Tottenham’s assistant coach Matt Wells gives an insight into his Ugo Ehiogu tribute and revealed Ange Postecoglou’s classy gesture ahead of the clash against Aston Villa.
Ehiogu, who was working as Tottenham‘s Under-21s head coach, suffered a cardiac arrest at the club’s Hotspur Way training base on April 20, 2017 and died the following morning.
The event left the whole club in shock at the time and Matt Wells was particularly affected as he was Ehiogu’s assistant manager in the Under-21 setup at the time.
Ehiogu’s birthday fell last Sunday and the Tottenham players certainly did the club’s former coach proud by overcoming Aston Villa 4-1 on the day.
Ange Postecoglou mentioned following Spurs‘ win over Aston Villa that it was important for the side to win on Ehiogu’s birthday and revealed that Wells had addressed the squad about what the deceased coach had meant to him and the club (Yahoo Sport).
Wells has now revealed what he spoke to the players about and the impact of his former colleague.
The Tottenham assistant coach tells Football.London: “So, I spoke at the end of the team meeting on Saturday. It was a good opportunity to talk about Ugo, not least the timing of it, with Sunday his birthday and we’re playing Villa, the club he’s most associated with as a player, alongside Middlesbrough.
“The gaffer gave me the opportunity to do it, so I put up a photograph of the pair of us sat together in the academy restaurant back in the day. We had the salt and pepper shakers out and we were planning our pressing strategy for a game against Chelsea. Jenny Stephens [our former assistant football secretary] came through and snapped the photo, the two of us sat at the table, salt and pepper set up 11 vs 11!
“I was telling the lads what that photo symbolised and what it meant to me, and the whole timing of it, his birthday on Sunday. I wasn’t linking it to the game and saying, ‘let’s win it for Ugo’, it was just a way of bringing everyone closer with that family vibe, and I just thought it was a chance to show a bit of vulnerability because the lads don’t normally see that side of it.
“They only really know me as a coach and wouldn’t have known what I went through, and what I’m still going through and processing. Everyone can relate to it, though, because everyone has had people they’ve loved and lost. So, it was just about that and my relationship now with Ugo’s wife Gemma, and his son, Obi. It was a nice moment and a privilege to be able to share that with them.”
Wells further revealed what Postecoglou did in the dressing room on Sunday prior to kick-off against Villa, with the Spurs head coach once again allowing the 35-year-old to address the squad.
Wells added: “Then, before the game, the gaffer, at the end of his team talk, something I didn’t know he was going to do, but off the back of that, put a picture of Ugo up on the screen in the dressing room before the game, which was really nice, and he spoke a bit about my talk and the pain I’ve gone through and just linked it back to the squad and how everyone can relate to that and the fact that it was Ugo’s birthday and, again, not saying, ‘let’s win for Ugo’, but more about the togetherness vibe.
“I didn’t know he was going to mention it in his interviews after the game and in the dressing room afterwards, he caught me off guard a little, he came in and where he usually does his team talk, he stood up and said, ‘Wellsy, the floor’s yours’, and let me speak to the lads again.
“I couldn’t tell you what I said, because I was quite emotional, so I just rambled on a little and thanked them all for the performance. It was a memorable day with the victory and performance and, for me, on many emotional levels as well. It was class from the gaffer.
“It’s been nice to talk about it this week. It’s something I’ve struggled with, especially with the nature of how everything happened, the trauma, I guess, of witnessing it, being there. In a way, it was quite cathartic.
“I did get quite emotional, but I said to the lads, it’s also been a privilege to be able to share memories of Ugo with them and I’m glad the performance and the victory made it a special occasion. It’s certainly a day I’ll remember for a long, long time.”
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