Maddison's Darts Night Out Not an Issue for Tottenham Manager Postecoglou

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has defended James Maddison's decision to attend a darts event while recovering from illness.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has defended James Maddison's decision to attend the PDC World Darts Championship, just hours after missing the start of the team's 2-2 draw with Wolves due to illness. Maddison, who eventually came on as a substitute in the 64th minute, was spotted at the Alexandra Palace in north London, watching the last-16 match between Luke Humphries and Peter Wright.

Maddison was accompanied by his Tottenham teammate Brennan Johnson at the darts event. Despite some potential concerns about Maddison's priorities, Ange Postecoglou has opted not to criticize the midfielder's choice of activity, indicating that he has no issues with Maddison's decision to attend the darts championship.

Tottenham Hotspur's injury woes continued as they drew 2-2 with Wolves, thanks to goals from Rodrigo Bentancur and Brennan Johnson. The result left Spurs languishing in 11th place with 24 points from 19 matches, marking the first time they have finished the year lower than seventh since the 2008-09 season.

 

🗣️ "Players have lives, it's a lot different trying to play a game of football"

Ange Postecoglou said he had no issue with James Maddison attending the darts despite being too ill to play for Tottenham in their match against Wolves 🎯 pic.twitter.com/kIX4v1ShLJ

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 4, 2025

When questioned about James Maddison's attendance at the PDC World Darts Championship, manager Ange Postecoglou expressed no concerns. “I've got no problem with the players having lives,” Postecoglou told reporters ahead of Saturday's home clash against fifth-placed Newcastle United. “It's a lot different trying to play a game of football and living a life. I don't see any problem with that and I don't think it hurt him. He wasn't 100% and it was a game where we needed someone to be 100%. He was still well enough to play.”

Ange Postecoglou further clarified his stance on James Maddison's attendance at the PDC World Darts Championship, emphasizing that the context of the situation was important. “If he was bed-ridden, didn't turn up to the game and then still went to the darts, there may be an issue there. But I had no issue with that,” Postecoglou explained, highlighting that Maddison's decision to attend the event was not problematic given the circumstances.

The PDC World Darts Championship came to a close on Friday, with 17-year-old Luke 'The Nuke' Littler making history by defeating Michael van Gerwen 7-3 to become the youngest PDC darts world champion. Meanwhile, in football, Postecoglou expressed his satisfaction with James Maddison's performance this season. The 28-year-old midfielder has scored eight goals in 19 league appearances. When asked about Maddison's role in the team, Postecoglou noted, “I still think the key with Madders is to keep him fit, keep him healthy, keep him sharp, and that's by not playing every game, especially with the programme we've got.”