Ally McCoist ‘absolutely shocked’ by revelation about Antonio Conte

Ally McCoist was shocked to hear that Antonio Conte does not usually travel on the same coach as his players to Tottenham away games. 

Conte is suspended for Tottenham’s clash against Marseille this evening after picking up a red card against Sporting Lisbon last week for his protests at Harry Kane’s goal being chalked off by VAR.

Antonio Conte
(Photo by Ahmad Mora/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

This means that the Spurs players will have to get the job done in France without the help of the Italian screaming instructions from the touchline, with the Lilywhites needing a point to seal qualification for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Tottenham’s assistant head coach Cristian Stellini explained in a press conference on Monday that Conte will not be allowed to talk with the players or his coaching staff until 15 minutes after the final whistle and will need to sit in the stands during the match (Football.London).

Stellini revealed that the Spurs coaching staff usually travel in a different coach than the players but they will be in the same bus this evening so Conte can give them some pre-match instructions.

When Laura Woods explained this arrangement to McCoist, the former Rangers striker was shocked to hear that Conte does not travel with his players for away games.

Below is the transcript of the conversation between Woods and McCoist on talkSPORT Breakfast (01/11/22):

Laura Woods: “Another piece of information, normally, Antonio Conte doesn’t travel on the team coach, he travels separately to the players and the other coaches.”

McCoist: “Seriously?! You are joking?!”

Laura Woods: “But this time, he’s going to travel with them because it’s his last chance to speak with the players. From there, they won’t be able to communicate with each other. He will be in the stands with his assistant coach and his brother. Then they will pass messages down to the touchline. Does that surprise you that he doesn’t travel?”

McCoist: “You have absolutely shocked me there. I mean I find that incredible. So, normal away games, he doesn’t travel with his team?!”

Laura Woods: “Yes, that’s what has been reported.”

Spurs Web Opinion

It is not that surprising that some teams use two coaches to travel to away matches, given the litany of staff that now accompany players to the grounds, including the medical staff, masseuses etc. Perhaps McCoist is surprised since he has been out of the game for so long.

Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Related Topics

Have something to tell us about this article? Let us know