Tottenham Hotspur Ange Postecoglou visited Buckingham Palace this week but the Australian could leave King Charles disappointed on Saturday by relegating Burnley, a club the British monarch has a soft spot for.

Speaking ahead of the game in which Tottenham will try to halt a four-match losing sequence in the Premier League and send Burnley down, Postecoglou recalled his royal date.

“We got an invite from the Australian government. Me and the other Aussies in the group, Mile (Jedinak), Scott (Munn), Charlie Grant from the women’s team. It was nice, a different experience,” Postecoglou told reporters.

Burnley will be relegated unless they win at Tottenham and Postecoglou was asked about the King’s allegiance and whether he had any qualms about upsetting him.

“Probably why they kept him away from me!” he said. “I would be happy to disappoint him on that front. No problem.”

The Tottenham contingent did not meet Charles personally and Athens-born Postecoglou joked he might have got himself thrown out if he had.

“Yeah, but I didn’t get within 10 feet of the King and if I had of got closer I probably would have asked him about the Parthenon marbles and I would probably have got thrown out,” he said.

“It was nice for me and my wife. These are experiences you are just fortunate because of the position I hold, not necessarily who I am.

“When you’re in that space it’s special. So, yeah, it was a good day.”

Greece has long-called for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures — or Elgin Marbles — which were transported from Athens to London in 1807 and sit in the British Museum.

Speaking of more usual topics, Postecoglou said Tottenham’s poor end to the campaign which is likely to have scuppered their Champions League qualification hopes has not changed his thinking about what the club need to do in the close season.

“The planning for the summer has been in hand for quite a while,” he said. “We know what we need to do. Nothing in that space has changed. So for me, how players and staff deal with adversity is more important for our growth than a reflection of us wanting to make more changes.”

Spurs avoided humiliation after a late push at Anfield last weekend, but the 4-2 defeat left them in fifth place and seven points behind Aston Villa, although they have one game in hand.

The loss came after their 4-0 thrashing at Newcastle United, followed by a 3-2 home defeat by Arsenal and a 2-0 loss at Chelsea but Postecoglou said clear thinking was needed rather than knee-jerk reactions.

“I think I have been consistent in saying we have got a challenge at the moment — a short term challenge,” Postecoglou said. “A significant rebuild, and the challenges will always be there and it is how you approach them.

“From my perspective, I need to be clear-headed about what we want to do and what we want to achieve. It is fair to say everyone is trying hard, it’s not because of a lack of trying — we need to stay calm and clear-headed.”

-Reuters

After a devastating 4-0 defeat of Manchester United on Monday night by Crystal Palace, the call for the sacking of the coach, Erik ten Hag expectedly became louder. Former coach, Jose Mourinho has indicated his wish to return to the club.

Mourinho was sacked as Manchester United manager after a mixed two-and-a-half seasons in December 2018 but the Portuguese believes that he has unfinished business at Old Trafford

According to Mirror in the UK, the Portuguese is very keen on a sensational return . He is however aware the club don’t want him back.

Mourinho, 61, has been out of work since being sacked by Roma in January and has told confidants of his strong but fanciful desire to be given a second chance as manager of the Red Devils.

The ex-Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid boss was sacked by United in December 2018, bringing to an end a mixed two-and-a-half-season tenure which saw them win three trophies but fail to seriously challenge for the Premier League title.

That was long before Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival at the club and although Mourinho considers the new United co-owner his friend, he doesn’t expect to be approached if the Red Devils sack Erik ten Hag.

Ten Hag’s role has come under increasing scrutiny over the past few months, with Monday’s dreadful 4-0 defeat away to 14th-placed Crystal Palace serving as the nadir to a wretched season.

Should Ratcliffe and Co pull the trigger, the Manchester Evening News report that Mourinho would be willing to ‘walk’ back to Old Trafford

The Portuguese, who’s aware that a reappointment isn’t likely, recently claimed that Ten Hag has been given considerably more support than he received during his time at United – comments which irked the current Red Devils boss.

“My relationship with (former United executive vice-chairman) Ed Woodward was good,” Mourinho told the Telegraph. “Good as in the personal point of view. Even now we sent an SMS. But from a professional point of view it was not the best.

“I am who I am. I am a football man. Ed comes from a different background and what Ten Hag has in his time at Manchester United I didn’t have. I didn’t have that level of support. I didn’t have that level of trust.

Referee Jarred Gillett will wear a camera for the first time in Premier League history during Monday’s fixture between Crystal Palace and Manchester United as part of filming for a one-off programme promoting match officials, the league said on Monday.

Last year, the Football Association announced it will trial body cameras on referees in grassroots leagues in England in a bid to ascertain whether the technology could help “improve participant behaviour and respect towards referees”.

The Bundesliga also used the ‘RefCam’ for the first time during a 2-2 draw between Eintracht Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg in February.

“Fans will be able to view it later in the year as part of a programme being produced by Premier League Productions aimed at offering further insight and education into the demands of officiating in the Premier League,” the league said in a statement.

“The technology comprises a head-mounted device which is integrated into the usual referee communications system.

“Its one-off use for educational purposes has been approved by the IFAB (International Football Association Board), the Premier League, PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) and both clubs. We would like to thank Crystal Palace and Manchester United for their support with this project.”

-Reuters