Inside Jose Mourinho's ‘gold dust' briefing with Scottish coaches as Rangers and Kilmarnock hero reveals all
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
CHRIS BURKE was a ferocious note-taker as he listened to Jose Mourinho last week.
He just had no idea he would need to rely on the Special One's words of wisdom so soon.
3
Chris Burke and Craig Clark
Credit: Kenny Ramsay
3
Jose Mourinho celebrates after knocking Barcelona out of the Champions League
Credit: AP
3
Chris Burke takes temporary charge at Kilmarnock
Credit: Kenny Ramsay
The ex-Rangers ace took interim charge of Kilmarnock after Derek McInnes and his staff sensationally left the club yesterday.
He has just bossed the club's Under-18s to Scottish Youth Cup success.
But he will now oversee the first team for Sunday's final league clash of the season against a Hearts side McInnes will soon join.
Part of Burke's education involved enrolling on the Uefa Pro-Licence coaching course, which saw him listen to legend Mourinho.
He said: 'I was on that Zoom last week and the notes were like gold dust.
'I've been fortunate enough to be on my course where I'm learning and able to ask questions of people like Jose Mourinho.
'I'll definitely be looking at those notes when I go home.
'Jose speaks the way you perceive him in interviews. He just speaks honestly. He talked about the great achievement his Inter Milan side had in beating Barcelona.
'How they were 3-1 up in the home leg then they go away from home, they get a man sent off, they lose the game 1-0 but they qualify.
'He said it was the greatest defeat of his career and that's the sort of quotes that Jose Mourinho gives you.
Crazy moment Jose Mourinho pinches Galatasaray manager's NOSE before he falls to ground sparking chaos
'But he's right when he says it. You'd be stupid not to write those things down.'
With his boots on, Burke helped McInnes take Killie back to the Premiership in his first season in the Rugby Park hotseat.
McInnes talked about how telling Burke he wasn't being kept as a player that summer was one of the toughest decisions of his managerial career.
Appointing him as a coach was one of the easiest, though, and Burke will be forever grateful.
He said: 'It's really important we thank the manager.
'It's crucial. When he first came in it was Queen of the South away.
'Then before we knew it, it was Copenhagen away. It's been an amazing journey. I can't thank him enough because he's been a mentor and a friend.
'I wouldn't be here if he didn't believe in me. He gave me some time to think about becoming a coach because I said I was going to try and continue playing.
'Then I realised my new journey was to try and start coaching, and probably one of the best ways to learn is from somebody who really wants to give you their time and effort to do that.'
Burke refused to say if he sees Sunday's clash as a chance to showcase his talents and stake a claim for the position permanently.
He insists his priority is trying to keep the players focused for the final days of the campaign.
Burke, who will have the club's technical coach Craig Clark as his No 2, said: 'I think it's best you just don't think, you just do it.
'You trust your instincts, your gut. If you start overthinking things, then you could start overcomplicating things.
"I have to make sure the players know the detail of what we are looking for on Sunday.
'I'm early in my journey. I'll probably know a lot more about myself in the next few days and when I go home at 9pm on Sunday.
'It's important we relax. It's only one game. Hopefully me and the staff can help the team and end the campaign with a victory at Rugby Park.
'You have to be calm. If there's one thing I've learned from my playing career and then into coaching it's to be calm in those moments.
'The players can sense if you're not or if you're agitated and feel a bit uneasy.
'They have been excellent but it's not a surprise as the manager and staff had a fantastic culture with that group.
'They give everything in training and they were the same today. I will lean on the other staff members now.
'I've worked with Craig for a while and his journey from the academy up to the first team has been brilliant.
'But my position? It's just wait and see. There will be really good coaches and managers who will be looking to inherit a good group of players and a good club.'
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
England boss Thomas Tuchel breaks his silence on Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham sacking
Thomas Tuchel has offered Ange Postecoglou his sympathy after his sacking at Tottenham. The England manager is in Barcelona ahead of tomorrow's World Cup qualifier against Andorra. Asked about Postecoglou's dismissal this afternoon, the former Chelsea, Bayern Munich and PSG manager said: 'That's the job, basically. 'I feel for every manager and I have huge sympathy in these moments 'I have been in that spot and it feels horrible. 'It's not just about titles. 'You can survive seasons without titles if you have support and the belief between coaches and the club is strong. 'If there are concerns or trust isn't there then it's sometimes not enough. 'I have huge respect for him. He is a huge character. He said he would deliver a trophy in his second season and he did it. 'But we are responsible for the club and results and sometimes we don't like it.'
