Daily Record

The former Brentford manager was hired by Daniel Levy to take over from the ex-Celtic gaffer in North London

Thomas Frank has spoken out on Ange Postecoglou as part of his first interview as Tottenham's new manager – hailing him as a legend.

The former Celtic boss delivered on his second season trophy promise as he sparked wild scenes in Bilbao by defeating Manchester United in the Europa League Final and ending the long wait for silverware in North London.

The triumph also booked a golden ticket to the Champions League this season and landed Spurs a mega windfall in the process.

However, a 17th place finish in the English Premier League - despite the success in Europe's second tier competition - proved to much for Daniel Levy and club bosses as they decided to axe Ange after two seasons at the club.

They moved quickly and turned attentions to Brentford boss Frank and got a deal over the line with the Bees.

Now, the new Spurs boss has spoken for the first time since taking up his new position and he has shown his true colours over the man he has replaced.

Speaking as part of an in-house interview, Frank said: "I think Ange has done something special. He'll forever be a legend in Tottenham.

"It's important to understand we all stand on the shoulders of others.

"I'm going in on the foundation Ange built, and his coaching staff, and I'm very humble about that.

"I'll do my very best to continue the great work he put in.

"The feeling, the excitement, the joy and the happiness in the fans' faces, the pictures were 'wow'.

"Hopefully, we can create more of those moments. That will be the ultimate dream: to do that and build on that."

Tottenham kick off the new season at home to Burnley but before that EPL showdown they have the small matter of fighting PSG in the Super Cup with more silverware on the line before the campaign even gets up and running.

Ange has already been linked with a quick-fire return to the dugout in Saudi as he ponders his next steps.

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The Tottenham cost if Ange sacked 'revealed', Schmeichel rule frustration after injury - Celtic news bulletin

It's your latest news from Parkhead all in one place including headlines on Kieran Tierney and Kasper Schmeichel

Ange Postecoglou is still awaiting his Tottenham fate and it could prove a costly decision if they decide to axe him.

Spurs chiefs are yet to decide on the future of the former Celtic boss after his side suffered a shocking domestic campaign with a 17th place finish in the English Premier League.

But by defeating Manchester United in Bilbao, Ange ended the long wait for a trophy by lifting the Europa League and also banked Champions League football for the North London club next season.

However, Daniel Levy is expected to give clarity over the situation very soon and the Telegraph report that should he decide to axe Ange then it will come at a major cost.

They claim that a compensation bill would be in the region of £4million.

That figure would come on top of a £2million bonus for his European success.

Ange still has two years left on the four-year deal he signed on his arrival to the club and the same report states he will soon be provided with the news over his future.

Meanwhile, Kasper Schmeichel has opened up on his shoulder injury and admitted he heard it crack at the time.

The Celtic No1 was in action for Denmark when he suffered the blow and he has now opened up on what he was feeling in the moment and what was going through his head.

He also vented his frustration at a rule in the game that could have avoided him suffering the painful situation.

Speaking to Ekstrabladet.dk, he said: "I heard the crack. It was right up to my left ear. It really hurt.

"The pain was very intense. It's one of those unfortunate situations that could have been avoided if the flag had been up.

"I think many collisions could be avoided in football because of the rules that exist now.

"Those who have experienced a shoulder injury know that it just hurts. Many things are problematic. Getting a jersey on is just very difficult. I had a very good idea that the shoulder was broken.

"But if we had had one more substitution, we would have probably used it. Because the situation was that if I went out, we would have had to continue with a man short.

"When you play for Denmark, you have to sacrifice yourself. I bit the pain inside me. I was captain in that match. We had to fight on with everything we had.

"I didn't have surgery. The shoulder just had to grow together. In fact, I was back on the training pitch after just a week and a half, where I could play with my feet.

"In May I was given the green light to train after all the scans were positive. And since then I haven't had any pain and my shoulder is completely fine again."

Elsewhere, Kieran Tierney's return to Celtic has come as a delight to Scotland boss Steve Clarke.

The Hoops-bound defender - who is returning from Arsenal - is likely to land crucial first team minutes during the friendly double-header starting tonight with Iceland at Hampden.

