Daily Record

Rodrigo Bentancur will still be able to take on Rangers despite being hit with seven match ban.

An independent regulatory panel upheld the FA's initial call to sideline the Uruguay international and have fined him £100,000 for racist remarks made about Tottenham pal Son in a TV interview back in June. Bentancur was asked by the interview for Son's shirt, and he responded that it could be he cousin's as they "all look the same."

The midfielder sent an emotional apology to the South Korean star, who has forgiven the former Juventus man. But he'll still be unavailable to Ange Postecoglou until they play Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day. However, Bentancur WILL be available to face Philippe Clement's men on Europa League duty early next month. the former Celtic boss returns to Ibrox for the first time since leaving Glasgow in May 2023 after securing a domestic Treble.

And he will be able to deploy Bentancur against the Light Blues, with his ban only applying to domestic fixtures. That includes both English Premier League and Carabao Cup clashes, but not continental fixtures.

Spurs are just outside the Europa League playoff places, while Gers are still eyeing the knockout rounds after a convincing win over FCSB and a 1-1 draw away to Olympiacos. Rangers travel to Nice in ten days time before welcoming Ange back to Govan on 12 December Spurs play host to Claudio Ranieri's Roma before heading north to Glasgow.

Four Premier League heavyweights have reportedly filed legal notices to seek compensation if Manchester City are found guilty of their alleged 115 breaches of Premier League financial rules.

Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have all lodged potential compensation claims ahead of a possible statute of limitations deadline last week, as reported by The Times.

It's suggested that legal advice prompted the clubs to register these potential claims now due to the 1980 Limitation Act's six-year period for legal claims for contract breaches.

The Football Leaks documents, which first brought the allegations against City, were initially published by German website Der Spiegel in early November 2018.

If City are found guilty, it's expected that the clubs will claim for loss of earnings, reports the Mirror.

An independent commission continues to review City's case and if they're found guilty of a number of the 115 charges, it's been suggested they could face expulsion from the Premier League.

Among City's alleged rule breaches are failing to provide accurate financial information for nine separate seasons starting in 2009, including full pay details of former head coach Roberto Mancini and players.

City, with their legal team headed by Lord Pannick, maintain they have not violated any rules. Pep Guardiola, the head coach, has publicly stated that if the club's management had deceived him about their innocence, he would resign.

A verdict is anticipated towards the end of this season, and there may be room for further appeals. The current Premier League champions are five points behind Liverpool in the league as we approach the final international break of 2024.

City have suffered four consecutive losses in all competitions - a first in Guardiola's managerial career - and have found it difficult without injured midfielder Rodri.

However, defender Ruben Dias has warned rivals not to underestimate them. "I would say, please doubt us, doubt us, feel welcome to do so," the centre back said.

"When we did the treble, we even called it the dark January," he said. "We had a tough period. But it is what it is."

"What matters is how you bounce back from these moments. That's why our team has won so much because in moments of difficulty, the characters come up and we stay together."

"We don't find people to kill, we find people to bring into the cause and fight together. That's what we need to do once again."

Paul Gascoigne says he couldn't believe it when Tottenham tried to charge him £400 per ticket - and that's part of why he'll be cheering on Rangers when the two sides meet in the Champions League.

Gascoigne is a revered figure at both clubs and might have been expected to sit on the fence when Spurs come to Ibrox on December 12. He scored 33 times in 112 games in North London, before his move to Lazio eventually led him to Rangers, where he won two league titles and became one of their most iconic ever players.

But he's pinned his colours firmly to the mast ahead of the Champions League showdown in eight months' time. And that's because Rangers always make him feel welcome - not so much the case with the Premier League side who he claims fleeced him for a pair of matchday briefs.

Gascoigne told sportscasting.com: “At Rangers I’m welcomed in every way. Whereas at Tottenham, I asked for a couple of tickets and they said ‘that’ll be £400 each.’ I was like, wow, with all I did for that club?' I made the right choice in going to Rangers, the fans were fantastic and they love me up there. When they play the Spurs, I'll be a Rangers fan.”

