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Daily Mail
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Spurs pluck defeat from the jaws of victory by sacking Ange Postecoglou, writes OLIVER HOLT, all the joy from a magic night in Bilbao is now lost
So we will never know now if Ange Postecoglou was right about his theory that his third season at Tottenham Hotspur, like the third season of a great television series, would have been better than his second. We will never know if Big Ange had a later-series masterpiece in him like Ozymandias in Breaking Bad. Instead, it turns out that an episode called 'Bilbao' was Postecoglou's magnum opus. Because on Friday afternoon, Season 3 was cancelled. Just for the shortest time, Postecoglou was the king of kings in a corner of north London, leading Spurs to their first trophy for 17 years when they beat Manchester United in the Europa League final that night in late May in the Basque Country. What a night that was, a night when it felt as if Spurs had finally shed their cursed identity as a team of nearly men, a team that always found a way to ruin things, a team expert in self-sabotage and under-achievement. It was a personal triumph for Postecoglou, too. As Spurs' Premier League season lurched from one low to another — they lost 22 of their 38 games — he was lampooned as a big Aussie out of his depth in a big league but victory in Spain bracketed him with Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw as the only Spurs bosses to have won a European trophy. To be there that evening in the San Mames was to share in the wondrous and joyous disbelief of a long-suffering fan base that had finally silenced all those jokes about what 'Spursy' meant and had walked through a door into another land. 'The only thing that was going to change this football club,' Postecoglou said that night after the match, 'was us winning something.' And in that moment, it felt as if maybe he might have been reprieved after a terrible season when Spurs had finished 17th in the league. But 16 days have elapsed since then. Days of silence and doubt and rumour and counter-rumour before the statement on Friday from Daniel Levy and theSpurs board that shattered Postecoglou's hopes of being able to build on what he achieved in Bilbao. 'Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the club's greatest moments,' the statement announcing Postecoglou's departure read, 'we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph. 'It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond. This has been one of the toughest decisions we have had to make and is not a decision that we have taken lightly, nor one we have rushed to conclude. 'We have made what we believe is the right decision to give us the best chance of success going forward, not the easy decision. We have a talented, young squad and Ange has given us a great platform to build upon.' Talk of the succession, of course, is already rife. Thomas Frank, who has done such a consistently brilliant job at Brentford and is one of the best man-managers in the game, is the favourite to take over. Andoni Iraola, the Bournemouth boss, has been mentioned. Others favour a return for former manager Mauricio Pochettino, now the coach of the USA men's national team. It was a logical, cogent statement that took all the emotionof Bilbao out of the equation and in some ways it is easy to sympathise with the decision. After all, when Manchester United abandoned their plan to fire Erik ten Hag after he had led the club to an FA Cup final victory over Manchester City, it backfired on them spectacularly and they were lambasted for the naivety of their decision. This feels different, though. For one thing, United are a team used to winning things. Even in the context of the hard times they have fallen upon since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, the FA Cup is a relative trifle compared to the bigger prizes they once chased. But for Spurs, winning the Europa League in Bilbao felt like a game-changer. I have rarely felt energy like that in a stadium before, the energy of redemption, the energy of renewal and the energy of hope. It should have been the start of something, not the end of something. Now that Postecoglou has been fired, it feels as if all that momentum and all that magic has been lost. Suddenly, the club have invited ridicule upon themselves again: they hired a manager who won them their first European trophy for 41 years and then they sacked him. It feels, I hate to say it, a little Spursy. It feels, again, like plucking a defeat from the jaws of victory. Because Postecoglou had done the hard part. Victory in Bilbao proved that he was not the impostor some had painted him as. Had Spurs kept faith with him, winning the Europa League would have given Postecoglou added authority next season, not to mention added funds. United are hardly a model that one should aspire to but they did, at least, keep faith with Ruben Amorim after a league season almost as dire as Tottenham's. They believe in his plan and they are sticking with him. Spurs should have done the same with Big Ange. Postecoglou had a plan, too. In the early months of his tenure, his team played football that was breathtaking to watch. That was derailed by injuries and it was not until last season's European adventure that Postecoglou proved he could adapt and play more pragmatically. But he did prove that. He won a trophy to prove it. And next season he would have felt the benefits of all the hardships his side endured last season. He would have reaped the rewards of the experience he gave fine young players such as Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall. He had a system, a plan. He should have been given a dividend from Spurs' participation in the Champions League to develop his ideas. Instead, however good the manager is that Spurs appoint — and Frank, in particular, is a man who has earned a shot at managing in the Champions League — Spurs are heading back to that place they know so well called Square One with a new boss who has the unenviable task of trying to follow that success in Bilbao. What the future holds for Postecoglou, nobody yet knows. For now, like the statue of Ozymandias that Percy Shelley described, he lies like a 'colossal wreck' in the desert of his hopes of building on that one beautiful night in northern Spain. 17. Spurs finished 17th last season, their worst finish of the Premier League era and their worst in any top-flight season since 1976-77, when they were last relegated. 63. Only the three relegated teams and Wolves conceded more league goals last season than Spurs (63).
