De Bruyne to leave Man City at end of the season - Guardiola news conference & reaction

Those are all the headlines from Guardiola’s news conference. We’ll have his answers typed up in full very soon.
Man Utd v Man City (Sun, 16:30 BST)
Manchester City
Guardiola admits he knew “days ago” that De Bruyne was leaving the club.
Man Utd v Man City (Sun, 16:30 BST)
Manchester City
Guardiola says he “will bet a lot of money” that De Bruyne gets a statue at the club.
Man Utd v Man City (Sun, 16:30 BST)
Manchester City
Guardiola says they are going to enjoy the last few months they have with De Bruyne at the club but admits it will be “emotionally tough.”
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This guy has been an unbelievable leader and inspiration for all at City and the biggest compliment is the level that he set and expected from those around him always bringing the best out of the team for creativity and effort – never settling for second best #thebest
Man Utd v Man City (Sun, 16:30 BST)
Manchester City
Guardiola adds “it’s a good question” when asked if De Bruyne will be contracted for the Club World Cup but admits he honestly does not know.
Man Utd v Man City (Sun, 16:30 BST)
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola says De Bruyne’s performances over the last decade have been “outstanding”.
He adds that the door is always open for the Belgian to return to the club because “he is part of the family of this club”.
Man Utd v Man City (Sun, 16:30 BST)
Manchester City
Manchester City boss Guardiola says De Bruyne is “one of the greatest midfielders to ever play in this country”.
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As a Wolves fan, KDB undoubtedly gave the best individual performance I’ve ever seen live from an opposing player with his four-goal haul at Molineux in May 2022. A special player.
Man Utd v Man City (Sun, 16:30 BST)
Manchester City
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says it’s a “sad day” with regard to the news that Kevin de Bruyne is retiring.
He compares his exit to Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero and David Silva leaving.
Pep Guardiola is speaking to the media now.
Mike Minay
BBC Radio Manchester journalist on BBC Radio 5 Live
On which club could Kevin de Bruyne join…
“Kevin de Bruyne was linked with Saudi Arabia last summer though he denied them. He told me earlier in the season that he had personally not held any talks. But that could be an option and the conversations could begin again.
“He’s got bags of talent. The injury concerns in recent seasons would be an issue for top clubs. But he is still an elite level player, so he could really end up anywhere.”
Right now, nothing is certain. Kevin de Bruyne hasn’t said anything in his statement about his next club, or whether he plans to retire.
Over the past few months he has been linked to clubs in Saudi Arabia and the US.
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I’m a Man U fan but I have to say respect to De Bruyne, you simply have to. One of the best in PL history.
“A global icon of the game”.
“A glittering 10-year period at Man City”.
“One of the greatest players to ever play in the Premier League.”
Manchester City
Manchester City have released the following statement on their website:
“Manchester City will bid an emotional farewell to Kevin De Bruyne this summer when his contract expires, bringing an end to a glittering 10-year period at the Club.
“The Belgian, a global icon of the game, has played 413 matches for City. During that period, he has scored 106 times, making him the first City midfielder since Colin Bell to reach a century of goals.
“The 33-year-old has won a remarkable 16 major honours with City, including six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups, one UEFA Champions League and two Community Shields.
“Kevin announced the news today on his personal Instagram account.
“The Club and all of our fans will now take the time to deliver a fitting tribute and farewell to one of the greatest players to ever play in the Premier League.”
Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer
When any conversation takes place, whether it is now or in the future, about the greatest players to grace the Premier League, Kevin de Bruyne will justifiably be part of it.
The heartbeat of one of the finest teams in the history of British football, De Bruyne was a creator supreme, a scorer of goals, a controller and dictator of games at the very highest level.
The Premier League has been fortunate to have him and we have been fortunate to watch him.
The word “great” is bandied around too easily – but it fits De Bruyne perfectly.
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It’s been a pleasure to watch De Bruyne. Bar Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo, the best we’ve seen in English football in the last 40 years.
Mike Minay
BBC Radio Manchester
Kevin de Bruyne is the only player at the club who was here before Pep Guardiola. He will leave as one of the greatest this club has ever seen.
It’s a shock, but not a surprise. The now 33-year-old is out of contract in the summer and after a couple of campaigns that have seen him injury-hit and struggle for form, maybe it’s the right time.
But it takes nothing away from what he’s achieved: six Premier League titles, two FA Cup, five League Cups… one Champions League.
He signed as a ‘£55m flop’ – as one headline wrote. He leaves having paid back every penny of that and more. A legend.
Just one question… where does his statue go?
Well, let’s put Jez’s Get Involved to the test…
Is Kevin De Bruyne the best midfielder in Premier League history? Have a go at our poll above.