Ange Postecoglou took a break from football duties to play the perfect host at Tottenham's home ground.

The EPL and domestic football is in cold storage while the latest international break takes place. From Celtic and Rangers to Arsenal and Ange's Spurs, players all over the globe have headed off to represent their countries. The former Hoops gaffer will be hard at work behind the scenes and working with those left behind over this period with left furious in the final outing before the break.

He watched on as his Tottenham side chucked away a two-goal lead at Brighton to lose 3-2 in a result he described as the worst defeat of his reign in North London to date while also blasting it as 'unacceptable'. He will be determined to return next weekend on a major positive against West Ham and put together a run of form and performances in their quest to battle it out for the top four as well as in the domestic cups and the Europa League - with a return to face Rangers at Ibrox a big circle on the calendar.

But in a rare chance to unwind, the Aussie boss was snapped at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars battled it out in the NFL. It was the Bears' day in London as they ran out 35-16 winners.

Ahead of the game, Postecoglou took the chance to take part in a shirt exchange with compatriot Tory Taylor. He is a punter for the Bears and the pair shared a classy moment pre-match with Ange receiving a signed Bears shirt and Taylor the Spurs equivalent.

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The father of Tottenham Hotspur's captain, Son Heung-min, has been convicted of abusing young footballers at his Korean academy.

Last Friday, the Chuncheon district court dished out fines of three million won (around £1,700) and stipulated a requirement for 40 hours of education programmes for Son Woong-jung, another of his sons named Son Heung-yun, and a third coach who has not been named.

Despite rejecting any claims of misconduct, Son senior expressed in court, "never spoke or acted in a way that was not based on love for children" after facing charges alongside two other coaches. Nonetheless, the ex-international player issued an apology during the trial and committed to re-evaluating coaching practices at the facility, which was established in 2021 with substantial backing from the Tottenham star.

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Son Woong-jung and Son Heung-yun were formally charged this past summer following accusations involving one youth player claiming he was hit by a corner flag during a training stint in Japan back in March – an incident allegedly leading to two weeks of medical treatment. Furthermore, Son Woong-jung faced allegations of hurling abusive language at youngsters for blunders during practice.

All three mentors now have a seven-day window to file an appeal against their sentences.

Meanwhile, Son Heung-min finds himself out of play due to a hamstring injury picked up whilst representing Spurs against Qarabag in the Europa League the previous month, reports the Mirror.

Rangers legend Graeme Souness has branded ex Celtic boss Ange Postecolgou “lucky and naive” and claimed it was “MADNESS” not to take any of his own coaching staff to Tottenham Hotspur.

Postecoglou is reeling after blowing a two-goal lead against Brighton & Hove Albion as they lost to the Seagulls which has left the north London outfit sitting in ninth position. Souness rejected the notion that the 59-year-old is a “brave” manager for his all-out attacking style, pointing to the frenzied fixture against Chelsea last season when he continued to chase the game despite going down to NINE men.

Spurs were leading in that match but lost 4-1 and Souness told William Hill’s new podcast, Three Up Front: “When I think of Ange Postecoglou, I go back to that game against Chelsea where they got two players sent off and he still had them playing right up to the halfway line.

“The only time you can do that is when you’ve got 11 players on the pitch and the ball is constantly under pressure. The minute someone can get their head up, you’re in trouble. They could have conceded four or five more goals that game – I thought that was naïve. It’s naïve to talk like that and say that the more open the game is, the better it is. If they’d lost that game seven or eight goals to two, you’ve lost the players as a manager. He wasn’t brave that day, they got lucky.”