National team boss Clark said: "Kieran’s happy to be coming back up to Scotland to play. If Kieran’s happy, then I’m happy.

“More recently, it’s been the injury situation with Kieran. The one last summer stopped him having more game time.

“The six months before that, he’d been in Spain with Sociedad and done really well and it was good at Arsenal that he stayed and ended up the way it ended up, by getting back in the team, getting regular minutes off the bench.”

Spurs assistant head coach Nick Montgomery has shone a light on his fellow Aussie’s love for his old club

Nick Montgomery has revealed Ange Postecoglou cherished his time at Celtic and continues to watch Brendan Rodgers’ double winners.

The Australian head coach has just led Tottenham Hotspur to Europa League glory but his long-term future has been thrown up in the air due to a poor English Premier League showing.

Postecoglou, who won five trophies in his time at Parkhead, left Celtic for Spurs two years ago.

His assistant, Montgomery, has revealed how Postecoglou still has a soft spot for Celtic and their games are regularly on in the coaches’ room at Tottenham.

“Ange loved his time at Celtic,” Montgomery claimed. “I think he cherishes those times at Celtic, it's a massive club.

“It’s used to winning and when you go in there the pressure is on that you continue that trend and you have to win.

“Probably, people doubted him but Ange managed to do that. He's always watching the Celtic games and the A-League games and the Japanese games.

“We always have them on in the coach's office. He obviously really enjoyed his time there and no doubt he's really happy for the success again this year.”

Postecoglou ended Spurs’ own trophy drought. He lifted the first one in 17 years and their first European one in 41 years, as they beat Manchester United in the final. Montgomery admitted his manager’s influence was massive.

“He's obviously been massive in this cup win,” the former Hibs manager claimed. “Look, he's a great guy and I think he's a man that's full of self-belief.

“He's been around the world and won trophies. To work alongside him and get the opportunity to come to a club like Tottenham in the Premier League and Europa League, he always had the self-belief that we could do something special this season.

“It was a special moment for the club, a club without a trophy for a long time.”

Spurs had struggled with a crippling injury list in the English Premier League but delivered in Europe.

Montgomery admitted: “There was a lot of euphoria, but also relief after what was a really difficult season. Just the usual emotions for winning a major trophy and the celebrations that come with it.

“It was just a beautiful moment to see the boys lift that trophy at the end and obviously Ange and all the staff, just the hard work that we'd put in throughout the year.

“Like I said, under really difficult circumstances. “It was a great, well, probably the best way to end a season.”

Montgomery left Hibs in the summer of 2023 and had several opportunities to return but he decided to go in and learn under Postecoglou.

He stated: “When I accepted to come as his assistant, it was a great honour. We spoke about doing something special.

“I think no one can deny what we achieved was special and I don't think any Tottenham fan would argue any differently.

“It was a difficult season in the league for many different reasons, most notably a long sort of injury crisis that virtually went on the whole season.

“So, when you put all that into context to see how he navigated through that and how the coaches supported him and been an assistant to him.

“I felt it was a great opportunity for me to come and work with him and work at the highest level.

“That's why I chose to come here and turn down offers to go straight back into management when I left Hibs.

“He's won trophies basically all around the globe.

“He's got high standards and he sticks to what he believes in.

“I think, yeah, that's the important thing that he sort of never wavered on what he believes in."

Fans are largely behind Ange after he led them to the Europa League but he may still be sacked regardless

Tottenham fans have exploded on social media amid swirling rumours the club have decided to sack Ange Postecoglou days after winning the Europa League.

It was a dire domestic season for Spurs but their first major trophy in 17 years did a lot more than paper over the cracks in the eyes of fans.

The former Celtic boss was ridiculed for brashly telling reporters he 'always' wins a trophy in his second year – and then went and did it when his side beat Manchester United 1-0 to lift the trophy in Bilbao.

But there's no escaping the fact a 17th-placed finish in the Premier League was a dramatic underperformance and it's expected that owner Daniel Levy will announce a decision on Postecoglou's future in the days ahead.