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KDB. Arguably the best player the Prem has ever seen and maybe even English football. Will be sorely missed.
Image source, Getty Images
If I listed all of the individual accolades Kevin de Bruyne has won during his time at Manchester City we’d be here all day. Here are some of the most significant:

Manchester City Player of the Season (2015/16, 2017/18, 2019/20, 2021/22)
Premier League Player of the Season (2019/20, 2021/22)
Uefa Champions League Team of the Season (2021/22, 2022/23)
In 2022 De Bruyne finished third in the Ballon d’Or

No need to hype this video up. Just sit back, and enjoy….
Media caption,
Kevin de Bruyne’s best Premier League goals for Manchester City
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De Bruyne will certainly go down as a PL legend. Watched him at Newcastle last season when he came on as a sub. His misplaced a pass with his first few touches and the people around me jeered. He then scored and set up the other goal with one of the best assists I’ve ever seen. It suddenly went very quiet.
Image source, Getty Images
For one reason or another, the 2024-25 season has been by far the least effective for Kevin de Bruyne in a Manchester City shirt.
He’s made 31 appearances for the club, with just 21 of those being starts.
The Belgian has missed a chunk of the season through injury but even when fit, manager Pep Guardiola hasn’t always looked straight to De Bruyne for a start.
He’s found the net just four times so far in this campaign and provided seven assists.
A stark decline from the six goals and 18 assists he provided in just 26 appearances in 2023-24.
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Absolutely gutted doesn’t cut it. The greatest midfield in modern day premier league. Right up there with David Silva. Cannot believe he’s going. Thank you for everything King Kevin.
Image source, Getty Images
Speaking of trophies…
Kevin de Bruyne joined Manchester City in August 2015 and has since gone on to win 14 major trophies:

Six Premier League titles
Two FA Cups
Five League Cups
One Champions League

Manchester City are in the final four of the FA Cup, could he lift one more?
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As a City fan, I would like to thank KDB for everything he has done for City over 10 magnificent years. Countless trophies wins & he has played an absolute pivotal role. Thank you Kevin an absolute legend, start building the statue!
Thanks for getting in touch Anon.
Some standout lines from De Bruyne’s statement include: “This [Manchester] will always be our home” and “these people gave me everything. I had no choice but to give everything back”.
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I’m a Liverpool fan, but there’s no denying he’s one of (if not the) greatest attacking midfielders of the premier league era. Majestic.
Manchester City
In a statement on his social media, Man City captain Kevin de Bruyne wrote:
“Seeing this, you probably realise where this is heading. So I’ll get straight to it and let you all know that these will be my final months as a Manchester City player.
“Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players, we all know this day eventually comes. That day is here – and you deserve to hear it from me first.
“Football led me to all of you – and to this city. Chasing my dream, not knowing this period would change my life. This City. This club. These people… gave me EVERYTHING. I had no choice but to give EVERYTHING back! And guess what – we won everything.
“Whether we like it or not, it’s time to say goodbye. Suri, Rome, Mason, Michele, and I are beyond grateful for what this place has meant to our family. “Manchester” will forever be on our kids’ passports – and more importantly, in each of our hearts.
“This will always be our HOME.
“We cannot thank the city, club, staff, teammates, friends, and family enough for this 10-year ride.
“Every story comes to an end, but this has definitely been the best chapter.
“Let’s enjoy these last moments together!
“Much love,
“KDB.”
Stick with us Anon, we’ll have all the best KDB content right here.
Full statement up next…
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Of all the days for it to happen, the dab radio in my office has died. We’ve only had it 15 years!
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Wow. We’ll switch our focus to all things Kevin de Bruyne.
Make sure you have your say on the City midfielder’s Premier League legacy.
One of the division’s all-time greats?
Huge news.
Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne has just posted on X that he will be leaving City at the end of the season.
West Ham v Bournemouth (Sat, 15:00 BST)
Bournemouth
Image source, Getty Images
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola on team news: “Justin [Kluivert] is going to be difficult. I wouldn’t say he is definitely out. We will see today if he can train with us and help us from the bench at least. It is tight.
“But the good news is we have [Julian] Araujo back in the squad. He is training well. He is good. We are recovering some of the defenders who have been out but now the issue is on the offensive side.”
That’s all from Moyes. And keep getting those votes in on my made up poll below.
Lovely little split happening right now.
Let’s take a look at the best of the rest of this morning’s news conferences, starting with Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola…
David Moyes’ comments on that disallowed goal have got me intrigued.
We need a thumbs vote to decide the matter once and for all.
Thumbs up if you agree with Moyes and believe Liverpool’s goal should have been disallowed for offside, thumbs down if you believe the correct call was made.
Everton v Arsenal (Sat, 12:30 BST)
Everton
Everton manager David Moyes on Liverpool’s goal standing: “You can always hide behind words, can’t you? Ultimately I think anybody who’s followed football over a period of their life has seen that as offside.
“So it’s an easy thing for them to come out and say there’s a rule. I think the big thing for them is they’ve said he has to be in his vision. I don’t know who’s deciding that Tarky hasn’t seen him. All the clips you’ve seen show he’s offside.
“It’s interesting that we’re just about to go into the semi-automated offsides. It’ll be interesting to know what they’d have done about he decision. It looked as if he was offside.
“If the pass wasn’t aimed or going to him I could understand. But we see it all the time. People making blocks, and free-kicks getting given.
“I feel as if they’ve had to justify the decision with words.
“Look, it’s now gone. We can ask all the questions but we’ve moved on from it.”
Everton v Arsenal (Sat, 12:30 BST)
Everton
David Moyes on Iliman Ndiaye and Dwight McNeil’s potential returns: “They’re both back in training – Iliman’s back in training, obviously we got him minutes the other day. He’s getting closer, it’s just he’s probably lacking match fitness. But look he’s back in training and we’re considering him.
“Dwight’s back in training. He’s probably had three or four days on the grass. He’s getting closer and if we can get him involved we will do.”