Daily Mail
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Tottenham reveal why they sacked Ange Postecoglou in lengthy club statement
Tottenham Hotspur have issued a 368-word club statement in an attempt to justify the sacking of manager Ange Postecoglou. Spurs confirmed on Friday afternoon that Postecoglou would not be returning for a third campaign in charge following his post-season holiday. His dismissal was announced just 16 days after he oversaw a famous victory over Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League final. That win sealed a place in next season's Champions League. However, as mentioned in Friday's statement, Postecoglou also oversaw the club's worst ever Premier League season, which resulted in a 17th-place finish following 22 defeats. 'Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties,' the statement began. 'Ange joined us from Celtic in the summer of 2023 and oversaw a period of change on the pitch, returning us to the attacking brand of football that has traditionally been associated with the Club, while writing a new chapter in our history by leading us to UEFA Europa League glory in Bilbao last month - an achievement that will live with us all forever. 'We are extremely grateful to Ange for his commitment and contribution during his two years at the Club. Ange will always be remembered as only the third manager in our history to deliver a European trophy, alongside legendary figures Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw. 'However, the Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the Club for a change to take place. Following a positive start in the 2023/24 Premier League (PL) season, we recorded 78 points from the last 66 PL games. This culminated in our worst-ever PL finish last season. At times there were extenuating circumstances - injuries and then a decision to prioritise our European campaign. Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the Club's greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph. 'It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond. This has been one of the toughest decisions we have had to make and is not a decision that we have taken lightly, nor one we have rushed to conclude. We have made what we believe is the right decision to give us the best chance of success going forward, not the easy decision. 'We have a talented, young squad and Ange has given us a great platform to build upon. We should like to express our gratitude to him. We wish him well for the future - he will always be welcome back at our home. 'News on the appointment of a new Head Coach will be announced in due course.' Tottenham's statement explaining the sacking of Postecoglou was significantly longer than that granted to his predecessors. Spurs used just 111 words to in their official statement when Antonio Conte left the club, having published a 122-word message to signal the end of the Jose Mourinho era.
Irish Times
31-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
PSG and Inter could thrill us in the Champions League final, but something has already been lost
Before this season's League Cup final between Newcastle United and Liverpool , the Times (London) interviewed Malcolm Macdonald, the former buccaneering Newcastle centre forward. Macdonald played for Newcastle in the 1974 FA Cup final and brought up the name of Keith Burkinshaw, who was a coach at St James' Park at the time. Burkinshaw moved to Tottenham Hotspur , where he became manager and won the 1984 Uefa Cup – Tottenham's last European trophy until 10 days ago. Burkinshaw walked out soon after a boardroom disagreement. In a famous exchange with the reporter Ken Jones, a former player and cousin of Spurs legend Cliff Jones, both looked back at old White Hart Lane and agreed: 'There used to be a football club over there.' It was actually Jones referencing a Frank Sinatra song, but the point was made. A year earlier Tottenham Hotspur had been repackaged into Tottenham Hotspur plc, which was subsequently floated on the London stock exchange. Others followed. Now shares in clubs, and clubs themselves, could be bought and sold in a way Football Association rules had previously forbidden. It was a historic moment of change; it continues to shape the present. As season 2024-25 reaches its European climax with the Champions League final in Munich between Internazionale and Paris Saint-Germain , the Burkinshaw remark feels as pertinent as ever – not just about Tottenham, but Newcastle, Manchester City and both of these finalists, among others. READ MORE Formed in 1908 via a schism inside AC Milan, Inter remained in Italian ownership until 2013 when a trio of Indonesian businessmen bought 70 per cent of its shares. In 2016 those were sold to Chinese group Suning, who then defaulted on a loan. It means US investors Oaktree today own a sporting institution 117 years old. United States ownership of Serie A clubs is up to eight. PSG were not formed until 1970, via a merger. The French capital did not have