Latest news with #Postecoglou
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Inside Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham sacking as Daniel Levy reveals awkward chat after Europa League heroics
The ex-Celtic favourite was brutally binned by Spurs just weeks after ending the club's 17-year trophy drought Daniel Levy had doubled down on Tottenham 's decision to sack Europa League-winning boss Ange Postecoglou. The Spurs supremo decided to pull the trigger just weeks after Postecoglou led the North London club to European glory. Ex- Celtic favourite Postecoglou boldly vowed to end Tottenham's 17-year wait for a trophy and was true to his word after beating Manchester United in May's final. But a catastrophic Premier League campaign ended with the Lilywhites finishing fourth bottom on just 38 points - and the Aussie paid the price with his job after two rollercoaster seasons at the helm. Levy took some heat from supporters and pundits for wielding the axe and the chairman had to justify his decision in an awkward conversation with Postecoglou. He told the Overlap with SkyBet: "Ultimately, the decision sits with me, but it's always a collective decision. "We have a board of directors, but under the board, we have a group of technical staff, and they advise. "We had to explain the decision to part ways with Ange. Ange just won us a trophy – a European trophy – highly significant and he's always going to be in our history. 'However, we couldn't lose sight of the fact that we finished 17th in the league, we lost 22 Premier League games, and it's impossible for Tottenham to be in that position, and so we had to take the emotion out of it and we had to give some data points as to why we decided to do what we did. "Whichever level you do it, no one likes telling somebody, 'You're losing your job', but it is the nature of football. "We're there to win and yes, we won a European trophy – and it was fantastic – but we also need to win on all fronts – and the Premier League says it all." Tottenham moved on quickly from Postecoglou by luring Thomas Frank from Brentford as their new head coach. Levy added: "Whenever you appoint a coach, you always believe it's right and you need a lot of ingredients for it to be right. Thomas Frank is a highly intelligent individual; he's got a fantastic way about him in terms of communication. "He will be great at developing both young players and older players – and making them better. "He gets the style of football we want to play; he understands that Rome wasn't built in a day – we haven't set him: 'You've got to win the league this year'. We just want to compete at the highest level." Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
The Irish Sun
31-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Ex-Arsenal man hired by Thomas Frank is key to solving one of Tottenham's biggest issues – and it's already working
THOMAS FRANK will have a chance today to see just how far his new Tottenham side have come on set-pieces when they take on the masters of the craft. No one scored more goals from dead-ball situations, excluding penalties, in the Premier League last season than 6 Thomas Frank has hired Arsenal's former set-piece specialist Credit: Getty 6 Nicolas Jover inspired the Gunners' set-piece prowess Credit: Getty Play Dream Team now! Play The Sun Dream Team ahead of the 2025/26 season Free to play Over £100,000 in total prize money Play in Mini Leagues against your mates Submit a team for Gameweek 1 to enter £5,000 prize draw The German-born Frenchman Jover, 43, fast became a household name among Gooners for the way he leaps into action, barking orders from Mikel Arteta's technical area whenever Frank has his own grand plans to Andreas Georgson spent a year as READ MORE ON FOOTBALL The Swede, 43, was replaced by Jover before going on to hold similar roles at Southampton and Georgson's latest gig is at He holds the title of first-team assistant coach, but his specific focus will be set-pieces. Frank excelled from the routines at Brentford, netting 14 league goals from them last term and conceding a Prem-best three. Most read in Football SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN It is not just from corners and free-kicks that he looks to gain an advantage, either. Fans will remember how his Bees, remarkably, scored virtually from the kick-off in three successive games last September. Arsenal vs Tottenham fan debate battle | Stoppage Time The remarkable hat-trick saw them make Premier League history by becoming the first team to net within the first minute in a trio of back-to-back fixtures. Long throws are also something he is happy to employ, with Centre-back The Dutchman, 24, said on Tuesday: 'We have had a lot of training sessions already where we are working on set-pieces. I know you guys love talking about set-pieces and Tottenham. 6 Jover was often spotted alongside Mikel Arteta on the Arsenal touchline Credit: Getty 6 Micky van de Ven has revealed that Spurs are already working on improving their record with the deadball Credit: Getty 'I hope we can change that this year and make it a strong point for us on the offensive and defensive side.' The "I know you guys love talking about set-pieces and Tottenham" remark related to the furore surrounding them under predecessor Ange Postecoglou. In truth, it was a mountain made out of a molehill by Postecoglou himself, and it came after a North London derby defeat to today's opponents. Spurs conceded twice from corners in their 3-2 home loss to Arsenal in April 2024, during Postecoglou's first campaign. At the time, it took the club's tally of goals conceded from set-pieces to nine, which was not terrible but not great either. It just required an acknowledgement that things could have been improved and a promise to work on them. Postecoglou instead appeared to dismiss set-pieces altogether after the game, then doubled down on that view again a few days later in his next press conference. After that, a narrative emerged that he did not care about them at all, which was brought up every time Spurs subsequently conceded from a dead-ball situation, not including spot-kicks. Frank has been very clear about how much he values them and spoke of his pride after his new team scored their first goals under him from set-pieces in his opening friendly, a 2-0 win at Reading, earlier this month. 6 Frank is hoping to make Spurs a threat from set-pieces Credit: Getty 6 Tottenham face Arsenal in a North London derby TODAY Credit: Getty Arsenal set the bar for success in this area - today Spurs can get an early idea of how they measure up at the Kai Tak Stadium today. They will do it, meanwhile, wearing kit with bespoke, jazzy-looking shirt numbers designed by local artists. 'ParentsParents', a collective of artists from diverse backgrounds in graffiti, illustration and geometry style character, designed the numbers, using themes, colours and symbols meaningful to Hong Kong. You can put your shirt on set-pieces playing a key role in today's friendly version of the North London derby on the far side of the world.