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Any abuse directed towards James Tarkowski is totally out of order and if anyone is identified committing such behaviour the law must deal with it. I have attended a lot of Liverpool v Everton games over the years and I was there on wednesday and the abuse directed towards us as LFC fans from the Blue side on the way into the ground was vile and is a worrying trend and a major change in recent years! Liverpool and Everton fans are family we have always had an intense rivalry but unlike the rest of football we had a respect the one for the other!!
Whatever Tarkowski did in a football match, sending threats and abuse to him and his family on social media is simply wrong. It is just a game at the end of the day. Hope they identify those responsible and punish them.
Everton v Arsenal (Sat, 12:30 BST)
Everton
Everton manager David Moyes on potential threats aimed at defender James Tarkowski: “The club have issued a statement. It’s not acceptable for anybody, in any walk of life.
“Having looked at it again I believe it could have been a sending off. But I don’t think that means you should get abused online because of that. It’s part of football.
“He made what I thought at the time was a really good tackle. But having looked at it again I think it was a bit reckless.”
Right then, let’s get into what manager David Moyes has had to say in his news conference this morning.
It, of course, began with him being asked about that James Tarkowski statement.
Everton
On Thursday night James Tarkowski’s wife Samantha posted on Instagram: “The level of abuse my husband is receiving wishing death on him, vile comments about me, about us as a couple and about him as a person is beyond disgusting.
“People forget that he is more than just a footballer. He is a husband, a son, a brother, a friend and most importantly the father of our two children.
“Football is a sport, but the way some so-called fans behave is disgraceful. The abuse, the threats – it’s not passion, it’s pathetic. We’re real people and this goes far beyond football.”
How objective can fans be when analysing decision for and against their team?
We put mirror polls up on both our Liverpool and Everton pages to gauge the thoughts of both fanbases…
Image source, Getty Images
Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport football news reporter at Anfield
Image source, Getty Images
Even Everton manager David Moyes considered his captain James Tarkowski “lucky” to stay on the pitch.
Explaining the decision, the Premier League Match Centre said on X: “The referee’s call of yellow card for a reckless foul by Tarkowski was checked by the VAR, with contact on the follow through after Tarkowski had played the ball deemed to be reckless.”
The key word here is “reckless”, which according to the laws of the game merits a yellow card rather than a red.
However, Liverpool – and many onlookers – felt Tarkowski’s challenge was not just reckless but also was made with excessive force.
According to law 12, as explained on the Football Association’s website, “a tackle or challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent or uses excessive force or brutality must be sanctioned as serious foul play”.
It continues: “Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force or endangers the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play.”
Image source, Getty Images
During Everton’s loss to Liverpool on Wednesday James Tarkowski won the ball but caught Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister just below the knee with his studs in the 11th minute at Anfield.
The Everton centre-back was shown a yellow card and the video assistant referee (VAR) decided to take no further action after a review.
But on Thursday BBC Sport was told by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) the tackle met the threshold for serious foul play and that Tarkowski should have been sent off.
Everton
This is the statement in full:
“Everton Football Club is aware of threats made towards James Tarkowski, and his family on social media. Such behaviour is completely unacceptable and has no place in football or society.
“The Club is liaising with James and his wife Samantha, and stands ready to engage with the social media companies and assist the police with any potential investigation.
“Everton strongly condemns any form of online or offline intimidation, threats or abuse directed at players, staff, or their families.”
Right then, about time we move on, don’t you think?
Lots to get into with regard to Everton now following the fallout from the Merseyside derby on Wednesday.
Before we get into what manager David Moyes had to say, the club have released a statement this morning condemning abuse aimed at defender James Tarkowski this week.
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Results aside (I know that’s the point) but Ange as a personality is my dream manager, he’s real,honest and logical, he’ll normally admit fault although like all managers tries to protect himself, I’m a Tamworth fan and the players effort and attitude except Archie Gray was dreadful on the whole, so I don’t believe even Pep or Jurgen would’ve got a tune out of these individuals.
Tottenham Hotspur
Ange Postecoglou was asked about VAR in his news conference this morning after he said it was ‘killing the game’ following last night’s defeat by Chelsea.
This is the time it took last night for VAR to reach a decision.
Caicedo goal

