
6 words from Ange to Tottenham players before Europa League final get Spurs legend laughing as 'derogatory' claim shut down
The famous 'Lads, it's Tottenham' assessment from Sir Alex Ferguson was branded derogatory by Paul Scholes ahead of the Europa League final.
And Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle believes Ange Postecoglou might just have turned it on its head in the dressing room.
The legendary Manchester United boss was present in Bilbao for the final between the two Premier League strugglers and his presence got the pundits reminiscing about days gone by at both clubs.
Back when Scholes was playing, Ferguson delivered a famous four-word team-talk before a clash with Spurs where he simply said 'lads, it's Tottenham.'
But the legendary midfielder doesn't think that's aged too well.
"'Lads, it's Tottenham' - It feels a bit derogatory to talk about such a great football club like that," he told TNT Sports. "We were always confident against Tottenham. You still have to play against a team with very good footballers."
And Hoddle, who played an incredible 490 times for Spurs in the 1970s and 80s and was right behind Ange Postecoglou in his pursuit of European silverware, joked the Aussie might just have inverted it before kick-off.
He said: "Maybe in that dressing room Ange is saying, 'Listen lads, it's only Man Utd'."
You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.
We're also on WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


North Wales Chronicle
22 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Ethan Ampadu injury blow for Leeds
Head coach Daniel Farke confirmed Ampadu has damaged a medial collateral ligament in a knee and will miss Saturday's Premier League game at Arsenal and the following two matches. Ampadu was outstanding in Leeds' opening win against Everton at Elland Road on Monday before being hurt in a second-half challenge from Tim Iroegbunam, which later forced the Wales midfielder off. Farke said: 'It's bad news with him sadly. The next (few) games we have to play without him. 'MCL injury, he will definitely be out until at least the international break. I hope to have him back the other side of the international break. He's pretty quick after injury back on the training pitch. 'He's a tough boy. It's a blow for us, we will miss him in the upcoming games at least and the two upcoming Premier League games and the cup game.' After this weekend's trip to the capital, Leeds play at Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday and then face Newcastle at Elland Road a week on Saturday. 🔥 Noah Okafor is Leeds! — Leeds United (@LUFC) August 21, 2025 Farke said Switzerland winger Noah Okafor is in contention for his Leeds debut at the Emirates Stadium after completing his move from AC Milan earlier on Thursday for a fee which could rise to £18million. Okafor, who spent the latter part of last season on loan at Serie A champions Napoli, is Leeds' ninth summer signing following promotion to the Premier League. Farke added: 'He has really good pace, he's a really good dribbler, really good on the offensive one-on-one. 'A strong player as well. I don't want to pressure him too much because he's not played one game, so I'll let him deliver before, but from his skills, he has more or less everything to impress, and it's up to him.' Okafor's arrival is expected to end Leeds' interest in Tottenham winger Manor Solomon, who played a starring role for Daniel Farke's Championship-winning side on loan last season. Leeds have now spent around £92million in total on new players since ending their two-year top-flight absence. Farke, who also wants to add a full-back to his squad, said he was still hoping to further boost his attacking options before the transfer window closes on September 1. Okafor, who began his professional career at Basel, scored 34 goals and made 23 assists in 110 appearances for Salzburg before joining AC Milan in a £13.4m deal in July 2023. He scored seven goals and made five assists in two seasons at the Serie A club, which included his four-month loan spell at Napoli, and has 24 caps for Switzerland.