On Sunday rumours began to swirl on social media that he has in fact already reached that decision with Postecoglou to be given his jotters imminently.

It's claimed either Brentford's Thomas Frank or Fulham's Marco Silva have already been lined up as possible replacements.

Football London have played the speculation down slightly saying Levy is still weighting up whether or not to give the Australian a third season at the helm.

But it's not stopped fans from reacting furiously to the news on social media.

Here's just a flavour of the responses on X to the news that Postecoglou may well be sacked days after ending a 17-year wait for a major trophy.

"Not again. This club.... I have no words."

"Daniel Levy is an embarrassment. Sacked Jose Mourinho the week before a Cup Final and then sacks Postecoglou after he wins their first trophy in 17 years."

"Thank you Ange Postecoglou for giving me the best week of my life.

"I don’t even know what to say. Empty. Destroyed. Soulless."

"So he wins a trophy and gets sacked? What is going on?"

"If Ange Postecoglou is sacked, it will be #1 on the list of disastrous decisions Daniel Levy has ever made at Spurs. Wake tf up."

"If they replace Ange with either of these two, especially Frank, the fanbase are going to be in uproar! Frank? Good god!"

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Nathan Aspinall shocked at attention ahead of football icons and TV stars

Gobsmacked Nathan Aspinall was left aghast at darts’ rock n’roll status after stealing the limelight from actors and football icons James Maddison and John Terry.

And the Stockport slinger has urged chiefs to keep the characters in the game or face turning the sport's new-breed of stars into boring robots.

Aspinall feels there’s an obsession with darts after his latest experiences at Spurs star Maddison’s recent charity golf day. He teed it up with celebrities prior to Premier League Finals night and was taken aback at the attention he received amid footballing legends and TV faces.

Aspinall said: “Everyone is obsessed with darts. I was at this golf day and everyone wanted to talk to me about darts. I’m looking around, all these footballers and actors and stuff. Everyone was speaking to me.

“Oh my god, John Terry shot four under gross. And he plays off five. Nine under. So no-one had a chance. 45 points he got. I played off 12 and I shot 34 points. Honestly, all of them came over to me, it was quite surreal. Everyone loves darts. Whatever you are a celebrity, own a company, from a council estate, whether you are a kid. Woman, male, everyone is obsessed with darts at the moment. We all know we owe a lot of it to Luke [Littler]. But also the rest of the guys that turn out week-in, week-out.

“It was a brilliant day. Lots of people: Nice to meet you. It was good. I played half decent. Only the second round I played. Because I have had all these injuries, so not been able to play golf for 18 months, two years, but really enjoyed myself yesterday. Joe Cullen played. Littler doesn’t play. [Luke] Humphries plays and he got asked to play in it but he didn’t want to risk injuring myself. Whereas I couldn’t give a s**t. I went and enjoyed myself. Maddison was there. He was supposed to be at the hospital but he said he would try to change it and come [to Premier League Finals]. I got all the support from all the lads. It was nice to have them in your corner.”

Aspinall is a character of the game and he hopes darts keeps such traits within their future heroes as he expanded: “This is the problem they are going to have. You see it with footballers when they do their interviews, they are robots. They get told what to say and they are all the same answers all the time.

“I think people like myself, I just say as it is. It gets me in trouble a lot of time. I have had no media training earlier in my career. I was thrown into the deep end. I don’t want darts to get that to level because you do need those characters in the game. If everyone turns up and they are all the same, they all throw the same, no-one celebrates, do the interviews the same, it would get boring. Hopefully that doesn’t happen. Come to my exhibitions what is not boring.”

Aspinall is savouring life at the top, but has an age for quitting as he said: “45 I am off. Skint or not. I have said to my partner, that is my aim: 45. If it is earlier than that, we start making golfer’s money and I have £30 million in the bank, happy days. I will be off sooner.

“I don’t think it can happen that quickly in my era, but 45 is when I would like to bugger off. I am not as obsessed as the other lads with darts. I don’t watch it. I don’t particularly like it. It’s my job. I am a darts fan. “This is why I got into the game but generally speaking now, I don’t watch it. I get bored when I practise. “When I get a bit fed up and bored, that is when I take a break. I find it repetitive simple as that. I spend my whole life throwing three pieces of metal at the same target for seven hours a day. It does get a bit boring.

