at Oakwell they will replace the Yorkshiremen in the bottom three of the table and face an uphill struggle to beat the drop.

Tempers are bound to flare under such pressure, claims Ferdinand, who defended Armstrong's response.

"Because of the situation we are in at the moment, nobody wants to come off no matter how well or badly you are doing," said the England striker. "They want to stay on and fight for the cause."

Mark Jacob, spokesman for the Tottenham Action Group, has called for an end to the infighting and urged the players to channel their efforts towards keeping Spurs up.

"There is possibly one of the most significant games in the history of the club on the horizon with the trip to Barnsley on Saturday, and we cannot afford any internal bickering," said Jacob.