Scotsman
22 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Celtic and Rangers have become united and common kinship may not end any time soon
Pain is name of game in Glasgow right now after nights of European torture for fans Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... According to some, the Old Firm is an outdated concept. You put yourself at risk even by uttering the term in some parts of Glasgow. 'No such thing, mate,' might come the reply. 'Been obsolete since 2012.' Maybe, maybe not. Still, it's notable that the clubs are themselves doing their best to be united – reunited? - in some form of common kinship, as distasteful as the thought might be to some. There are even reports of them being engaged in a tug-of-war for the same player - the currently clubless 38-year-old Jamie Vardy, which perhaps says it all. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Patronise the Old Firm. Rangers, Celtic Ltd.' That's what was written on a newspaper seller's sandwich board in the famous old Scottish Referee cartoon from the early 1900s. Well, their business now is anarchy and discord. They are vessels for unloading fury. Never mind Old Firm, make that Old Ferment. Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers reacts during the 0-0 draw with Kairat Almaty. | SNS Group If fans aren't streaming out of games just 20 minutes in, they are staying behind afterwards to vent their anger having spent large parts of the preceding 90 minutes demanding chairmen and chief executives get themselves somewhere that rhymes with the eponymous hero of Steven Spielberg's new film, The Life of Chuck. Speaking of Spielberg, what would an alien have made of trips on successive nights this week to Ibrox and Celtic Park, homes of Scotland's two biggest football clubs? It was startling enough for a football writer to have experienced this double bill and view the level of unhappiness of display. Both stadiums were in uproar. Rangers being in crisis does not necessarily mean Celtic are in clover. Not these days, at least. The Parkhead club have higher ambitions than simply outdoing their old rivals – or do they? Therein might lie the problem. Of course, Rangers' issues are of a different standard to those of Celtic, something that might secretly delight those supporters of the Ibrox side who still contend they are the superior club in the city. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad More pain at Rangers before it gets better? Even the aforementioned alien visitor, with no knowledge of either club, or even football, would be able to appraise the contrast in situations. In terms of Rangers, it might very well get a lot worse before it gets better, perhaps as soon as Sunday when Russell Martin's undercooked side face a tricky clash against St Mirren in Paisley. The under-pressure manager has already been forced to engage in some fighting talk and, following the 3-1 defeat to Club Brugge on Tuesday, brought up the fact the club have been in Celtic's shadow for '13, 14 years, bar one season'. The point being that no one can expect answers in just over seven weeks, his tenure thus far. As for Celtic, as poor as it might have been in Wednesday's goalless draw with FC Kairat Almaty, there's still a decent chance they will turn things around in the second leg, cue the sound of another £40 million falling into their bank account. If so, however, what's next? They are still left with a clearly unimpressed manager whose working relationship with those above him seems broken to some extent. He didn't necessarily say anything new in the post-match press conference but some of what he said still made the ears prick up. He stressed that he had known earlier this summer what was required in terms of incoming players. 'For whatever reason,' he added, 'we have not been able to do that.' Rangers head coach Russell Martin presided over a 3-1 defeat by Club Brugge. | SNS Group These are already uncertain times with Rodgers now well into the final year of his contract. Will he stay or will he go does not even seem like an issue now. He's going, very likely with another treble to his name. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And that sums it up. Celtic's problem is that they are in their own world of so-called pain. It must have been surreal for the watching Paul McStay to hear chants of 'Sack the Board!' echoing around Parkhead since it was a reminder The Maestro, who is based in Australia these days, was very much back home. He heard the same chants back in the really bad old days when Celtic were levels beneath Rangers and at risk of going bust. In a way, it might have been sweet music to Rodgers, since it means he's escaping the flak. The Celtic board's current parsimonious approach might be linked to the fact they gave the manager a decent sum last summer and much of what it went on was sitting behind Rodgers in the dugout for most of the match or else sitting in the dressing room for the second half. Arne Engels has lost his place along with Auston Trusty and Paulo Bernardo. Adam Idah, meanwhile, faces an uphill struggle to prove he can be the centre-forward Celtic need despite Rodgers sanctioning £9 million being spent on him 12 months ago. Indeed, the Irish striker may already have blown it. 'I couldn't wait,' said Rodgers when asked about Idah's withdrawal after just 45 minutes. Ouch. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad


The Herald Scotland
22 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Ethan Ampadu injury blow for Leeds
Ampadu was outstanding in Leeds' opening win against Everton at Elland Road on Monday before being hurt in a second-half challenge from Tim Iroegbunam, which later forced the Wales midfielder off. Leeds skipper Ethan Ampadu sustained a knee injury in Monday's home Premier League win against Everton (Danny Lawson/PA) Farke said: 'It's bad news with him sadly. The next (few) games we have to play without him. 'MCL injury, he will definitely be out until at least the international break. I hope to have him back the other side of the international break. He's pretty quick after injury back on the training pitch. 'He's a tough boy. It's a blow for us, we will miss him in the upcoming games at least and the two upcoming Premier League games and the cup game.' After this weekend's trip to the capital, Leeds play at Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday and then face Newcastle at Elland Road a week on Saturday. 🔥 Noah Okafor is Leeds! — Leeds United (@LUFC) August 21, 2025 Farke said Switzerland winger Noah Okafor is in contention for his Leeds debut at the Emirates Stadium after completing his move from AC Milan earlier on Thursday for a fee which could rise to £18million. Okafor, who spent the latter part of last season on loan at Serie A champions Napoli, is Leeds' ninth summer signing following promotion to the Premier League. Farke added: 'He has really good pace, he's a really good dribbler, really good on the offensive one-on-one. 'A strong player as well. I don't want to pressure him too much because he's not played one game, so I'll let him deliver before, but from his skills, he has more or less everything to impress, and it's up to him.' Former Salzburg forward Okafor, right, has 24 caps for Switzerland John Walton/PA) Okafor's arrival is expected to end Leeds' interest in Tottenham winger Manor Solomon, who played a starring role for Daniel Farke's Championship-winning side on loan last season. Leeds have now spent around £92million in total on new players since ending their two-year top-flight absence. Farke, who also wants to add a full-back to his squad, said he was still hoping to further boost his attacking options before the transfer window closes on September 1. Okafor, who began his professional career at Basel, scored 34 goals and made 23 assists in 110 appearances for Salzburg before joining AC Milan in a £13.4m deal in July 2023. He scored seven goals and made five assists in two seasons at the Serie A club, which included his four-month loan spell at Napoli, and has 24 caps for Switzerland.