an elite football club and the newly renovated Parc des Princes required tenants. Originally fan-owned – annual subscription: six francs – the club moved, some would say stumbled, through various ownerships until 2011 when Qatari Sports Investment acquired them. Whether six-francs fans wanted it or not, PSG were now part of the Qatari regime's 'National Vision 2030″, a policy aimed at turning the Gulf city-state of Doha into an 'advanced, sustainable society'. Apparently European football was deemed essential to this vision. PSG had been champions of France twice until 2013. Between 2000 and 2012 seven different clubs had won Ligue 1. Now so much money has been ploughed in that PSG have been French champions 11 times in the past 13 seasons. Qatari-PSG eliminated variety. At Uefa they were worried quickly. Having seen the inflationary effect of Roman Abramovich at Chelsea , then Abu Dhabi's purchase of City in 2008, Uefa began to formulate new financial regulations to prevent the 'financial doping' concern Arsène Wenger raised in 2009. That remark was about the new Chelsea, with the whiff of Lance Armstrong still in the air of sport. As Miguel Delaney notes in his valuable book on the subject of modern football, States of Play, PSG had an income of €398 million in 2012-13, but an estimated €200 million came from the Qatar Tourism Authority, which was convenient. Delaney quotes a then senior Uefa spokesman saying of PSG: 'They know the rules are that they have to generate revenues to cover their costs without cheating.' His name was Gianni Infantino . As president of Fifa, Gianni Infantino announced Saudi Arabia will host the World Cup in 2034, 12 years after it was hosted by Qatar. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA Wire Doping, cheating: those are quite the words. In May 2014 PSG's Qatari owners and Uefa reached a 'settlement'. There was a headline €60 million fine and a reduction in Champions League squad-size from 25 to 21 players. Later the same month Man City received the same sanction. [ Ken Early: Fifa president Gianni Infantino has relentlessly sucked up to Trump since 2017 Opens in new window ] The new men from the Gulf who ran both clubs were incensed by Uefa's language, but then these are men who are rarely challenged. The Qatari hierarchy in Doha had schemed to get the 2022 World Cup and in doing so had become close to French president Nicolas Sarkozy and Uefa's Michel Platini. They were good at manoeuvring. Even in their anger at Uefa, Delaney writes the situation can be seen as 'two clubs owned by autocracies pressurising a governing body into a secret deal'. As with Spurs in 1983, Delaney traces this compromise as a turning point. With €50 million raised in finger-clicks, the likes of David Luiz, Angel Di Maria and Julian Draxler were added to PSG in the next transfer windows. Then in the summer of 2017 the world record transfer fee was obliterated as Neymar joined from Barcelona for €222 million. Not content with that PSG signed Kylian Mbappé on loan from AS Monaco. 'Loan' is a gentle way of putting it: Mbappé cost €180 million the following summer. Qatar splashed this €400 million, plus €1 million a week for Neymar and all the rest, shortly after they had been geographically isolated by Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and others, who cut diplomatic ties. The projection of Vision 2030 was still working for Qatar, but it was alienating neighbours as well as having a numbing side effect on domestic French football's competitiveness. Having arranged to parade David Beckham for the last five months of his career in 2013, in August 2021 Qatar brought Lionel Messi from Barcelona to join Neymar. Qatar had already, controversially and undeservedly, been given the 2022 World Cup. The tournament climaxed with Argentina beating France in an unforgettable final; Messi was draped in a bisht over his Argentina colours as he lifted the trophy. Qatar, make no mistake, thought they owned football. Lionel Messi, then of PSG, gets his hand and lips on the World Cup after victory in Qatar in 2022. Photograph:Who could argue with them? Their ownership of PSG is 13 years old, indisputable, normalised. 'Ici c'est Paris' is PSG branding, a statement of geographical pride; yet when the club played the French Super Cup against Monaco in January, the game was staged in Doha, not France. As reported by Doha News, PSG head coach Luis Enrique said before the game: 'We're going to play this match as if it were at home, because we are at home.' Ici c'est Doha. Doha News, though, was focused on why so few locals stayed around to watch the trophy presentation. 'Why has Qatar's ownership of PSG not translated to fandom at home?' it asked. Maybe, we thought, because it's a manufactured enterprise in a city-state of 1.5 million people with no serious football culture? The bigger issue, of ownership, was not in debate. Burkinshaw had thoughts on all this 40 years ago. Now Tottenham Hotspur send out advisory notes to broadcasters to call them 'Spurs' or 'Tottenham Hotspur' but never simply 'Tottenham'. Even if it's to protect copyright, it's crass and a denial of origin. Such 'brand' policies help explain why six weeks before Tottenham won the Europa League, their fans were on the street protesting about the running of the club and what it has become, a sports company mes que un club. 