Daily Record
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Rangers leak the gameplan vs Panathinaikos as Danilo led starting XI backs up what Russell Martin is preaching
The boss is willing to go for the jugular and the team he will pick backs up a manager intent on winning emphatically Comparing a Rangers manager to a Celtic luminary is tantamount to treason around these parts. However, deep down, there is a section among the Light Blues faithful who fancied a slice of Angeball for themselves and they now have their own blue-sky thinker in the form of Russell Martin. It's gung-ho time with the horseshoe firmly removed. The power of Postecoglou 's methods were his insistence to go for the jugular, home or away, rain or shine, so don't expect meek resistance when the whistle goes in the second leg of their Champions League second round qualifier against Panathinaikos. Sure they already boast a 2-0 victory from the first leg thanks to goals from Findlay Curtis and Djeidi Gassama. But Martin is built the same way as Postecoglou and he waxed lyrical about his admiration of the former Celtic boss days before Tottenham pasted his Southampton side in a result which put paid to his time at St Mary's. Rangers will go for it tonight in Athens because Martin has already said so, as the game appears set-up for a side who transition quickly against a Panathinaikos team desperate to score early and trigger a potty fanbase to untold levels of passion. The aforementioned Gassama appears in the mix to start but don't rule out 18-year-old Curtis getting the nod. The same is true for Danilo, Cyriel Dessers is back on the scene but the Brazilian's superior link-up play appears a necessity from the off. Predicted Rangers XI Provisional Rangers squad Goalkeepers Jack Butland Liam Kelly Kieran Wright Defenders James Tvaernier Max Aarons John Souttar Jefte Nasser Djiga Emmanuel Fernandez Leon King Midfielders Joe Rothwell Oscar Cortes Connor Barron Mohamed Diomande Nedim Bajrami Lyall Cameron Kieran Dowell Djeidi Gassama Nico Raskin Robbie Fraser Forwards Cyriel Dessers Danilo You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Celtic page, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone. Join our Celtic community here.
