Latest news with #FreedFromDesire
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘We believed all season': Inside Tottenham's euphoric Europa League victory
Montgomery is still coming to terms with the magnitude of what he has helped Spurs achieve this season. Sacked by Hibernian in May last year, after less than a month as head coach of the Scottish Premiership side, he had other opportunities to continue as a manager – but couldn't turn down the chance to work with Postecoglou, who was one of the first to send Montgomery a congratulatory message after he steered the Central Coast Mariners to an emphatic A-League grand final victory in 2023. The departure of previous assistant Chris Davies to Birmingham City opened up a spot on Postecoglou's staff for Montgomery, who was joined at Spurs by his own long-time lieutenant Sergio Raimundo. Part of Montgomery's portfolio was to look after Tottenham's set pieces, in attack and defence, in tandem with Jedinak, another ex-Mariners legend. But Postecoglou's collaborative approach with his assistants gave him broader scope in terms of adjusting the team's game model and structuring their training sessions, all of which were meticulously planned and reviewed afterwards. It was never easy, though, due to one of the worst injury crises a Premier League side has ever seen, and the incessant noise from the outside questioning everything Postecoglou and his staff were doing. 'It's been a great learning,' Montgomery said. 'It's also been an opportunity for me to grow and support Ange in what was a difficult season, but in the end, an amazing season. 'The media tried to make out that the team never changed the way it played and just never adapted, but that's completely not true. It's difficult to fully adapt when you're making five, six changes every week, we had so many injuries, you know, you've got young players that are just coming in experiencing that level for the first time ... we never abandoned our principles all season. 'We always believed that we could go on and win the Europa League. The players believed in Ange and backed him, even throughout the really difficult times and I think that's a real test of a top world-class manager.' The celebrations, though? An utter madness, and Montgomery was in the thick of it. One of many viral videos from the post-match in Bilbao caught James Maddison leading the players in a chant in his honour, to the tune of Freed From Desire: ' Monty's on fire, your defence is terrified! ' 'The boys were in full force, mate,' he laughed. 'James Maddison, he reminds me a lot of Jason Cummings – that sort of character. He's just a majestic player, a wonderful player, a football brain. Some of the stuff he does, the game he stands still when he gets on the ball, and he just sees things that other players don't see but not only that, he's just a great guy, a proper character. He was trying to get me up on the stage! 'I was always banging on him about taking corners and free kicks and getting him out there to do extra practice and stuff, and you see his stats in terms of the assists that he got through the season, considering he had a couple of injuries as well … he's actually up there in terms of the Premier League's top scorers from free kicks and assists.' Though he only moved to Australia when the Mariners signed him as a player in 2012, Montgomery has become an Australian citizen and appreciates the significance of what Postecoglou is doing for Aussie coaches and the game back home more broadly. The A-League might feel a million light years away from the Premier League, but it is never far from their field of vision. Literally. 'We always watch the A-League,' he said. 'Obviously, the timing of the A-League [in the UK], it's normally when we're having a coffee in the morning, preparing a session, going through all the sort of pre-training stuff. We've always got the A-League on in the coach's office; Ange has all the football on in his office, all the time. We're just immersed in it. 'We try to be real advocates for the A-League, because we know the quality of the players that are in there, and a lot of good young players coming through now. I'm really proud of the fact that we played a part in maybe more coaches now believing in young players and helping to develop them ... that's a great thing to see.' Like Postecoglou and the rest of Tottenham's coaching staff, Montgomery is currently in a state of limbo, waiting for news from above as to whether a managerial change will be made - as has been widely forecast in the English media. However, the Europa League win has changed the atmosphere, and with Postecoglou enjoying the clear backing of the entire dressing room – and, once again, the majority of Spurs fans - moving him on would be an enormous risk. Loading 'I came here for one year already, and it's been an amazing journey,' Montgomery said. 'I've learned plenty – it's probably hard for me to say one thing, but I learned that, yeah, I can coach in the Premier League with World Cup-winners and world-class players. 'In future, I'll definitely be looking to get back into management. That's what I spoke about with Ange in our first meeting. But for now, until we're told otherwise, I'm really looking forward to coaching in the UEFA Champions League next season and continuing to support Ange.'
