Jose Mourinho fears Tottenham’s visit to Stoke’s ‘pigsty’ after receiving a secret video of the facilities seized by Boro boss Neil Warnock … but Potters has set up a new pavilion to ease concerns before the Carabao Cup quarter-final
- Tottenham will not use a ‘pigsty’ dressing room with boss Neil Warnock
- Spurs travel to Stoke in the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Wednesday night
- Middlesbrough boss Warnock complained about the portacabin his team was using
- Stoke have made changes, installing a new spacious pavilion for visiting sides
Jose Mourinho can take some comfort from the fact that the Carabao Cup date in Stoke will not include a visit to the ‘pigsty’ dressing room by Middlesbrough’s fierce boss Neil Warnock.
It’s one less concern as he tries to halt the form decline of two wins in seven games and end Tottenham’s 12-year wait for an award.
Mourinho received a video last week, secretly filmed by a friend at another club, warning him of the dire state of temporary facilities awaiting him at bet365 Stadium.
Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham side travel to Stoke in the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Wednesday
Jose Mourinho can take some comfort from the fact that Stoke have pitched a tent for an away team
Birmingham room out of away team uniform at Stoke in Championship this year
When Boro lost at Stoke in the Tournament, on Dec. 5, Warnock complained about the portacabin his team used in a dressing room, saying there were closed toilets, floor water and showers and fog coming in from external engine.
He called it ‘her pigsty’ and ‘utter shame’ and Mourinho feared for the worst stars in their quarter final of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
‘I have a video of him,’ the Spurs boss said. ‘It’s a matter for the authorities, the football authorities and the safety authorities. ‘
But Stoke have made changes, installing a new spacious pavilion, which was a place for the first time to welcome Blackburn on Saturday, and it looks like it went down well.
Mourinho will be relieved, and will have to struggle with nothing more than a revived Stoke team under Michael O’Neill after two unsatisfactory seasons hitting around in the Championship ‘s lowlands.
The Spurs boss has a relationship with the League Cup. He has won four times in total, three times with Chelsea and once with Manchester United.
The old dressing room has been removed as a ‘pigsty’ by Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock (R)
This was the first award he received during his two spells at Stamford Bridge and his time at Old Trafford.
To win the tournament with Tottenham this season, he would go a little further towards the controversial decision that sent out Mauricio Pochettino and appointed him last year.
They have won nothing since winning the 2008 League Cup and have only won three major trophies in 36 years.
Mourinho has been hired to deliver cash and this will be a sight even if he refuses to be fooled by a tie at Stoke, which most expect him to win.
Stoke made changes to their facilities that replaced the bet365 Stadium on Saturday
‘To win this tournament we need to win three games,’ said the Spurs boss. ‘One against Stoke and then, if we beat Stoke, we have two more games to play. Against teams that have the same goals as we do.
‘If I’m not wrong, Man City, Arsenal, Man Utd. Everton, Newcastle, Brentford, everyone wants the same thing. The difference between a Championship and a Premier League is very small.
‘The teams are great. They have really good players and they have really good coaches. So even the fact that we play Stoke, or Newcastle play Brentford, does not give us easier games than anyone else.
Mourinho’s side will be looking to stay on track for the first time since winning the League Cup in 2008
‘It’s a tough competition to win. We need to win three games. But going aside from what we’ve been saying since the start of the season, the next maids game we want to win.
‘And Stoke is the next game. It’s remote. It’s a cup game. Going to the semi-finals or watching the semi-finals on TV is a game. We need to take a positive approach and try to win. ‘
Mourinho has promised a ‘mix’ of his Premier League rulers and those who have made the most of the team in the Europa League.
‘We need some players who need to play and who deserve to play,’ he said. ‘From those who play more, others where we don’t have good options for making changes and where we need to keep them. But I will try to give some two or three a little rest. ‘