North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Kasey McAteer scores as Republic of Ireland and Senegal play out draw in Dublin
The Irish delivered a performance full of industry in their first-ever encounter with the Senegalese at the Aviva Stadium. Leicester's McAteer and Ipswich's Jack Taylor made their first starts for Ireland with head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson looking at his options ahead of the beginning of the World Cup qualifying campaign in September. Senegal, ranked 19th by FIFA, some 41 places higher than the Republic, named an experimental side with only two starters remaining from their recent World Cup qualifying win over Togo. The west African side started brightly, controlling possession in the early stages and keeping the pressure on Ireland with two corners. However, Ireland grew in stature throughout the first half and opened the scoring through McAteer in the 21st minute when Senegal failed to clear a corner. Ryan Manning crossed and Nathan Collins headed it on to McAteer. His initial header was wonderfully saved by Yehvann Diouf, but the forward kept his composure to control the rebound and fire it home. The Irish stayed on the front foot for the rest of the half, showing good energy as they moved the ball quickly between defence and attack, seeming to rattle the Senegalese, who were defending a 20-match unbeaten run. Ireland's Player of the Match against Senegal is our goalscorer – Kasey McAteer! 🇮🇪 — Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) June 6, 2025 Antoine Mendy had the visitors' best chance of the half, but he screwed his shot from the edge of the box high and wide. Irish goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, recently signed by Brentford from Liverpool, had virtually nothing to do before the break. The second half started in similar positive fashion for Ireland and Southampton's Will Smallbone should have doubled their lead but shot straight at the keeper. Ryan Manning attempted to fire in the rebound but it was brilliantly blocked by Mendy. With the game opening up, Senegal almost equalised moments later when Kelleher got the faintest of touches onto Krepin Diatta's header which crashed against the crossbar. After the hour mark, both sides made a series of changes, with Senegal introducing promising 21-year-old Lamine Camara, who has already played in the Champions League for Monaco, and Crystal Palace's FA Cup winner Ismaila Sarr. Camara almost made an immediate impact when his shot was deflected onto a post before being scrambled away by Kelleher. The threat from Senegal grew as the game wore on. However Ismail Jakob's ambitious effort to score from outside the box sailed high over the bar. The Irish invited pressure by defending deeper late in the second half. McAteer, who had run tirelessly throughout, was replaced in the 80th minute as was Smallbone as the Republic turned towards fresh legs. However, Senegal's pressure told when substitute Sarr poked home in the 82nd minute shortly after Kelleher had saved with his feet. Senegal had a free-kick on the edge of the box deep in injury time as tempers flared between the two teams, but Camara failed to get it over the defending wall. The match did not have the feel of a friendly as both Ireland and Senegal went for the win, but ultimately both will be satisfied with the draw.
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Rangers linked Davide Ancelotti ‘makes major decision on his future as he lands new job'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RANGERS managerial contender Davide Ancelotti has reportedly joined his legendary father Carlo at Brazil. Ancelotti was one of the front runners to take over from Philippe Clement at Ibrox, but missed out on landing the job to former Southampton boss Russell Martin. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 2 Davide Ancelotti at Real Madrid Credit: Getty 2 Davide is teaming up with his legendary father Carlo at Brazil Credit: Reuters The 39-year-old was appointed the new manager on Thursday and vowed to win over his doubters. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano claims on Friday, Davide Ancelotti has made a major decision on his future and is teaming up with his dad Carlo once again. He posted on Twitter: "Davide Ancelotti joins Brazil staff with his father Carlo, decision made and contract signed." Ancelotti has already been his father's number two at Real Madrid, Napoli, Bayern Munich and Everton. But it appeared he was set to go out on his own at Rangers after months of speculation linking him with the top job at Ibrox. He had indicated that Rangers were his preferred choice but had a number of options to consider, with Spanish second division side Deportivo and Swiss outfit Basel reportedly interested. One of those other opportunities also included rejoining his father at Brazil after leaving Real Madrid and that's the decision he has reportedly made. Carlo Ancelotti's first match in charge of Brazil ended in a 0-0 draw with Ecuador on Thursday, which he still described as a "special" occasion. Chances were at a premium, with Brazil only mustering two shots on target. He said after the game: "I think the pitch conditions here made it a bit tricky to play a more intricate game from the back. "It was harder to control the ball. "That said, we had two very good chances, with Vinicius Jr, with Casemiro in the second half. "Yes, we could've done better in attack, but you've also got to take into account the strength of the opponent. "Ecuador played a very good game, just as we did... The journeys here are really long, that takes its toll a bit." Rangers fans react to news Russell Martin is their new manager The draw keeps them fourth in World Cup qualification in South America with an encounter against Paraguay to come. The top six automatically qualify for next year's showpiece. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