The Age
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
‘We believed all season': Inside Tottenham's euphoric Europa League victory
Montgomery is still coming to terms with the magnitude of what he has helped Spurs achieve this season. Sacked by Hibernian in May last year, after less than a month as head coach of the Scottish Premiership side, he had other opportunities to continue as a manager – but couldn't turn down the chance to work with Postecoglou, who was one of the first to send Montgomery a congratulatory message after he steered the Central Coast Mariners to an emphatic A-League grand final victory in 2023. The departure of previous assistant Chris Davies to Birmingham City opened up a spot on Postecoglou's staff for Montgomery, who was joined at Spurs by his own long-time lieutenant Sergio Raimundo. Part of Montgomery's portfolio was to look after Tottenham's set pieces, in attack and defence, in tandem with Jedinak, another ex-Mariners legend. But Postecoglou's collaborative approach with his assistants gave him broader scope in terms of adjusting the team's game model and structuring their training sessions, all of which were meticulously planned and reviewed afterwards. It was never easy, though, due to one of the worst injury crises a Premier League side has ever seen, and the incessant noise from the outside questioning everything Postecoglou and his staff were doing. 'It's been a great learning,' Montgomery said. 'It's also been an opportunity for me to grow and support Ange in what was a difficult season, but in the end, an amazing season. 'The media tried to make out that the team never changed the way it played and just never adapted, but that's completely not true. It's difficult to fully adapt when you're making five, six changes every week, we had so many injuries, you know, you've got young players that are just coming in experiencing that level for the first time ... we never abandoned our principles all season. 'We always believed that we could go on and win the Europa League. The players believed in Ange and backed him, even throughout the really difficult times and I think that's a real test of a top world-class manager.' The celebrations, though? An utter madness, and Montgomery was in the thick of it. One of many viral videos from the post-match in Bilbao caught James Maddison leading the players in a chant in his honour, to the tune of Freed From Desire: ' Monty's on fire, your defence is terrified! ' 'The boys were in full force, mate,' he laughed. 'James Maddison, he reminds me a lot of Jason Cummings – that sort of character. He's just a majestic player, a wonderful player, a football brain. Some of the stuff he does, the game he stands still when he gets on the ball, and he just sees things that other players don't see but not only that, he's just a great guy, a proper character. He was trying to get me up on the stage! 'I was always banging on him about taking corners and free kicks and getting him out there to do extra practice and stuff, and you see his stats in terms of the assists that he got through the season, considering he had a couple of injuries as well … he's actually up there in terms of the Premier League's top scorers from free kicks and assists.' Though he only moved to Australia when the Mariners signed him as a player in 2012, Montgomery has become an Australian citizen and appreciates the significance of what Postecoglou is doing for Aussie coaches and the game back home more broadly. The A-League might feel a million light years away from the Premier League, but it is never far from their field of vision. Literally. 'We always watch the A-League,' he said. 'Obviously, the timing of the A-League [in the UK], it's normally when we're having a coffee in the morning, preparing a session, going through all the sort of pre-training stuff. We've always got the A-League on in the coach's office; Ange has all the football on in his office, all the time. We're just immersed in it. 'We try to be real advocates for the A-League, because we know the quality of the players that are in there, and a lot of good young players coming through now. I'm really proud of the fact that we played a part in maybe more coaches now believing in young players and helping to develop them ... that's a great thing to see.' Like Postecoglou and the rest of Tottenham's coaching staff, Montgomery is currently in a state of limbo, waiting for news from above as to whether a managerial change will be made - as has been widely forecast in the English media. However, the Europa League win has changed the atmosphere, and with Postecoglou enjoying the clear backing of the entire dressing room – and, once again, the majority of Spurs fans - moving him on would be an enormous risk. Loading 'I came here for one year already, and it's been an amazing journey,' Montgomery said. 'I've learned plenty – it's probably hard for me to say one thing, but I learned that, yeah, I can coach in the Premier League with World Cup-winners and world-class players. 'In future, I'll definitely be looking to get back into management. That's what I spoke about with Ange in our first meeting. But for now, until we're told otherwise, I'm really looking forward to coaching in the UEFA Champions League next season and continuing to support Ange.'