'Built a business, killed a football club' read a banner. James Montague, in another recent book – Engulfed: how Saudi Arabia bought sport, and the world – notes that sports reporting in the Gulf can be curiously strong, given other criticism is not tolerated. Saudi Arabia came to sport's non-sport potential later than its much smaller competitors, Qatar and the UAE, but the Saudis have rushed to make up for that. They brought out their own Vision 2030 and it now directs much of global golf, e-sports and boxing – Saudi minister Turki Alalshikh bought The Ring magazine; plus football, via its Cristiano Ronaldo-led Saudi Pro League and the acquisition of Newcastle United. Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Al-Owais saves a shot from South Korea's Jae-Sung Lee during a friendly match at St James' Park, Newcastle in 2023. Photograph: Will Matthews/PA Wire Saudi Arabia has a long-standing football culture and connections – Saudi Telecom has sponsored Manchester United for years. Saudi Investment Bank SAIB started sponsoring Real Madrid two years ago. The country's right to hold a World Cup, which they will do in 2034, is more convincing than Qatar's. But how they got it – via the tricky chameleon Infantino – is less so, and Burkinshaw might question the Saudi Public Investment Fund's motivation in taking over at St James'. It was about influence and the hardening of soft power. It involved, as the Daily Mail reported in June 2020, direct contact between then UK prime minister Boris Johnson and Saudi's ultimate leader Mohammed Bin Salman. A purchase stalled suddenly changed gear. Public delight at St James' baffled and disturbed. But northeast England had long felt a geographic distance from political power, which fed Brexit sentiment. At Newcastle United the feeling was doubled by the deliberately hollow running of the club by previous owner Mike Ashley, for whom it became a commercial billboard. A club's identity is precious, but not impregnable. Those who disdain Newcastle since the Saudi takeover may be fed up hearing these explanations as to why there is almost no protest in the city – Montague did not find many dissenters; instead a big river of more than 200,000 people flowed through the streets in celebration at winning this season's League Cup. Equally, Newcastle fans are fed up with hearing about Saudi Arabia's human rights record, or having it pointed out that the League Cup could not have been won without Saudi money, or that the reserve team kit is Saudi green, training camps are held in Riyadh and in September 2023 Saudi Arabia staged two friendlies at St James'. Those of us there for the South Korea game heard the tannoy announce: 'It's been a pleasure to host Saudi Arabia here at St James' Park.' Everyone got the message. And as each match, each season passes, it all puts the norm in normalisation. Flowers of variety There never used to be a football club over there: so in Paris they created PSG. It was not for the same reason Viktor Orban, for example, has built his club, Puskas Akademia, in Hungary but like the former Felcsut FC, Qatari-PSG has been transformed into a different entity. PSG's identity has become increasingly blurred under in recent years. Photograph: David Davies/PA Wire And here they are in the last game of the season. We all admire this version of PSG, however – how could you not with talents such asKhvicha Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué? [ In Orban's Hungary, football clubs like Robbie Keane's Ferencváros are no longer just teams Opens in new window ] It makes for a strange end to a curious season, which was somehow simultaneously dull and dazzling. The new Champions League format worked, mainly, and there were great nights for Celtic and Aston Villa. The incredible Inter-Barcelona semi-final made you smile out loud. In England Liverpool may have walked alone to the Premier League title, yet there were amazing scenes of jubilation at Crystal Palace, in Leeds, Newcastle and at 'Tottenham', in Tottenham. In Scotland 40 years of Old Firm league domination was offset by Aberdeen's Scottish Cup win. Flowers of variety have bloomed. On Saturday night we have an enticing climax. Qatar has its name literally written all over it – Qatar Airways' press release on Thursday revelled in their sponsorship of both finalists and the tournament itself. And it's not over. Six years after Jürgen Klopp sat in an Edinburgh hotel preseason and warned of player burnout, bureaucratic ego and sports politics – Infantino – bring us the needless, money-soaked Club World Cup, starting in Miami in a fortnight. Football in 2025. It never ends. Laugh and sigh.
