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The key questions surrounding the future of Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham

The key questions surrounding the future of Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham

The writing seemed on the wall, but after Postecoglou declared on the eve of the final his desire to stay, Spurs' subsequent 1-0 win over Manchester United has catapulted him into the list of club greats.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at why the pendulum has swung back in Postecoglou's favour and left chairman Daniel Levy with an enormous decision to make.
25 – Tottenham have now lost 25 games in all competitions this season, their joint-most defeats in a single campaign in their history along with 1991-92 (25). Struth. pic.twitter.com/glQQ1R2dMe
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 16, 2025
Even though Postecoglou has achieved the holy grail at Tottenham, his team have broke club records in the Premier League this season with a new worst tally of defeats (21) and could finish in their lowest ever position of 17th. Injuries have contributed, with a crisis during the winter months the start of a downturn in top-flight results, which never recovered and increased scrutiny on the 59-year-old. A 'misinterpreted' celebration at Chelsea towards his own fans in April did not help, but strong European form always provided a buffer to critics and he delivered upon his bold Autumn declaration of always winning in his second season to earn adulation from long-suffering supporters.
A post shared by Tottenham Hotspur (@spursofficial)
A raft of Tottenham players were asked about the position of their under-fire head coach and while eager to focus on the moment, captain Son Heung-min, Micky van de Ven and Guglielmo Vicario were effusive in their praise for the 59-year-old. Son admitted: 'He won the trophy. Nobody did it. Look, it's not up to me or the players, but we just have to look at the facts. At the fact that we haven't won in 17 years and this is the day we finally won it. It's the manager who wins the trophy.' Vicario added Postecoglou was 'the first to start to believe' and 'drove us brilliantly' before Van de Ven hailed the 'big role' of the former Celtic boss.
Ange, a man of his word… 🏆✔️#UELfinal pic.twitter.com/DnhMXeOTZi
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 21, 2025
Tottenham were being linked with other managers as far back as March, with Andoni Iraola of Bournemouth reportedly high up on the club's wish list, with three other Premier League coaches in Thomas Frank, Oliver Glasner and Marco Silva regularly mentioned as potential candidates. Yet, can Levy justify dismissing Postecoglou to bring in someone to start another rebuild that does not possess a world-class CV? With fans firmly back on side ahead of Friday's trophy parade, Postecoglou suddenly feels the right man to guide this relatively young squad through the challenges ahead – assuming lessons have been learned, which has been hinted at recently. Only Levy will know what happens next but after Postecoglou delivered what Tottenham's much-maligned chairman always craved, the Australian could be back for season three.

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Inside the strangest football stadiums in Europe including one beside Hitler's bunker and another with a STEAM TRAIN
Inside the strangest football stadiums in Europe including one beside Hitler's bunker and another with a STEAM TRAIN

The Sun

time9 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Inside the strangest football stadiums in Europe including one beside Hitler's bunker and another with a STEAM TRAIN