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'I kept saying "do you believe in magic?" - and magic delivered'
"All I kept saying was, 'do you believe in magic?'." Standing in front of 10,000 Arsenal fans outside Emirates Stadium on Monday, childhood fan Leah Williamson took to the microphone with a Champions League winners medal around her neck. Stina Blackstenius scored the only goal as Renee Slegers' side stunned European giants Barcelona to win their first European title in 18 years. Arsenal may have been the underdogs heading into Saturday's final against a Barca side chasing a third successive Champions League title, but Williamson always believed. "I've been saying the whole time, all my team-mates will tell you all I kept saying was 'do you believe in magic?'," she said. "That's what I could feel. "I knew it was going to happen against Lyon, I knew it was going to happen in the final. And magic delivered." Williamson joined Arsenal at the age of eight and was mascot when Arsenal last won the competition in 2007. Interviewed on stage by her close friend and scorer of Arsenal's 2007 Champions League-winning goal, Alex Scott, the 28-year-old had a lump in her throat as she addressed the crowd. "We knew it was going to be a special day but when we all walked out today we said 'this is one of those moments'. This is one of the moments I'll tell my grandkids about. "I have been educated my whole life and seen with my own two eyes how successful Arsenal have been, especially Arsenal women. All I ever wanted to do was be a part of it. It's very special. "My club. My Arsenal. Champions League winners. European champions." Fans jubilant as Arsenal lift trophy at Emirates How Arsenal's comeback queens achieved the unthinkable Arsenal put smile back on my face - Kelly There were grey skies over north London on Monday, but the sea of red and white as fans packed out Armoury Square in their thousands was a sight to behold. The celebrations were limited to a 10,000 capacity for safety reasons but fans turned out in their droves, some of which arrived as early at 06:00 BST to ensure they secured their spot. Arsenal's club dog Win - brought to the club by men's boss Mikel Arteta to develop the family atmosphere - was front and centre as Beth Mead held him during the event. Left-back Katie McCabe was living her best life as she took to the microphone to lead the karaoke, with Sweet Caroline, Freed From Desire and Simply the Best among the songs belted out by players and fans alike. "I've been with these girls for nearly 10 years," McCabe said when addressing the crowd. "Red is in my blood. "These group of girls is everything you need in a team and that is why we did it on Saturday night in Lisbon." Arsenal remain the only English club to win the Women's Champions League and now avoid going through the qualification rounds for next season's competition, going straight into the group phase as holders. The Gunners' triumph in Lisbon is even more remarkable given their turbulent start to the season. They won only on of their opening four league games and lost the first leg of their first round Champions League qualifying match. Boss Jonas Eidevall resigned in October, with Slegers appointed as interim to steady the ship, before being given the job on a permanent basis in January. Slegers had never managed beyond the group stages of the Champions League this season, and her achievements are still sinking in. "There were so many emotions after the game," the Dutchwoman told the crowd. "I thought when I came home I would be taking it in, but I ordered food and fell asleep. "If you are together and you stay together whatever happens and you want to become better every day, with the foundation of being really good players you can reach high levels and that's what we have done." Before Arsenal players lifted the trophy and were showered in red and white confetti, the last word went to the matchwinner and history-maker Blackstenius. "It's just amazing standing here with this team and all of you," she said. "We won the Champions League and it feels unbelievable in every way." Scotland & Arsenal's low-key, high-grade superstar Arsenal win 'ultimate trophy' with 'more to come' 'The next Wiegman' - the story of the Arsenal manager who made history
Scottish Sun
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Victorious Spurs stars party until 4am shouting ‘F*** you Maguire' after 1-0 Europa League Final win