“If I retire at 45, I will hopefully sell my house, get a nice villa abroad and open up a bar. That is my plan. No dartboard! A golf simulator. No Mr Brightside. That is not on my Spotify list anyway. I took that off it. That cannot come on in the car.”

The on loan defender got his first taste of glory after helping Jimmy Thelin's men lift the Scottish Cup at the Hoops' expense

Alfie Dorrington watched his Tottenham teammates celebrate their Europa League win and admitted that was the spur he needed to help Aberdeen lift the Scottish Cup.

The on-loan Spurs defender got his first taste of glory after he helped the Dons to see off treble-chasing Celtic after a dramatic, penalty shootout at Hampden.

Dorrington saw his parent club, under Ange Postecoglou, beat Manchester United in Wednesday’s final to lift their first trophy in 17 years and then hit the streets for their parade.

The 20-year-old wasn’t about to be left out as Jimmy Thelin’s side had their own open-top journey yesterday and took the Scottish Cup back to the Granite City for the first time in 35 years.

Dorrington admitted: “I watched the Tottenham one the other day. A few of my mates were there, they said it was crazy.

“It would have been nice to experience that, but the Aberdeen one was just crazy too. It more than made up for it. There were so many people there – it was packed.”

The central defender admitted that some of the Spurs squad had been turned into Aberdeen fans for the weekend.

He admitted: “Yeah, they’ve kept in touch the whole time.

“Especially on Friday night and before the game, they were just messaging me good luck. I think some of them watched the game.

“It’s just nice to know that I have the support from Tottenham and nice to know that I have the support from Aberdeen as well.”

Aberdeen were written off in most quarters going into this game against Brendan Rodgers’ side. In fairness, they had lost their last four meetings with the Hoops and came into the game on the back of Premiership defeats.

Dorrington knew there were no doubters in his changing room.

“There’s always a chance in a game of football,” Dorrington claimed.

“They’re Celtic. We had to respect them, but I don’t think we ever feared them.

“Maybe the people not giving us a chance gave us a bit more motivation to win and prove them wrong.”

Jimmy Thelin came up with a game plan that sprang a major shock.

He ditched his 4-2-3-1 formation for the first time and went for a 3-4-3 and it did the trick, although Dorrington initially feared luck wasn’t going to be on Aberdeen’s side when Cameron Carter-Vickers’ header came off him and flew into the net for Celtic to take the lead.

He explained: “I was marking my man and looking at him. At the last minute, I think it took the nick off someone, I can’t really remember. I thought we were comfortable even though we were one-nil down.

“They dominated the ball and got a lot of crosses in. But we felt comfortable all the time and trusted what the gaffer said.

“It may have seemed a bit hectic, but it just felt really comfortable.”

Dorrington has played a lot of football and cramped up and had to come off in the closing minutes of normal time. He knew he wasn’t going to be on penalty duty as he wasn’t even involved in the pre-match practice.

Dimitar Mitov and the rest of his Aberdeen squad proved spot on and ensured Dorrington claimed his first winner’s medal.

He proudly beamed: “I won the 17s and 18s cup in the same season. But you know I don’t even know how many people there were on Saturday - 50,000?

“When you’re in the game, obviously you feel it, but you don’t really recognise how big of an occasion it is.

“Maybe being from down south, it took me a while to realise that this is the Scottish version of the FA Cup. It’s probably the same in size.

“When I came off, looking around, I’m thinking, wow, I played in this. I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”

This is also likely to be the last game for many of this squad.

Jamie McGrath is going to Hibs, Jack MacKenzie is leaving and will be joined by others on the way out, while several loan players, including Dorrington, will all go back to their parent clubs and this will have been their final Aberdeen stand.

The Londoner stated: “I think we all just knew that it was our last game together as a group. People might move on.

“Obviously, for me, I knew this was the last game of my loan. I tried to go out with a bang.

“There were a lot of emotions in the game, but you have to stay emotionless.