FANCY WATCHING a game of football on the side of an active volcano? Or maybe you would prefer the 90-minute experience of sitting high up a mountain pass, perched on a slender goat trail? 25 25 The thing about new grounds these days is that while they cost billions of pounds to build, more often than not they all look the same and lack uniqueness or character. There is something thrilling and wonderful about watching a match played in bizarre or strange surroundings – locations far removed from the pristine, copycat comfort of the Premier League. Author Leon Gladwell went on a two-year voyage to discover and photograph 100 of Europe's wackiest and strangest venues, travelling more than 130,000 miles across 71 trips. He has collected them all into a glossy new book European Football's Greatest Grounds. And SunSport has put together 10 of the most remarkable, bucket-list places on the continent where you can go and watch the Beautiful Game. Campo di Calcio Zuel (Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy) The Trampolino Olimpico, a ski jumping hill in the Dolomites, was opened in 1923 and was used as a venue during the 1956 Winter Olympics. The faded Olympic Rings are still visible from the bottom of the 49-metre high launch ramp. Yet there is no chance of Eddie 'The Eagle' flying over the goalposts because the jump has been closed for 35 years. During the summer months, when the snow has melted, the area below is used for junior football, thanks to the installation of a football pitch by Serie A giants AC Milan. It also has a key place in movie history – it was the scene of a famous ski jump by James Bond in the 1981 film For Your Eyes Only. 25 25 25 Campo Gerini (Rome, Italy) Italian stadiums might look old and rundown but that is part of their charm and romanticism. Anyone who grew up watching the Italia '90 World Cup on TV will instantly recognise some of the famous yet tired arenas that hosted the world's best footballers 35 years ago. One of the nation's quirkiest grounds can be located in its capital Rome, eleven kilometres south-east of the Colosseum, in the second-largest urban park in Europe. Campo Gerini hosts various football factions seven days a week, from junior sides right through to senior matches in Italy's ninth tier. Some of the pitches are located next to a decaying aqueduct built in 50 BC during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Yet the future of the area is in doubt after 40 hectares of land (the equivalent of 60 football pitches) were sold to private individuals, including a supermarket entrepreneur, in 2023. 25 25 Eriskay (Scotland) Eriskay is a remote island in the Outer Hebrides and is barely four kilometres in length. With a population of just 143, it is one of the smallest regions to support a football club. And Barnet's old uphill slope is nothing compared to this imperfect playing surface. The bumpy, bobbly Cnoc Na Monadh pitch, with his wobbly touchlines, has a 'wee hill in the corner' and as such, one of the corner flags is as high as the crossbar. Occasionally, stray sheep might make a beeline for the centre circle and after every winter, groundstaff have to painstakingly remove all the local wildlife's POO. Fifa's World Football Museum gave Eriskay worldwide recognition in 2015, branding it as one of the eight most remarkable places in the world to play football. Post-match drinks can be enjoyed in the island's only pub, Am Politician, which is named after the celebrated shipwreck. 25 25 Feldstrasse (Hamburg, Germany) Hamburg's historic SC Hansa 11 club has a unique claim to fame – it is next door to a gargantuan Nazi-built Second World War BUNKER. Two artificial pitches in this inner-city sports ground are flanked by the astonishing Flakturm IV. This air raid shelter was built in the 1940s under orders from Adolf Hitler to protect the country from Allied air attack. An anti-aircraft gun has long gone from the imposing concrete blockhouse tower and it has since been converted into a public rooftop terrace, which doubles up as a live music venue. On the other side of the ground is the Millerntor-Stadion, which is home to Bundesliga side, FC St. Pauli, a must-see destination for all football hipsters. 