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TOTTENHAM Hotspur stars partied until 4am after their 1-0 Europa League Final win, chanting: 'F*** you Maguire.' Spurs' Cristian Romero had clashed with Man United's Harry Maguire during the game and at full-time in Bilbao, Spain. 5 Tottenham players partied until 4am after their 1-0 Europa League Final win, chanting: 'F*** you Maguire' Credit: Alamy 5 Fans also joined in and celebrated all night to mark the club's first trophy in 17 years Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 5 Manchester United defender Harry Maguire was the target of ridicule by the Spurs players Credit: Shutterstock Editorial James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall led the victorious team in a raucous celebration - with the Spurs players changing the lyrics to Gala 1997 hit 'Freed From Desire' to taunt the England centre back. Fans celebrated all night to mark the club's first trophy in 17 years. Rod Jones, from St Albans, Herts, said: 'We did a bar crawl from the stadium to town then the airport. 'We're so buzzing that sleep can wait.' The bleary-eyed team flew back to Stansted yesterday, with an open-top bus parade today. The squad will need to recover quickly, as Spurs play Brighton in their last Premier League fixture on Sunday Around 70,000 fans of both teams travelled to Bilbao, with seven arrests. Newspaper El Correo said: 'The main objective was to try to avoid large-scale serious fighting, which the authorities consider they achieved.' 5 Pedro Porro celebrates the victory Credit: Getty 5 The bleary-eyed team flew back to Stansted on Thursday, with an open-top bus parade taking place on Friday Credit: Getty
Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Inside Crystal Palace's wild FA Cup celebrations as stars party with elated fans
Crystal Palace stunned Manchester City by becoming FA Cup champions on Saturday, lifting their first major trophy in their 119-year history - and understandably players went wild after the final whistle Crystal Palace players enjoyed some wild celebrations after their historic FA Cup triumph over Manchester City, with goalkeeper Dean Henderson leading the way by singing chants in front of delighted fans. Oliver Glasner's men won their first major trophy in their 119-year history by beating Pep Guardiola's men 1-0 at Wembley, courtesy of Eberechi Eze's strike. The Eagles were sent into ecstasy at the full time whistle, with fans soaking in their greatest day supporting the club. There were incredible scenes on the pitch as players danced and lapped out their achievement with the travelling supporters. Match-winning hero Eze was filmed dancing on the pitch to "Freed From Desire" by Gala, as Palace captioned the post: "What do you do when you win the @emiratesfacup? Dance, of course." Defender Marc Guehi also enjoyed the party of the pitch as a clip was uploaded onto Palace's social page of him squinting - as he said: "I can't see nothing, but I don't care, because we're champions baby." Chris Richards began the celebrations as he filmed their trophy lift on the pitch with a Go Pro camera, before running around the turf screaming "I'm going to Disney World". Daniel Munoz posted a snap of himself in the dressing room after the game holding the FA Cup in one arm, alongside the caption: "This is not a coincidence, this is not luck, this is God at work. "Many days of work, falling, getting up, not being able to play one of the most important finals in my life, and God rewards me today. Don't envy anything, don't speak ill of people, work hard, fulfill your dreams, and give all the glory to God." Later the Palace team made their way to a BoxPark to celebrate with the supporters, with Jean-Phillippe Mateta seen dancing on the terraces in his suit while singing "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom" by Vengaboys. Goalkeeper Henderson also popped up during the celebrations as he sung a rendition of Waka Waka by Shakira, chanting: "Twelfth again, who gives a f***, we've won the FA Cup." The partying went long into the night after Glasner hailed his players for giving fans a "moment for life" with the historic achievement. "As football players or managers our biggest achievement is to give the fans a moment for their lives. We had a difficult start to the season – in difficult moments you need someone who hugs, not kicks you, so this is for the fans. The connection with the Crystal Palace players will stay for ever. 'Tomorrow's training is already cancelled. The players want to cancel Monday too. Special credit to the players, they've never lost belief in me and the coaching staff."
