Postecoglou ‘shame’ as Tottenham grilling ‘out of order’ after incident
Ange Postecoglou leads his Tottenham Hotspur side into some sort of desperate attempt at respite in the Premier League when they take on Southampton.
It comes as something of a dress rehearsal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday (6 April), with a win able to mathematically relegate Saints – but the primary objective for Postecoglou is to come through motivated and unscathed to host Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday.
The Europa League is the glue holding the Australian and Spurs together and has been for a significant period. The pressure is getting to the experienced boss and the campaign has become a soap opera for Lilywhites fans as a result.
Postecoglou hammered after midweek incident
Postecoglou’s relationship with the media has undoubtedly soured over the course of his near-two-year stint in English football.
The endearing Aussie remarks, the dry sense of humour and the ‘reporters on strings’ psyche he carried drew him a lot of early admirers, but it’s fair to say many now consider him unapproachable in the wake of yet more misery from his Tottenham side.
Postecoglou appeared to cup his ear to the travelling Spurs fans at Stamford Bridge last Thursday when they thought they had equalised at Chelsea through Pape Sarr – whose introduction for Lucas Bergvall was jeered – before VAR intervened and cut the celebrations short.
The head coach reacted with hostility to the press at full-time over the mention of the incident, proclaiming his innocence, with the Sunday Mirror’s Andy Dunn (6 April, pg 63) firing shots at Postecoglou‘s attitude.
“If there was one boss whose laid-back nature made you think he would take the stresses in his stride, it was Ange Postecoglou,” Dunn began.
“Remember when the Spurs manager could not stop cracking gags? It was fun.
“Which is why it was a shame to see his reaction to questions about the ear-cupping gesture. He looked as if the question was out of order and proceeded to have us believe he was urging Spurs fans to cheer – a response that would have once raised a laugh out of the old Ange.”
Tottenham lose in Frankfurt and Daniel Levy must act
Tottenham Hotspur face Southampton and Wolves in tandem with their Europa League journey, which is now providing the sole excitement – and desperate hope – in their dismal campaign.
The second leg on 17 April in Frankfurt could dictate the immediate future at Spurs under Daniel Levy, whose pressure will overspill to sack Postecoglou if the side are no longer in the competition.
Even if they were to somehow win the final eight of their Premier League games, they would still be nowhere near European qualification and must navigate through a quarter-final, a semi-final and a final in a continental competition which would bring their first trophy since 2008.
| Tottenham Hotspur – next four | Date |
| Southampton (H) PL | 6 April |
| Frankfurt (H) EL QF 1L | 10 April |
| Wolves (A) PL | 13 April |
| Frankfurt (A) EL QF 2L | 17 April |
That is Postecoglou’s task if he wants to keep his job. From that standpoint, the wafer-thin temper can be understood. However, he is not helping himself garner any deserved understanding by firing back at ear-cupping questions, 30 or so minutes after having cupped said ear.
Onto Southampton. This one could be interesting.