Postecoglou tells Spurs players to enjoy post-season Australia trip

Melbourne: Tottenham Hotspur coach Ange Postecoglou insisted Tuesday that his players will enjoy facing Newcastle in Melbourne despite a gruelling tri...

Melbourne: Tottenham Hotspur coach Ange Postecoglou insisted Tuesday that his players will enjoy facing Newcastle in Melbourne despite a gruelling trip from England just hours after the Premier League season ended.

Both teams headed to the airport following games on Sunday for an arduous 24-hour journey for a money-spinning friendly that has drawn criticism, with Newcastle legend Alan Shearer calling it "madness".

But Postecoglou, back in his home country for the first time in five years, told his team to relish playing at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of an expected 80,000 fans on Wednesday.

"I said to the lads, 'I know it's a long way but I think you'll enjoy playing at the G'," Postecoglou, who guided Spurs to fifth and Europa League qualification in his first season in charge, told a pre-match press conference.

"It's not easy because we played Sheffield on Sunday afternoon and we basically got straight on the plane to come out here. So we all lost Monday from our lives.