AsiaOne
29-07-2025
- Sport
- AsiaOne
World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro among list of top names for Singapore football coach, Singapore News
SINGAPORE — A World Cup winner, a former English Premier League assistant coach, and a former Liverpool player and Champions League winner are among the candidates that are on an extended shortlist for the Singapore national football coach's role, The Straits Times has learnt. Over 60 candidates have expressed interest in taking the hot seat since Japanese tactician Tsutomu Ogura resigned due to personal reasons on June 24. Ogura guided the Lions to the top of their Asian Cup qualifying group on goals scored, leaving them potentially four positive results away from a maiden qualification for the continental showpiece. In its hunt for a new head coach, the Football Association of Singapore's (FAS) new leadership team's commitment to the search has brought a host of top names from abroad. Several sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity told ST that numerous interviews have already been conducted by the FAS top brass, and an initial list of candidates has now been whittled down to around 15 names. They include Fabio Cannavaro, captain of Italy's World Cup-winning team in 2006. The 51-year-old's coaching curriculum vitae includes winning the Chinese Super League in 2019 with Guangzhou Evergrande. Regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time, Cannavaro is one of just three defenders to have won the Ballon d'Or alongside Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer. His coaching career has yet to hit the heights he did as a player, with his last two stints being short-lived spells as coach of Udinese in the Italian Serie A and most recently at Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb. He does have experience in Asia with spells as a club coach in Saudi Arabia and China. Another name on the shortlist is former Australia winger Harry Kewell, who won the 2005 Champions League with Liverpool as a player. The 46-year-old Australian's last role was as head coach with J1 League powerhouse Yokohama F. Marinos, where he was dismissed after less than seven months. Kewell reached the Asian Football Confederation Champions League final in his first season at the helm, but struggled in Japan's top flight, where he won just eight out of 22 matches. The former Liverpool and Leeds United star has had four senior managerial appointments in England's lower divisions after hanging up his boots in 2014, with little success at Crawley Town, Notts County, Oldham Athletic and Barnet. Kewell was also an assistant coach to Ange Postecoglou at Celtic when he joined the Scottish side in 2022 before leaving for the Marinos role in January 2024. Another former Postecoglou assistant who is among the candidates is Nick Montgomery, who was most recently an assistant coach at English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. The Englishman left Spurs in June along with Postecoglou after the Australian manager was sacked despite guiding the club to their first major trophy in 17 years at the Europa League. Montgomery, 43, also won the 2023 A-League championship with Central Coast Mariners and later that year he became head coach of Hibernian in the Scottish Premier League, but was sacked in May 2024. Other names believed to be on the shortlist include former Persib Bandung and Indonesia national team coach Luis Milla; Serbian coach Nestor El Maestro, who has had spells at Saudi Pro League club Al-Taawoun and Slovakia's Spartak Trnava; former New Zealand national coach Anthony Hudson, who is currently the Football Association of Thailand's technical director; and former Iraq coach Jesus Casas. Another name is a familiar figure in ASEAN football - Mano Polking who led Thailand to 2020 and 2022 ASEAN Championship triumphs. The War Elephants impressed with a stylish, attractive brand of football under his charge. The 49-year-old Brazilian is currently head coach of Vietnamese side Cong An Ha Noi, with whom he won the 2025 Vietnamese National Cup. ST understands that the FAS made it clear in the search that the association want a strong communicator, a coach who has managed in Asian football, and a manager who has made the most out of the resources at his disposal, among other considerations. More interviews will take place in the coming weeks before the shortlist is further whittled down and a decision is reached. On top of salary demands, the FAS and the selected candidate will also need to settle on the size of staff that the latter will look to bring along, if any. Football commentator and former Singapore Premier League (SPL) coach Khidhir Khamis said that the FAS is sending a "statement of intent" with the calibre of candidates. "It is good that they are looking at coaches outside of Japan for a start and searching globally for who they feel is the best for the role," said Khidhir, 40. "People will be able to recognise the different direction that the FAS is heading in and there is bound to be excitement because of the names. It's a good sign." While Kewell and Cannavaro are names that will get most fans' attention, he urged caution, noting that they have not had much success as coaches. He added: "Maybe these guys are big names in football but I am not sure if they have the pedigree to be national coaches. It is wrong to just go for a big name without the confidence that they can steer us forward. We need to look at coaches who have had success closer to home." Agreeing, sports broadcaster and former professional footballer Rhysh Roshan Rai said that the FAS "shouldn't just aim for a huge name if they haven't shown they can produce in the job". He added: "We should also remember that this is an international level coaching job. It is a great opportunity for a coach and to put this on their resume in the longer term. It shouldn't be just about whether we can attract them but they also need to show why we should hire them." He said that Polking and Casas stood out as candidates as the former has been in the region for a long time and is a "fantastic coach and man manager" while Casas "did a solid job while with Iraq". "Polking is also someone with experience, a track record of success, charisma, is a popular figure with his players and wants his teams to play entertaining football," he added. In the interim, former BG Tampines Rovers coach Gavin Lee, 34, is leading the Lions, who will face Causeway rivals Malaysia in a friendly match at Kuala Lumpur's Bukit Jalil Stadium on Sept 4. It will serve as preparation for October's crucial Asian Cup qualifying matches. Singapore are top of Group C on goals scored, ahead of Hong Kong (four points), Bangladesh and India, who have a point apiece. Only the group winners will advance to the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. Singapore, who face India in back-to-back matches in October, have never qualified for the Asian Cup on merit, with their only appearance coming as hosts in 1984. [[nid:719901]] This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
Evening Standard
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Evening Standard
How to watch Reading vs Tottenham: TV channel and live stream for friendly today
A little over two months since winning the Europa League under Ange Postecoglou, and ending their 17-year trophy drought, it is another summer of change at Spurs. Postecoglou was quickly replaced by Frank. Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso have turned their loan deals into permanent stays and Mohammed Kudus has already joined for £55million.