55:25 scored
59:08 decision

Total: 3 minutes 45 seconds
Sarr goal

68:51 scored
71:54 decision

Total: 3 minutes 3 seconds
Total combined: 6 minutes 48 seconds
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From the outside looking in, Spurs managerial history from a fans view looks like this. Pochettino: Liked his football. Results not good enough – dumped. Mourinho: Don’t like his football – dumped. Nuno: Don’t like him – dumped. Conte: Don’t like his football, don’t like him – dumped. Ange: Don’t like his football, results not good enough, don’t like him – TBC. Basically, Spurs fans want amazing results, great football and a likeable guy. So they want Klopp?
Tottenham v Southampton (Sun, 14:00 BST)
Tottenham Hotspur
Image source, Getty Images
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou provides team news before facing Southampton: “Micky [van de Ven] is alright. He cramped up [against Chelsea]. Obviously, he hadn’t played 90 minutes for a while, the positive thing is that he felt really good apart from the cramping up. It was a tough game defensively, we had to work hard.
“Everyone else… nothing significant coming out of the game.”
On whether he would rotate the squad for Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt: “To a certain extent, we are a bit beyond that now. The group is in a good place physically where we don’t have to rotate.
“We need to gain some momentum. We will make a couple of changes but not too many.”
Tottenham v Southampton (Sun, 14:00 BST)
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou on VAR’s impact on football: “No doubt. It is not the game. Maybe I was influenced by England and the old First Division. I loved the frenetic pace. I could have watched other divisions but it was always England, end-to-end stuff, speed and tempo, I loved that.
“I’ve tried to design a game plan that has tempo and energy because I feel if you want people in there, you want them off their seat. There was 12 minutes of extra time yesterday that’s not why VAR was brought in.
“I am the lone voice. I don’t hear anyone else saying. That’s why I am sat here and saying maybe I am disconnected. When I retire, I will probably watch less football and find another hobby.”
Tottenham v Southampton (Sun, 14:00 BST)
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, on whether he is affected by the abuse from the fans: “No, I am fine. I don’t get affected by that. I will continue fighting my whole career.
“People want me to say something that will change the mood of the fans but I have never done that. My job is the performance of the team. I get that they are frustrated and angry. But at the same time, I understand the criticism towards me, but if anyone looked at the players and said they aren’t trying – then I am sorry they are not watching the right game.”
Tottenham v Southampton (Sun, 14:00 BST)
Tottenham Hotspur
Image source, Getty Images
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou was asked about his ear-cup gesture at the Spurs supporters after Pape Matar Sarr’s disallowed goal against Chelsea: “I made a mistake last night in that I celebrated a goal. Since VAR came in here, there were four or five incidents in Scotland and I thought I am not really going to celebrate goals.
“I just felt we needed something, cracking goal from Pape [Matar Sarr], I heard the fans weren’t happy and I felt the need to celebrate and it could be a real momentum shift to finish strong. My mistake was celebrating a goal, VAR defeated me, I won’t be doing that again.”
Right then, we’ve finally got some Ange Postecoglou to bring you.
In the least unsurprising news of the day, it kicked off with him being asked about that ear-cup gesture.
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Re Ange, as a Celtic fan, real shame to see at what’s happening at Spurs. The whole ‘vibe’ completely different to the unity and harmony in his 2 years at Celtic. I’m sure Ange feeling a disconnect to unrealistic expectations of Spurs fans compared to the adoration in Glasgow! His football would be well suited to a Bundesliga type team, he won’t last the summer at Spurs.
Tottenham Hotspur and manager Ange Postecoglou have dominated the day so far but there is plenty more to come as we approach lunchtime.

We will bring you Everton manager David Moyes’ news conference following the fallout to the Merseyside derby.
There was another big blow to Arsenal’s campaign midweek as it was discovered defender Gabriel would miss the remainder of the season through injury. We’ll hear from manager Mikel Arteta to dissect the aftermath of that.
And that leads us on nicely to a new theme coming your way this afternoon. We’ll be turning into a dedicated FPL page a little later on and will be joined by FPL expert Gianni Buttice to preview this weekend’s action.