“You’ve got a job to do. When you do your job, it gives you a chance. Obviously, like I said, a lot of people were doubting us.

“One percent is still a chance. Anything can happen in the game of football.”

Dorrington has loved this first taste of top-team football and wouldn’t be adverse to returning on loan if Tottenham feel he needs more first-team experience.

He said: ”Obviously, I love the city, I love the club, the staff, the players. I love Tottenham as well. They’re kind of in charge of what I do.

“I’d be grateful if Aberdeen came back in for me but it’s all in Tottenham’s hands.”

The Parkhead hero's two-season trophy vow could still come true despite Spurs' woeful campaign on the domestic front

Ange Postecoglou insists he is not thinking about his future at Tottenham, with talk that the Aussie could be heading for the exits even if he leads his team to glory in the Europa League final next week.

But one thing that the former Celtic boss is still adamant about is his desire to win more trophies, with his bold second season silverware prophecy on the cusp of becoming a reality once again.

Despite a dismal campaign that has seen them slump to 17th in the Premier League table with a staggering 20 defeats from 36 matches, Postecoglou will have the chance to put those domestic woes aside when they face fellow league strugglers Manchester United in the Europa League final in Bilbao next Wednesday.

If winning the trophy isn't enough, glory in the competition also has the added (or arguably more important incentive) of securing qualification for the revamped group stage of the Champions League next season.

Spurs play their penultimate match of their Premier League campaign tonight with a tricky away trip to face Champions League chasing Aston Villa and host Brighton at the Tottenham Stadium three days after their showdown with the Red Devils.

It remains to be seen if Postecoglou will be in the dugout by the time the new campaign gets underway but the Parkhead hero insists he is determined to end Spurs' 17-year-long drought for a major trophy at the San Mames Stadium in five days time.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, he said: "I would never allow myself to miss an opportunity that is right before me by thinking beyond that.

"It's just not the way I am wired.

"All I am thinking about is the possibility of doing something special in the next seven days.

"Beyond that, everything will take care of itself.

"I keep saying that I'm blessed to have the live I do. I love what I do.

"I love winning things and hopefully I can win something else again to add to what I have done before.

"(Hopefully) I will continue winning in the future, wherever that may be."

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The 59-year-old ex Celtic boss has led the Londoners to the final of UEFA's second tier competition

Ange Postecoglou was known for his inspirational speeches during his trophy-laden two seasons as Celtic boss.

And the Australian showed he hasn't lost his touch when it comes to addressing his players after reaching the Europa League final with Tottenham Hotspur.

Postecoglou spent two years in Glasgow before moving to north London and is just 90 minutes away from leading the club to their first silverware in 17 years after setting up a showdown with English Premier League rivals Manchester United in Bilbao.

And the club shared a clip on their social media channel of the 59-year-old delivering an emotional speech to his jubilant squad following a 2-0 win away to Bodo/Glimt which sealed a 5-1 semi-final aggregate romp.

Postecolgou said: "I've said it before. What you, as a group, players and staff, have gone through this year. I've been in this game a long time, I've experienced it all.

"But I'm so proud how all of you have stuck together. Not one time have I felt people aren't believing or have lost what we have in here. It's just outstanding.

"There are people who aren't with us today and are back home. Fraser [Forster] has played a big part. Sonny [Son Heung-min], Madders [James Maddison], Lucas [Lucas Bergvall], Radu [Radu Dragusin].

"They've all played a big part and everyone has contributed. That's the main thing that's got us to this point. We've had problems for sure, but we've stuck together. You deserve it.

"Now we have just under two weeks to prepare. Every day is important. Every day, every training session, every game we have between now and then is about getting ready for that big game.

"You can change things. 400 supporters here today, they will never forget it. And there's thousands back home. You can make something really special.

"I keep saying to you, 'this is the group of players that are going to do it.' Focus on that for now, you deserve all the credit. You've been outstanding. Tomorrow we focus, but tonight we enjoy it."

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The Spurs boss is just 90 minutes away from etching his name into the history books

Ange Postecoglou is just 90 minutes from immortality after Tottenham sailed into the Europa League Final.

