Ange Postecoglou gave me the worst 16 hours of my life on a long haul flight from Sydney to Dubai… but I have only myself to blame!
- Ange Postecoglou pranked one of his former Socceroos players
- Ryan McGowan has opened up about a nightmarish flight to Dubai
- Postecoglou refused to speak the whole way
A former Socceroo has lifted the lid on ‘the worst 16 hours of my life’ after having to sit next to Ange Postecoglou on a long-haul flight.
Ryan McGowan, 33, found himself sitting next to the new Tottenham boss on a trip from Sydney to Dubai when Postecoglou was manager of the Australian national team.
It ended up being a difficult journey for the St Johnstone defender when he discovered he had been tricked by team-mates who had arranged for him to sit next to the 57-year-old.
“I had already messed up a bit with some of the senior boys, which I now seriously regret,” he said on the Sacked in the Morning podcast in December via soccer london.
“I was at Hearts on my £100 a week and used to put all my coffees in the senior boys’ rooms because they obviously could afford it, but I didn’t know they could choose the seats when we flew from Sydney to Dubai.
Ange Postecoglou’s light side has been revealed by a former Socceroos player
Ryan McGowan sat next to the Tottenham boss on a long-haul flight to Dubai
“I got my ticket and it was 1A, business class up front. I get on the flight, everything is ready and the next thing Ange comes and he’s sitting right next to me.
“I’m sitting there, just sweating. I was so nervous. He didn’t speak to me once. Not even like, ‘how are you?’” McGowan said. “He did a podcast a few months ago and he said, ‘I loved doing it. He used to freak out all the boys.
To make matters worse, Postecoglou was sitting between McGowan and the aisle, and he decided not to go to the bathroom for fear of waking the sleeping coach.
“I held it the whole way. No question of me waking him up,” he admitted. “Some of the boys were ordering wine. I was like ‘just water, thanks’. When we arrived he got up and left.
Reflecting on his experience working with the highly decorated coach, McGowan was full of praise.
“He’s the best coach I’ve worked with,” he said. “He’s so distant and so scary, you’re petrified of him – I still am. He would have certain rules that were just not 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 some managers who say ‘go express yourself'”. I can’t express myself at all. Just tell me what to do and I’ll try to do it!
Postecoglou never said a word to the young defender to make him uncomfortable