The Irish Sun
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Ange Postecoglou does not know his Tottenham history if he thinks Europa League win will save him his job
IF ANGE POTSECOGLOU believes winning the Europa League could allow him to keep his Spurs job - he doesn't know his Tottenham history. It was in 1984 that Keith Burkinshaw won his third trophy as Advertisement 3 Ange Postecoglou does not know his history if he thinks the Europa League will save his job Credit: Getty 3 Keith Burkinshaw won the trophy back in 1984 but was still given the boot Credit: Getty Postecoglou's modern-day Spurs are out to win the same trophy in Bilbao on Wednesday. But like Yorkshireman Burkinshaw, Aussie Ange seems set for the exit door no matter what happens. Although the current Spurs hierarchy have kept their counsel about Postecoglou, back 41 years ago, Burkinshaw's imminent departure was known for weeks - much to the frustration of his squad. Burkinshaw's relationship with chairman Irving Scholar, always strained, had broken, irretrievably. Advertisement READ MORE IN FOOTBALL The manager believed it was his club, to manage as he saw fit. Scholar believed otherwise. The final, decisive breach came in March on the afternoon of the quarter-final second leg tie at Burkinshaw subsequently explained: 'About 4pm in the afternoon he came to my bedroom with the assistant chairman. Advertisement Most read in Football BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 'They said: 'You're not going to be allowed to run the club as you've been doing. We are going to bring in the players. We're going to decide how much they will get as wages.' 'And it went on and on. I said: 'Don't you think this is the wrong time to be coming in here, at 4pm when we've got a quarter final at quarter to eight....?' How Europa League final will be decided - four key Man Utd vs Tottenham tactical battles 'That started it all off. In the end I knew he'd been looking for another manager. I knew of it. And he'd made a proposal to one of them.' Advertisement That 'another manager' was, in fact, Burkinshaw and Scholar agreed there was only one way to resolve their differences, with his players turning his imminent departure into a cause. Graham Roberts, who skippered the side for the second leg in the absence of the suspended Steve Perryman, said: 'We wanted to win it so much, not just for ourselves but also for Keith, because we all knew it was his last game at the club. 'But it was a Cup Final, in front of our own fans. You don't get the chance to do that very often in a career, if at all. It meant so much.' Advertisement Burkinshaw's departure brought one of the most withering farewell comments in the history of the game. Collared by waiting reporters as he walked away for the last time, he was ready to vent. He explained: 'I was really sick about it. And the way the club was run was being changed. 'Clubs were becoming Public Limited Companies. So they were being run as businesses rather than football clubs. So I said to one of the reporters, 'This used to be a football club here.'' Advertisement 3 Man Utd vs Spurs - Europa League final:
The Sun
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Ange Postecoglou does not know his Tottenham history if he thinks Europa League win will save him his job
IF ANGE POTSECOGLOU believes winning the Europa League could allow him to keep his Spurs job - he doesn't know his Tottenham history. It was in 1984 that Keith Burkinshaw won his third trophy as Tottenham chief, with Tony Parks' shoot-out heroics seeing off Anderlecht to win the Uefa Cup. 3 Postecoglou 's modern-day Spurs are out to win the same trophy in Bilbao on Wednesday. But like Yorkshireman Burkinshaw, Aussie Ange seems set for the exit door no matter what happens. Although the current Spurs hierarchy have kept their counsel about Postecoglou, back 41 years ago, Burkinshaw's imminent departure was known for weeks - much to the frustration of his squad. Burkinshaw's relationship with chairman Irving Scholar, always strained, had broken, irretrievably. The manager believed it was his club, to manage as he saw fit. Scholar believed otherwise. The final, decisive breach came in March on the afternoon of the quarter-final second leg tie at Austria Vienna. Burkinshaw subsequently explained: 'About 4pm in the afternoon he came to my bedroom with the assistant chairman. 'They said: 'You're not going to be allowed to run the club as you've been doing. We are going to bring in the players. We're going to decide how much they will get as wages.' 'And it went on and on. I said: 'Don't you think this is the wrong time to be coming in here, at 4pm when we've got a quarter final at quarter to eight....?' How Europa League final will be decided - four key Man Utd vs Tottenham tactical battles 'That started it all off. In the end I knew he'd been looking for another manager. I knew of it. And he'd made a proposal to one of them.' That 'another manager' was, in fact, Alex Ferguson, with Scholar under the impression that the then-Aberdeen boss wanted to come down to London. Burkinshaw and Scholar agreed there was only one way to resolve their differences, with his players turning his imminent departure into a cause. Graham Roberts, who skippered the side for the second leg in the absence of the suspended Steve Perryman, said: 'We wanted to win it so much, not just for ourselves but also for Keith, because we all knew it was his last game at the club. 'But it was a Cup Final, in front of our own fans. You don't get the chance to do that very often in a career, if at all. It meant so much.' Burkinshaw's departure brought one of the most withering farewell comments in the history of the game. Collared by waiting reporters as he walked away for the last time, he was ready to vent. He explained: 'I was really sick about it. And the way the club was run was being changed. 'Clubs were becoming Public Limited Companies. So they were being run as businesses rather than football clubs. So I said to one of the reporters, 'This used to be a football club here.'' 3