The straight-talking Aussie made a rod for his own back by boldly reminding critics that he ALWAYS wins trophies in his second season.

Having crashed out of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, Postecoglou's last hope of silverware was getting his hands on the Europa League.

Now, the ex-Celtic boss - who will reportedly be axed irrespective of whether he's on the podium in Bilbao - is one game away from delivering on his promise.

There's no getting away from the fact that it has been a wretched campaign for Spurs, who are currently the fifth-worst team in the Premier League, having lost a staggering NINETEEN top-flight fixtures.

But Postecoglou could revive his reputation down south by going from the villain to the hero who ended the North London club's dire 16-year trophyless hoodoo.

Tottenham planted one foot in the May 21 final with a dominant 3-1 home win over dark horses Bodø/Glimt last week.

But as the English media were at pains to point out, Postecoglou tasted defeat in his last visit to the Arctic Circle with Celtic three years ago - crashing out of the Europa Conference League 5-1 on aggregate.

Postecoglou buried that curse on Thursday night as second-half goals from Dominic Solanke and Pedro Porro at the 8,000-seater Aspymyra Stadion put the tie to bed and set up a titanic showdown with rivals Manchester United in under a fortnight's time.

Whether it's too little, too late to spare Postecoglou from the sack remains to be seen.

But the 59-year-old's name will be etched in Tottenham's history books if he can emerge victorious in the mouthwatering all-English final.

Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.

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 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.

Ange Postecoglou has endured a difficult time since making the switch from Celtic to Tottenham Hotspur in 2023, with the club sitting 15th in the Premier League

Ange Postecoglou admitted leaving Celtic for Tottenham was a "tough decision", as his time in north London has been difficult.

The experienced manager graced the Scottish Premiership with Celtic from 2021 to 2023, securing two league titles and three domestic cups, before switching allegiance to Tottenham in a four-year deal. During his introductory press conference as Spurs' head coach, Postecoglou said: "We had some fantastic success and great moments within that, and I'll cherish them, but I am the kind of guy who always loves a challenge - I love a build, I love a rebuild.

"That's where I feel I am at my best and this challenge, when it came along, I just thought had all the elements of what I need to get going again." Explaining why he decided to jump ship after Scottish success, he told the Irish Examiner: "I came to this club with a clear purpose and vision of what the club needed and what I could offer.

"That is to change the way the team plays, to obviously rejuvenate the squad because it was a squad that was coming towards the end of a cycle and to bring success." Despite ambitions, Postecoglou's tenure at Spurs has been tough, with his inaugural season concluding with a fifth-place finish in the league.

The current season has proven brutal for Postecoglou. Spurs are 15th in the Premier League, and their chances of winning any silverware rest on Europa League success. With a mere 11 victories out of 32 matches, supporters and analysts are mounting criticism, with some suggesting it might be time for Tottenham to look for a new boss.

Yet Postecoglou is steadfast in his determination to steer Spurs to success, remaining focused despite the club not having won a Premier League title since the competition began in 1992. He said: "As long as I'm in this position, that's always my focus, irrespective of whatever noise there is or what there may or may not be in the future.

"I don't see that that should diminish my burning ambition, my desire and my determination to make that happen. Anything you achieve in life usually comes with a struggle.

"Certainly, everything I have achieved in my life has come with a struggle from a professional perspective. This is just another struggle, but never through this struggle have I lost the will to fight for what I think is the right thing to do and I'll continue to do that."

Since embarking on his managerial career in 1996 with South Melbourne, Postecoglou has garnered an impressive array of achievements, including stints overseeing Australia's U17 and U20 squads from 2000 to 2007 and subsequent positions at Panachaiki, Whittlesea Zebras, Brisbane Roar, and Melbourne Victory.

Postecoglou then took charge of the Australian national team from 2013 to 2017, clinching the AFC Asian Cup in 2015. He later managed Yokohama F Marinos, Celtic and eventually, Spurs.

The Lilywhites are due to play Eintracht Frankfurt away in the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday. The two teams first clashed at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last Thursday, with the match ending in a 1-1 draw.