Postecoglou failed in a bid to lure John Kennedy from Parkhead to Tottenham when he left the Hoops and Souness continued: “He’s walked into Tottenham without bringing any of his own staff, is he so naïve as to think he can trust any of the coaching staff he’s inherited not to go to the chairman with their tittle-tattle? I would not take a job and think I can just walk into it – it’s madness – you need to go in with people you trust because being a manager is lonely.”

Souness also said Postecoglou should have hammered home the importance of a third goal against Brighton on Sunday. He said: “The Tottenham players should have known better.

"You learn it at school – when you’re 2-0 up the next goal is vital. If you concede, the momentum is suddenly with the opposition but if you go to 3-0 up, the game is over.

“I don’t know if Spurs have any leaders. When they go into the dressing room at half-time, the chat should be, ‘we can’t concede the next goal, this game is far from over’ – that’s what Ange Postecoglou should be telling them. He needed to remind them that if they were to concede, everyone’s going to be all over you.

“The issues at Spurs boil down to the manager and the coaching staff. The only message they needed to give the players in that game when the half-time whistle blew was to play more of the same. Spurs just ended up capitulating which is why Postecoglou was so deflated after the game, he thought he had some warriors in that team and was proven otherwise.”

Unsurprised Joe Hart insists battered and bruised Ange Postecoglou's chastening reaction to Tottenham's collapse against Brighton is no shock to him.

The former Celtic boss was left bereft as he watched Spurs collapse in epic fashion from 2-0 up as Brighton scored three times in the second half to condemn his side to defeat. Postecoglou gave body language experts a field day as he showed off a thousand yard stare on the pitch at full time, as he loosened his tie. The visibly shaken 59-year-old did little to hide his disgust surrounding his side's meek resistance in following interviews, as he labelled Spurs' capitulation as the "worst defeat" of his tenure.

And Hart - a vocal worshipper about the power of Postecoglou – was unmoved by his former manager's hurt and explained exactly why he was left so angry. Speaking on Match of the Day 2, he said: "I am really not (surprised), he really puts emphasis on morals, on being a constant good person, striving to get the best. It almost felt like Tottenham had cracked it, they were excellent in the first half, off the back of some great results. They had the better of Brighton, they wanted to ease into the second half, Brighton weren't going to let that happen again."

Meanwhile, Alan Pardew, believes the domineering style which was a smash-hit in Glasgow is an ill-fit to what is needed to truly thrive in the Premier League. Speaking to talkSPORT, Pardew said: "When you’re in a dominant side like he was at Celtic, let’s be honest, in a way you can have a bit more of a carefree attitude and get results. You can’t do that in the Premier League. The top teams can’t do that.

"Man City showed that yesterday because Fulham should have turned them over. They were a little bit lax and Fulham definitely should have done the job on them."

Tottenham Hotspur has initiated a probe into allegations of homophobic chanting by some of their fans during the victory against Manchester United. The chants are thought to have crudely suggested: "Dom Solanke is f****** class, Mik Arteta takes it up the a***, 60 million down the drain, Dom Solanke scores again."

Spurs' win was headlined by Dom Solanke's goal in their commanding 3-0 triumph at Old Trafford. Brennan Johnson notched the opener extremely early into the match, and later on, United captain Bruno Fernandes received a red card just before the break. Dejan Kulusevski increased Tottenham's lead, with Solanke then sealing the deal.

However, the homophobic chants dampened the celebrations, evoking an angry response from the club, reports the Mirror.

A statement from Tottenham said: "The Club is aware of abhorrent homophobic chanting from sections of our away support at Old Trafford today. This is simply unacceptable, hugely offensive and no way to show support for the team.

"The Club will be working closely with the Police and stewards to identify anyone instigating or joining in with the chanting - we shall take the strongest possible action in accordance with our Sanctions and Banning Policy. Supporters in attendance today can report anything they've seen or heard in confidence to supporterservices@tottenhamhotspur.com.

"We shall be continuing our work with our LGBTQ+ supporters' association, Proud Lilywhites, to ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans on matchdays.