25 25 Grigoris Lambrakis Municipal Stadium (Athens, Greece) The best stadiums are not really the ones located off a motorway, far out of town, next to a shopping centre, with ample parking spots. The most interesting ones exist within a deprived community, perhaps next to a housing estate, in a hustling, bustling city, which has been dwarfed by the skyward creep of urbanisation. Athens Kallithea FC's ground, known locally as El Paso, is one such neighbourhood spot and some lucky fans can watch action in Greece's top division from their apartment block windows. Otherwise punters can perch on limestone cliffs that roll around half the pitch, standing behind coils of barbed wire and iron railings. In the mid-1960s, Sergio Leone's spaghetti-western classic For a Few Dollars More, starring Clint Eastwood, was released in Greece under the name Duel in El Paso. Kallithea used that nickname and to this day, they run on to the pitch to the dustbowl strains of Ennio Morricone's haunting score. 25 25 Gryluvollur (Hveragerdi, Iceland) There is no danger of flooding or soggy pitches for Iceland lower-league side FC Hamar. That is because underneath their hillside ground are boiling underground rivers hot enough to cook an EGG. Situated on the slopes of the Grændalur volcano, fumarole vents near the touchline and in neighbouring backyards belch plumes of sulphuric steam into the air. A Gryla geyser lies dormant just 70 metres from the pitch and until the late 1990s, it would often shoot boiling jets of water up to 12 metres high during matches. At least for those who live in this alien landscape in the little village of Hverageroi (which translates as 'hot spring garden'), players can use the gases to steam-dry their match-day kits. 25 25 25 Janosovka (Cierny Balog, Slovakia) Ideally, a football ground needs to have good, reliable transport links – but there is one in Slovakia which takes that concept to its extreme. One slumberous village in Cierny Balog actually has a STEAM TRAIN that passes directly by, just metres from the pitch and only a few feet from one of the grandstands. A busy logging railway used to haul timber up and down the valley for more than 80 miles of narrow gauge track for almost 75 years. These days, it is a heritage railway for tourists but the line goes straight through the ground of this semi-professional club. There are no confirmed accidents involving trains at the ground but the chairman often jokes that a few of his wingers should hop on and off to get them up the line a bit quicker. Yet anyone planning a Rory Delap-style long run-up for their throw-ins might think again… 25 25 Kvarlis Tsentraluri Stadioni (Kvareli, Georgia) Kvareli Duruji FC in Georgia's fifth division play football inside the walls of a medieval CASTLE. The rural 17th-century fortress, which has an iron-studded entrance gate, has wooden grandstands and can house up to 2,500 fans. Legend has it that a player once went down headfirst into a sinkhole that emerged during one match in 1978. That has since been filled in and bricked over but underneath the pitch are tunnels and rooms that were built to store earthenware vessels used for the fermentation and ageing of local wine. When Gladwell went there, a special friendly match was arranged in his honour and his son Noah was allowed to play – even though he ended up missing a key penalty. 25 25 25 Valloyran (Sandavagur, Faroe Islands) Those who live in the Faroe Islands can get to church on time on a Sunday – and then, after their prayers, have a little kickabout next door. One of the country's 26 grounds – in the seaside fishing village of Sandavagur – is overlooked by a beautiful red-roofed wooden church and cemetery. There are so few seats that it is essentially standing room only around this tiny football field – but you could choose to watch from your car given how close you can park behind one of the goals. The artificial pitch ensures few games are called off but spectators have to wrap up warm in the face of the fierce Faroese weather. 25 Yenisehir Stadyumu (Gumushane, Turkey) The city of Gumushane, which is 3,970ft above sea level, lies on the ancient Silk Road, the historic trade route from China to Turkey. To reach their football club, you have to endure a hair-raising zig-zagging journey along the Zigana Pass in the Pontic Mountains. Fans can either watch from the grandstands or, to avoid buying a ticket, find a spot up on the uphill goat paths. Pity the poor groundsman who has to work with a pitch that sees little sunlight due to the towering walls of red rock that encircle the ground. It is one of the most remote places to visit in Europe, several hours outside of Black Sea resort Trabzon, but also one of the most special. 25 25