It’s going to be a good one so make sure you stick with us!

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I kind of feel sorry for Ange. Who do Spurs fans want instead? Didn’t like serial winners Jose or Conte, never liked Nuno as they thought they were above him. Hopefully, Iraola stays away from that job and keeps his reputation in tact.
Image source, Getty Images
Despite all the negativity, Ange Postecoglou does still have a chance to win silverware this season in the Europa League.
It would make his famous second season statement come true.
Among the chaos, here’s a list of his achievements to date…
Celtic

Scottish Premiership (2021/22, 2022/23)
Scottish Cup (2022/23)
Scottish League Cup (2021/22, 2022/23)

Yokohama F. Marinos
Australia
Brisbane Roar

A-League Championship (2010/11, 2011/12)
A-League Premiership (2010/11)

South Melbourne

National Soccer League (1997/98, 1998/99)
National Soccer League Premiership (1997/98)
Oceania Club Championship

In the A League and National Soccer League (it’s predecessor) the winner of the regular season wins the ‘premiership’ and the winner of the grand final wins the ‘championship’.
Shamelessly thumbs upped myself on the last post, thanks Joe.
Bah humbug to everyone that thumbs downed.
Anyway, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is expected in front of the media very shortly for his pre-match news conference before Sunday’s game against Southampton.
This one could get very interesting.
We’ll bring you all the updates as they come in.
Anyway, I think I’m going to take my break now. Ben Ramsdale will take over proceedings.
Give him some thumbs up from me, yeah?
Erm, that’s a new one. Top marks for originality though, Josh.
But really we should be promoting BBC shows; so, personally, I’d suggest a Strictly-style scoring or Traitors round table approach.
And if we did stick to BGT, imagine the fallout when a clearly offside goal gets given because it was Golden Buzzared due to vibes.
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Why not make VAR like Britain’s Got Talent. Give each video ref a button, let them watch for 30 seconds then each referee votes for whether they believe the decision should be overturned. If its not unanimous then it’s not a clear and obvious error.
New feature alert!
It’s time for you to have your say. Well, you have been all morning, but now you can click a button to really highlight your opinion.
Is the relationship between Postecoglou and Spurs fans broken?
We have a poll running at the top of this page just for you.
Alternatively, carry on getting in touch using the usual methods and we will try and get your comments on the live text.
We should really rebrand our daily live pages so it looks like Slack or Teams so you guys can spend even more time sneakily skiving.
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I hear you on the two live chats challenge but don’t forget we are pretending to work whilst keeping up with the live chat!! And while we turn a blind eye to minor details like if Tarkowski had been sent off then he wouldn’t have intercepted the pass to the offside Diaz and the goal wouldn’t have stood – VAR’karma.
Image source, Getty Images
You guys are brutal.
After Spurs’ 1-0 defeat at Chelsea it’s now mathematically impossible for them to finish higher than Arsenal.
It’s the third season in a row this has happened and Gunners fans have dubbed it ‘St Totteringham’s Day’.
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Not wishing to upset the general mirth and merriment of the Spurs supporters, but is today not St Totteringham’s Day?
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@Mike – Bedford – 8:33 – It wouldn’t be ‘Spursy’ if Tottenham ended up winning the europa league, it would be ‘Spursy’ if they fluke it to the final then lose
Tottenham Hotspur
…is awful, to put it bluntly.
Tottenham have failed to win any of their past nine Premier League games against teams starting the day in the top half of the table – drawing just one of those and losing the other eight.
Four of their remaining fixtures are against teams in the top half.
Oh dear, have us journos been rumbled again?
Let’s dig a bit more into Spurs’ form then…
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Ange using the classic Jose tactic of saying ridiculous but headline making statements to distract from another terrible result and performance. I think the Europa League is probably what’s keeping him in the job, for now, but when they don’t win that, he’s gone!
Tim, I can barely keep across one live text. Imagine how bad things would get if my attention was split between two!
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Having watched “Ange’s Rants” & “Tarko’s Tackle” It’s clear and obvious … we need VAR-VAR to review clear and obvious errors by VAR … although that might need a second live page chat to discuss.
Tim (still video reviewing Ange’s ear cup)
Tottenham Hotspur
With Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou under serious pressure, these are the remaining Premier League fixtures that Tottenham Hotspur will have to navigate between now and the end of the season.