"We are justly proud of our superb and loyal support, home and away. However, we all have a responsibility to act as ambassadors of Tottenham Hotspur and discrimination of any kind has no place at our Club."

The Proud Lilywhites welcomed the investigation and the club's strongly-worded statement, reminding fellow fans of the impact of homophobic chanting: "Loved what happened on the pitch at Old Trafford; didn't love the homophobic chanting off the pitch. Dom deserves better and as for the other one.."

"We're all Spurs fans just like you. When you sing these songs you're telling us we don't belong; and we do-as much as you do."

Micky van de Ven produced a moment of magic for Ange Postecoglou as Gary Neville hailed it 'one of the best he's seen'.

The Tottenham defender broke up a Manchester United attack in his own half before showing his lightning fast turn of pace to burst through and beyond a host of Erik ten Hag's men before firing a brilliant ball across goal from Brennan Johnson to easily tap home and continue his rich vein of form in front of goal. It was a piece of magic both lauded by the Sky Sports commentary team and fans on social media as Spurs grabbed the advantage at Old Trafford with just minutes on the clock.

Gary Neville said: "Absolutely brilliant. One of the best runs I've ever seen from a centre-back." He was joined by a host of supporters online in praising the stopper with one writing: "Micky the boss with an unbelievable assist." Another posted: "When Micky runs like that, it’s not just outrageous—it’s a full-on spectacle." One further fan added: "Doesn't get much better than that!".

Rangers boss Philippe Clement and the Ibrox faithful will have one eye on the English Premier League clash with the Light Blues set to face both clubs in the Europa League. They welcome former Celtic boss Ange and his Tottenham side to Ibrox in December before they make the trip to Manchester United late January 2025.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou is odds-on to be sacked before Christmas - with his Celtic successor Brendan Rodgers favourite to replace him in north London!

The Aussie is coming under increasing pressure at Spurs after a shaky start to the season which included defeat to Arsenal in last week’s derby and they scraped through in the EFL Cup with a late show against Championship outfit Coventry City. Postecoglou moved to the English Premier League outfit from Parkhead at the start of last season with Rodgers returning to the east end of Glasgow for a second stint at the Hoops in a controversial move.

Rodgers won the double and has made a flying start to his second season and is tipped for a third stint in the English Premier League having previously managed Swansea City, Liverpool and Leicester City.

Postecoglou is due to return to Glasgow in December to face Rangers in the Europa League but the bookies reckon he might not even be at the club at that time. The sportscasting.com/uk traders are making him 8/11 to be gone by Christmas and even shorter (2/5) to not last the season.

The oddsmakers are also pricing up Rodgers as the favourite to take over at 5/1 - a man that’s been rumoured for the Spurs top job many times before - with former England man Gareth Southgate not ruled out either at just 7/1. Spokesman Andy Newton said: “The new Premier League season is only a handful of games in but already there is mounting pressure on Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou after a very average start.

“Postecoglou had promised big things over his second season at the North London club, but he’s already on the back foot with just one league win so far and with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy no stranger to culling his managers, I’m not surprised to see Ange odds-on to be gone by Christmas. If so, there has been a lot of talk about Brendan Rodgers joining Spurs in the past and they could finally get their man - if, of course, the compensation to Celtic is enough to let their highest ever paid manager leave the Scottish giants.”

ANGE POSTECOGLOU ODDS SPECIALS

To be sacked or quit before Xmas :

Yes 8/11

No 11/10

To be sacked or quit before the end of the season:

Yes 2/5

No 2/1

Ange Postecoglou Next Job

Leicester 4/1

Southampton 9/2

Everton 5/1

Wolves 7/1

Man Utd 8/1

Crystal Palace 9/1

Next Spurs Manager

Brendan Rodgers 5/1

Thomas Tuchel 11/2

Gareth Southgate 7/1

Graham Potter 7/1

Maurizio Sarri 8/1

Xavi 9/1