I had to sit next to new Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou on a flight – it was the worst 16 hours of my life
ST JOHNSTONE defender Ryan McGowan has recalled the time he sat next to Ange Postecoglou on a long-haul flight, describing it as “the worst 16 hours” of his life.
The Australia international, 33, played under the management of Postecoglou while on international duty between 2013 and 2017.
And although he hails the new Spurs boss as the “best manager” he’s ever worked with, McGowan has also admitted that he is incredibly intimidating.
When recalling a unique encounter with Postecoglou on the BBC’s Sacked in the Morning podcast, the defender said: “I’d been up to a bit of mischief with some of the senior boys beforehand, which I now seriously regret.
“I was at Hearts on my 100 quid a week and I used to put all my coffees on the senior boys’ rooms because they could obviously afford it.
“But I didn’t know they could pick the seats when we were flying from Sydney to Dubai.
“It was the worst 16 hours of my life.
“I got my ticket and it was 1A, business class up the front. I get on the flight, all set up and the next thing Ange comes and he’s sitting right next to me.”
McGowan also revealed that he was subsequently too scared to go to the toilet during the flight, adding: “I held it in the whole way. No way was I waking him up.
“Some of the boys were ordering wine. I was like, ‘just water, thank you’. When we got there, he just up and left.”
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Postecoglou was confirmed as Tottenham’s new manager on Tuesday morning.
The announcement of his appointment marked the end of Spurs’ three-month search for a new boss following the departure of Antonio Conte.
Julian Nagelsmann, Xabi Alonso and Arne Slot were all considered for the role, but McGowan believes Postecoglou will get the best out of the Lilywhites.
He added: “He’s the best coach I’ve worked with. He is so distant and so scary, you are petrified of him – I still am. He’d have certain rules that were just non-negotiable.
“As an average player, I liked that. He just told you what to do and you tried to do it as best you could. He was very good at that.
“There are certain managers who are like, ‘go and express yourself’. I can’t express myself at all. Just tell me what to do and I’ll try to do it!”