Southampton (h)
Wolves (a)
Nottingham Forest (h)
Liverpool (a)
West Ham (a)
Crystal Palace (h)
Aston Villa (a)
Brighton (h)

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I’ve always thought VAR (apart from Goal Line and Semi Automated Offside as they should be quick and easy) should be done the same way as in Cricket. Both teams have 2 VAR ‘appeals’ which the captain asks for. If they are upheld then you keep them, if they are wrong you lose them. If something happens and you have already used up your appeals well that’s just bad luck.

Page 5

I like it, thanks Andrew.
I’m waiting for somebody to suggest a “Captain’s challenge” approach. I reckon that’ll fix things.
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VAR reviews should be limited to three replays. If no ‘clear and obvious error’ is seen during those, the onfield decision stands. 30 seconds maximum.
Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham
Jamie Redknapp
Former Tottenham midfielder on Sky Sports
On Ange Postecoglou’s VAR complaints: “It [Tottenham’s goal being disallowed] was clear and obvious, I would say that.
“I totally get his frustration because it does border on re-refereeing the game but ultimately, it got to the right decision. How he [Craig Pawson] had to stand at the screen and look at it as long as he did when you can see it’s a blatant foul. He catches him high, it’s quite a nasty foul to be honest.
“This is what we put VAR in for, to help the referee but it should be 30 seconds, go and look at it. You should understand the game enough.”
Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham
Image source, Getty Images
The two VAR incidents on Thursday evening took just under eight minutes to resolve.
Moises Caicedo’s strike which was disallowed for a marginal offside, took just under four minutes to resolve, while Pape Sarr’s equaliser which was eventually brought back for a foul on Caicedo, took over three minutes.
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Ange’s continual ‘we stick to the plan, this is the way we play’ is exactly what Russell Martin and Nathan Jones said at Southampton, and their plan wasn’t working at Southampton for the same reason as at Spurs – they didn’t have the talent to play like that. The only saving grace at Spurs is that their quality is slightly better – 14th in the league quality, not 20th. And what has Ange actually achieved before in a top flight league? Nothing. Even in Scotland he was on comfortably the best horse in a two-horse race, so there’s no pedigree there.
That video’s a really great watch by the way.
The last chunk is Postecoglou’s answer when he was asked why he made an ear-cupping gesture towards his own supporters.
“It’s all going to be refereed by AI soon, we may as well dispense with the players at some point.”
I think we should open up a new Get Involved thread, to run alongside our current Ange Postecoglou one.
Has VAR gone too far?
Need a laugh this morning?
On last night’s live text somebody said VAR should get booked for time-wasting…
Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham
Image source, Getty Images
Ange Postecoglou, who has often criticised VAR, became embroiled in a lively post-match interview with Sky Sports.
This came after he saw midfielder Pape Sarr’s goal ruled out by the video assistant for a foul in the build-up on Moises Caicedo.
“It’s killing the game, mate. It’s not the same game it used to be,” he said.
“We all sat on our couches last night and watched TV [when Everton’s James Tarkowski was not sent off for a high challenge on Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister] and I guarantee you if Jarred Gillett was VAR last night, it would’ve been a different outcome, so you just don’t know what we’re going to get.
“You are standing around for 12 minutes. It’s just killing the game, but no-one cares about that. They just love the drama and controversy and I’m sure there will be 24 hours of discussion about it and that’s what everyone wants – they’re not really interested that it’s killing the spectacle of the game.
“If a referee sees that and he needs to see it for six minutes, what’s clear and obvious about it?
“Last night we were all sat on our couches and saw one replay and thought: ‘Oh my God.’
“Tonight we sat there and were waiting for six minutes for something that VAR official Jarred Gillett thought was clear and obvious – it’s crazy, it’s madness.
“We accept it and have to take the fall out from it. Clear and obvious? What does that suggest? That it’s on the first replay. That’s why the game is going the way it is.”
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I actually really rate Ange, but unfortunately the writing is on the wall. Actually think Martin from Derby made a fair point about Brendan Rogers.
Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham
Image source, Getty Images
Let’s keep looking at the stats.
Tottenham’s loss to Chelsea was their 16th of the 2024-25 Premier League season.
That number of defeats is more than any they have picked up in the previous 21 campaigns – and there is still eight games to play.
The last time they lost 16 or more games in a single Premier League campaign was the 2003-04 season where they suffered 19 losses.
That number equalled their record number of defeats in the Premier League era, also suffering 19 in 1993-94.
Should they lose three of their final eight fixtures, which is not beyond the realms of possibility – they will once again match that unwanted record.
Lose four, and they’ll break it.
That’s the thing, if Tottenham win the Europa League, trophy-wise Ange Postecoglou will be the most successful Spurs manager since Juande Ramos.
Would he get a contract extension?
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I’ve been a staunch Ange defender for a while, he inherited a rag-tag squad assembled under four very different managers and got some kind of tune out of them initially. This season has been completely derailed, partly by injuries, mostly by lack of squad depth and questionable effort on the pitch. Winning the Europa League would cap off one of the Spursiest seasons in recent memory.
Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham

