Ange Postecoglou will take Tottenham to Tamworth confident there are no freak surprises lurking at The Lamb to overshadow the time it took him to clear toads from a Fiji pitch.
Postecoglou was South Melbourne boss and competed for a place at the Club World Championship in Brazil in 2000.
Manchester United had been allowed to withdraw from the FA Cup to play in the same tournament, although their route to Rio de Janiero presented no amphibious dangers.
“We were warming up and there were toads we had to clear and they kept jumping on the pitch,” the Spurs boss recalled. “At that moment you're kind of like, 'Really?' But when you realize there was quite a bit of money at stake and the opportunity to play in the Maracana against some of the best teams in the world was quite extraordinary.
“Our President George Vasilopoulos had these worry beads and they were trained that day, I can tell you. He kept thinking about our bank balance and seeing frogs and toads in the field. It's an experience.'
South Melbourne went on to win and Postecoglou is well versed in the underdog mentality that will fuel fifth-tier Tamworth when they entertain Tottenham in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.
“We ended up playing at the Maracana against great Manchester United, who had won a treble, so there was quite a difference between us,” the Spurs boss said. 'We lost 2-0, but we were able to justify ourselves considering the difference.
“On that day, some of my players, who were semi-pro but good footballers, probably played the best game of their lives that day. What we're dealing with is probably players hoping to play the best game of their lives that day.
'That's what I like about the game. It makes people dream at all levels and that's why the FA Cup is such a great competition. It makes every club, regardless of level, dream that the fairytale story could be theirs. This time I'm on the other side of the fence. I want to make sure that we also show our capabilities.'
Postecoglou is resting players but plans to start with new £12.5m signing Antonin Kinsky in goal after his impressive debut in the Carabao Cup against Liverpool.
“The Czech league was stopped in mid-December,” he said. 'He hadn't played a competitive match for three weeks and he was feeling a bit rusty. It makes sense to give him one more game and get him back into the football group.”
Rodrigo Bentancur, who suffered a head injury against Liverpool, will miss the next two weeks in line with concussion guidelines.
“He had every checkup and everything was fine,” Postecoglou said. “He'll go through the protocols and we'll make sure he's okay before he starts again.”
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