Liverpool close in on Marc Guehi transfer as sensational summer spree continues
Liverpool close in on Marc Guehi transfer as sensational summer spree continues

Daily Mirror

time32 minutes ago

  • Daily Mirror

Liverpool close in on Marc Guehi transfer as sensational summer spree continues

The champions are in pole position to land the Crystal Palace and England defender, who has just one year left on his Selhurst Park deal and is keen on a move tnhis summer Liverpool's summer spending spree looks set to continue as they close in on a move for Marc Guehi. The Crystal Palace defender has been linked with several top clubs after it became clear he was not going to extend his contract at Selhurst Park, which has only a year left to run. But Liverpool are now in prime position and that talks between all parties will take place in the next 24 hours. ‌ It would be another stunning piece of business from Liverpool, who have followed their title triumph by forking out almost £200million on new, high-class recruits. The Premier League champions have signed Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for a record £116million, Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth for £40million and Jeremie Frimpong from Leverkusen for £30million. ‌ It has been a serious statement of intent by Liverpool and their owners Fenway Sports Group and it would represent a coup to beat the likes of Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur to the signing of Guehi. There are still hurdles to get over. Crystal Palace value their England centre-half in the region of £70million but are realistic enough to know suitors will not go up that mark as Guehi only has 12 months of his contract to run. But they will still hold out for a fee in excess of £40million, particularly as Chelsea had a 20 percent sell-on clause when they sold Guehi to Palace for £18million in 2021. With plenty of options on the table for Guehi, Liverpool might also have to convince him that he will be a regular starter. Jarell Quansah is leaving for Bayer Leverkusen after struggling for game-time under Arne Slot, who has Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate as his first-choice pairing in central defence. ‌ Konate's contract also expires in a year's time and there is uncertainty about the prospects of him signing a new deal. Guehi, though, would be seen as a great long-term signing for Liverpool as he only turns 25 in a couple of weeks' time. He has 23 caps for England and is a certainty to make Thomas Tuchel's squad for next summer's World Cup. ‌ As well as the three headline signings, Liverpool have also signed goalkeepers Armin Pesci and Freddie Woodman, even though the deal made last summer for Valencia's Giorgi Mamardashvili will see the Georgian keeper join Slot's squad when they return for training on July 8. If Liverpool manage to seal a deal for Guehi, it is likely to be the end of their summer transfer business even though they continue to be linked with Newcastle United 's Alexander Isak. In the meantime, Palace are waiting to hear from UEFA if they can compete in the Europa League next season and are also preparing for offers for Eberechi Eze, who could be in the middle of a transfer battle between Arsenal and Spurs.

Germany U21s accused of pinching BEER MUGS by ‘crying hostess' who stormed team bus past security with machine guns
Germany U21s accused of pinching BEER MUGS by ‘crying hostess' who stormed team bus past security with machine guns

Scottish Sun

time39 minutes ago

  • Scottish Sun

Germany U21s accused of pinching BEER MUGS by ‘crying hostess' who stormed team bus past security with machine guns

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A 'VISIBLY DISTRAUGHT' woman stormed past a security armed with a submachine gun onto the Germany Under-21 team bus to accuse them of stealing BEER MUGS. Antonio Di Salvo's men are aiming to tame our Young Lions in Bratislava tonight and become European champions. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Nick Woltemade is aiming to shoot down England tonight in Bratislava Credit: Getty 3 German players were accused of stealing 15 beer mugs in an angry confrontation on the team bus Credit: Getty And it seems £35m-rated star striker Nick Woltemade and Co's thirst for success has got the better of them. Germany secured their spot in the showpiece by thumping France 3-0 on Wednesday at Kosicka Futbalova Arena. Now explosive reports in their homeland have revealed that afterwards they were confronted by one of the stadium's VIP hostesses on the team bus. The fuming woman, described as being 'visibly distraught' and having 'her makeup smeared by tears', stormed the coach as staff and players waited for the few remaining stars to complete post-match doping tests. The lady marched straight past a security guard armed with a submachine gun and four stewards to board the coach and headed straight for boss Di Salvo, who was seated near the front. She then pulled out her phone and began taking several photos as the Germans looked on in total bemusement. The mugs, worth €3 each, were believed to have been provided for the match officials to enjoy some post-match fluids. Instead, 15 of them went missing and stadium staff were quick to point the finger of blame at the German players. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS A stadium supervisor told BILD: 'German players simply stole around 15 beer mugs. They probably think it's all free — but it isn't. 'That's why my employee ran onto the bus. She wanted to take photos as evidence.' England and Spain stars in mass brawl after U21 Euro quarter-final Germany denied all accusations of theft and instead claim that somebody else, not associated with them, must have removed the mugs. U21 press officer Markus Beer said: 'It was all completely different. The woman had brought several beer mugs into the catacombs, presumably for the referees. Then later, empty mugs were there, which were suddenly gone. 'Someone must have thrown them away. She obviously thought our players had simply taken them. But that was definitely not the case.' It remains unclear whether the mugs were eventually recovered by the distraught woman and staff at the Kosicka Futbalova Arena. 3 Boss Antonio Di Salvo was confronted by a 'visibly distraught' woman on the bus Credit: Getty But Lee Carsley and his England side will be going all out to ensure it is Woltemade and his pals who look the mugs at the Stadion Tehelne Pole in the Slovakian capital. And hopefully it will be them crying into their beer steins later should our boys lift the European Championship for a second-consecutive time.

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