Tottenham’s lowest Premier League finish remains 15th in 1994 under manager Ossie Ardiles – when survival was only ensured in their penultimate match.
They have now lost 16 league games this season – their record in a 20-team league is 19, set in 2003-04.
Since the Premier League’s inception in 1992, only six times have Spurs lost 16 or more league matches in a campaign.
Spurs’ lowest points tally in a Premier League season – and in fact since three points for a win was introduced in 1981 – is 44. They need 11 points from their final eight games to pass that tally.
With 16 defeats in 30 matches, Spurs’ loss percentage this season is 53% – and they haven’t lost more than half of their league matches over a whole season since 1934-35. They lost exactly half of their league matches in 1953-94, 1974-75, 1976-77 – when they were relegated – and 2003-04.
Postecoglou has only won 44 points from his past 39 league matches in charge – stretching back over the end of last season.

Oh heck. Not the first time I’ve tried to rub a Spurs trophy out of the record books. Remember the 1903 Sheriff of London Charity Shield debacle?
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And Lee has also seen Spurs win the 1999 league cup…
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I will get lots of thumbs down for this but Spurs need Brendan Rogers. He would give Spurs impetus. Two top 6 finishes with Leicester, the FA Cup and a Gerrard slip away from the PL title with Liverpool. Let the thumbs down commence.
“Dramatically underqualified”.
Strong words.
Out of interest, what are the entry requirements for the Tottenham job? A trophy? Multiple trophies? A B/6 in GCSE English and Maths?
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I’ve disagreed with most of my Spurs friends on this for a long time. but think that Ange has been out of his depth since the start. ‘Angeball’ is just not a thing any more, and hasn’t been since Chelsea at home, Nov 23. We look demotivated, tired, and like a team with no instruction. He’s dramatically under qualified – him getting the Spurs job is like me becoming CEO of Apple because I work in a phone shop. He needs to go now before he causes any more harm.

Page 6

Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham
Jamie Redknapp
Former Tottenham midfielder on Sky Sports
There’s a disconnect between the two [Tottenham fans and Ange Postecoglou] at the moment. It’s not ideal for the manager.
He’s got some big games ahead. He’s got to keep his head up, got to keep going, working hard and believing in what they do.
If Lee has supported Tottenham since 1985 he has seen his team lift two major trophies. The 1991 FA Cup and 2008 League Cup.
See also the 1991 Charity Shield and 2019 Audi Cup.
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How much is down to the players? They have to take some blame for sure, but I honestly think it’s the way we set up. We’ve been found out. Change Udogie for Spence or Maddison for Bergvall…. We play the same way and that’s easy to nullify. At that point my blame lies with the coach. Change the system, the way of playing, anything….
Lee…. Increasingly pessimistic spurs fan (and that says something after 40 years of it)
Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham
Postecoglou is the first Spurs manager to lose his first four matches against Chelsea, while they have fewer points in London derbies this season than any of their neighbours – and the bigger picture offers no solace.
With eight games left, Spurs are 14th, and could well finish outside the top 10 for the first time in 17 years. They are now battling to avoid their worst season in the Premier League era.
Seriously though, Spurs fans, how much of your side’s recent poor form is down to the players on the pitch?
Oof. You know things aren’t ideal when the “you’re not good enough to warrant this much complaining” message drops.
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I don’t know why everyone is giving Ange such grief. Tottenham are just not a good side anymore, and they haven’t been for a long time. Not his fault.
Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham
Image source, Getty Images
According to Opta’s supercomputer, Tottenham Hotspur’s most likely finish in the Premier League in 2024-25 is where they currently sit – 14th.
They have a 24.3% chance of ending the season in the lower mid-table.
What’s more worrying for Spurs fans is the likelihood of finishing in the top half. It’s hardly shooting for the stars but the latest supercomputer calculations have the chances of Ange Postecoglou’s side finishing in the top half at just 1.4%.
They actually have a higher percentage chance of finishing one spot above the drop in 17th (5.2%) than they do finishing in the top half.
Should they end the season 12th or below, which seems increasingly likely, Spurs will achieve their worst Premier League finish since the 2003-04 season, where they ended the year 14th with 45 points.
Thanks for getting in touch, both.
Football moves so fast, doesn’t it? Remember when Tottenham went down to nine men months ago and we were praising Postecoglou for sticking with his Plan A high-pressing system.
Now he’s “stiflingly rigid”.
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When Ange came we were all wishing him the best but the play is so predictable and stiflingly rigid. Teams know what they’ll get week in, week out. Both the fans and the players look like they’ve had enough; I know I have.
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Fair play to Ange if he was trying to make a point. The guys just been hammered by our fans and his sub (at that point) had paid off. That said I don’t think he was….. I think he speaks the truth and what he said was what he was doing
Image source, Getty Images

Postecoglou makes two subs in the 64th minute.
Pape Sarr and Brennan Johnson come on for Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert.
Some Tottenham fans boo and chant “you don’t know what you’re doing”.
In minute 70, Sarr scores.
Postecoglou turns to the Spurs fans and TV pictures show he appears to cup his ear to the Tottenham supporters.
The goal then gets disallowed as Sarr was shown to have fouled in the build-up.

Be interesting to hear your thoughts on the ear-cupping gesture.
Are you one of those fans who, as Postecoglou says, was “reading into it that he was trying to make a point”.
Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham
Image source, Getty Images
When asked about the incident where he appeared to cups his ears to the Spurs fans, manager Ange Postecoglou said: “Jeez mate, it’s incredible how things get interpreted. We’d just scored, I just wanted to hear them cheer. Because we’d been through a tough time, and I thought it was a cracking goal.
“I wanted them to get really excited. I felt at that point we could potentially go on and win the game. I just felt momentum was on our [side]. It doesn’t bother me. It’s not the first time they’ve booed my substitutions or my decisions. That’s fine, they’re allowed to do that.
“But we’d just scored a goal, just scored an equaliser, I was just hoping we could get some excitement. If people want to read into that that somehow I’m trying to make a point about something, like I said, we’d been through a tough time, but I just felt there was a bit of a momentum shift there.
“If they get really behind the lads, I thought we had the momentum to finish on top of them.”
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I’m not a Spurs fan but Big Ange has looked filled with regret about his career choices for quite some time. He’s looked a man actively hoping to get sacked and paid off since before Christmas. Hasn’t gelled with the fans, looks constantly miserable and his teams just haven’t performed. I can’t believe I’m adding fuel to a managerial change bonfire but he looks like he already knows he won’t be there past May.
Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham
Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou is looking more isolated than ever.
The Australian directed a brief clap towards the furious travelling away fans from near the halfway line following his side’s 1-0 loss at Chelsea but, by then, it could be argued the damage had already been done.
Enzo Fernandez’s second-half header was enough to inflict a 16th defeat of the season on Tottenham and leave them 14th in the Premier League – 10 points away from the top 10 – and the signs are growing some fans have had enough.
Chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” came from the away end after midfielder Lucas Bergvall was replaced by Pape Sarr in the 65th minute.
Remarkably, Sarr found the net with an excellent long-range strike just four minutes later, leading Postecoglou to cup his ear and turn to the away end, only for VAR to then rule out the goal for a foul on Moises Caicedo.
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As a Spurs fan I am used to losing at Stamford Bridge. Yesterday was expected, but after weeks off and all the players back we offered nothing. The performance is much worse than the result. No idea what the pattern of play is, no urgency on transition. Ange has had his time and it’s up.
Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham
Emily Salley
BBC Sport
Image source, Getty Images
Enzo Fernandez scored as Chelsea beat Tottenham to move into the Premier League’s top four and boost their hopes of Champions League football next season.
Defeat for Spurs piled more pressure on head coach Ange Postecoglou – whose side stay 14th, and remain on course to finish outside the top 10 for the first time since 2008.
Chelsea dominated and were rewarded in the 50th minute when Fernandez headed home Palmer’s inch-perfect delivery.
Moises Caicedo swept a crisp volley past Guglielmo Vicario moments later, but the goal was ruled out for a marginal offside in the build-up following a four-minute VAR review.
Tottenham then had an equaliser ruled out after substitute Pape Matar Sarr fired in from 20 yards out.
Referee Craig Pawson, advised by VAR to have a look at the pitchside monitor, overturned his decision after watching the Spurs midfielder catch Caicedo with his studs before taking aim.
I’m waiting for things to get spicey in the Get Involves.
Luckily for you guys I’m in a very calm and level-headed mood.
I had another radio-playing taxi driver this morning, although this time instead of noughties bangers it was all classical.
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The floor is yours. We’ll be focusing on Tottenham’s form and Ange Postecoglou’s future.
As always, we want to hear your thoughts. Are you Ange in – or out?

Page 7

Image source, Getty Images

Morning everyone, I reckon today’s going to be really fun.

There was so much drama in last night’s match.

Chelsea edged past Tottenham 1-0. VAR disallowed two goals. And Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou appeared to cup his ear towards his own supporters after a Pape Sarr equaliser – only for that leveller to eventually be ruled out!

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