The ultimate chapter was heroic. Very like the primary. And for all of the difficulties in between Ange Postecoglou will eternally be celebrated at Tottenham as the person who ended the longest wait.
He introduced house the silver. He launched the parade. He taught Spurs be winners for the primary time in 17 years. The way to be winners in Europe for the primary time this century.
He silenced the jokes. A few of them at the very least. He delivered a few of his personal and it was at instances terrific enjoyable with aptitude and journey to revive the religion of those that consider it ought to all the time be on the coronary heart of the membership’s identification.
However there have been accidents, there have been defensive frailties and maddening passages of tactical inflexibility. And there have been defeats. Numerous them, a report quantity for Spurs in a Premier League marketing campaign as they thrashed about close to the relegation zone.
Not a great search for a membership purporting to be among the many world’s elite and making an attempt to draw ranges of recent funding to match, and so Postecoglou is gone, two eventful years right into a four-year deal.
There shall be no third season. Tottenham can return to their identification disaster. Again to the mirror to determine simply what it’s they wish to be: fun-loving thrill-seekers with an honest shot on the knock-out cups or low-risk accumulators of factors to maintain Champions League money reliably rolling in?
For all of the difficulties in between Ange Postecoglou will eternally be celebrated at Tottenham as the person who ended the longest wait
There have been accidents, there have been defensive frailties and maddening passages of tactical inflexibility. And there have been defeats. Numerous them, a report quantity for Spurs
Daniel Levy can go off to search out the 14th everlasting supervisor or head coach of his 24 years as chairman
Daniel Levy can go off to search out the 14th everlasting supervisor or head coach of his 24 years as chairman. And it had all began like a match made in heaven.
10 video games into season one, and Postecoglou’s Spurs have been 5 factors clear on the prime of the Premier League, a Friday evening excessive after a win at Crystal Palace because of a aim by captain Son Heung-min.
Outdoors the dressing rooms at Selhurst Park, the brand new boss’s agent had the look of a beaming membership dignitary, exchanging celebratory excessive fives and hugging the gamers, together with Son, one other of his purchasers. He seemed like a person who had hit the jackpot.
AngeBall had been unleashed upon English soccer and in defiance of fairly a number of predictions, seemed to be conquering all earlier than it. Objectives have been flying in, and each win celebrated with a blast of the Robbie Williams anthem Angels.
This was the tip of October, and chairman Levy had already instructed a followers’ discussion board: ‘We’ve our Tottenham again.’
Then got here the accidents. And the accidents didn’t cease. Spurs went into final month’s Europa League last with out their three most inventive midfielders and dared not play their first-choice centre halves within the Premier League for worry of shedding them.
A assessment final summer time led to the departure of long-serving head of drugs Geoff Scott and a cluster of recent appointments, just for issues to worsen with a collection of broken hamstrings and gamers struggling setbacks on their return.
Cristian Romero’s feedback on social media in March, thanking Argentina’s physios for getting him again on the pitch after 4 months of issues with no point out of Tottenham, have been telling.
It had all began like a match made in heaven for Postecoglou and Spurs
Cristian Romero’s feedback in March, thanking Argentina’s physios for getting him again on the pitch after 4 months of issues with no point out of Tottenham, have been telling
Then got here the accidents. And the accidents didn’t cease. Spurs went into final month’s Europa League last with out their three most inventive midfielders
Chief soccer officer Scott Munn, an Australian employed from the Chinese language department of the Metropolis Soccer Group in 2023, seems set to hold the can for medical points in what’s shaping as much as be an enormous summer time of change behind the scenes.
Postecoglou dismissed theories that his full-throttle soccer and the depth of coaching required to maintain it places extreme pressure on our bodies, when coupled with the relentless nature and schedule of English soccer.
He figured gamers would change into extra strong as they turned accustomed to the calls for, though there was little proof of that. Maybe it might have been totally different had they created a stronger squad of skilled gamers to assist the transition.
However, as ever, Tottenham most well-liked to hedge their bets. Totally-formed Premier League confirmed footballers like Dominic Solanke at £65million, have been the exception in a switch technique beneath technical director Johan Lange geared toward figuring out youthful expertise.
When he joined, Postecoglou needed two fast centre halves to allow his excessive line of defense and guarantee cowl. He acquired one, Micky van De Ven, signed days earlier than the season opener at Brentford.
Nearly six months later, with Van De Ven injured, got here the second centre half, Radu Dragusin. A 12 months later, with Van De Ven, Dragusin and Cristian Romero all injured, they signed Kevin Danso. Up entrance, they patched up with mortgage signings.
This technique has not helped Postecoglou, however his willpower to maintain taking part in the identical manner it doesn’t matter what has at instances made issues worse.
10 days after that win in opposition to Palace, got here a 4-1 defeat at house by Chelsea, an evening when Van De Ven and James Maddison suffered long-term accidents, they usually completed with 9 males as a result of Future Udogie and Romero have been despatched off.
Postecoglou dismissed theories that his full-throttle soccer and the depth of coaching required to maintain it places extreme pressure on our bodies
A 4-1 defeat at house by Chelsea in November 2023 was the turning level, an evening when Micky van De Ven and James Maddison suffered long-term accidents
They completed with 9 males as a result of Future Udogie and Romero have been despatched off. However nonetheless, they continued to play with the suicidally excessive line of defense
Nonetheless, they continued to play with the suicidally excessive line of defense. It was nice leisure, and the 9 exhausted gamers have been applauded from the pitch, as Postecoglou dismissed the thought of warning. ‘It is simply who we’re, mate,’ he declared.
Eric Dier, after signing for Bayern Munich, revealed how Spurs did no tactical work to fight opponents. Solely form on how they needed to play. It will need to have been a tradition shock and at first welcome reduction from the acute tactical element of his predecessor Antonio Conte.
Opponents began sitting deep, seeking to strike shortly on the break within the area vacated by the total backs. They focused goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario at set-pieces. And it was all simpler with Tottenham depleted, unable to exchange like for like.
It was not till halfway by way of season two, within the deepest of the harm disaster and after conceding six at house to Liverpool, that Postecoglou did lastly relent, rein within the full backs and defend a again 4 desperately in need of tempo.
In the end, this reluctance to vary proved decisive as a result of even when he did change it was too late, these not watching Tottenham carefully barely seen and continued to assume he hadn’t.
Moreover, the crew was so depleted by this stage they have been a shadow of their greatest, successfully sat ready for key gamers to regain health and Postecoglou’s temper darkened accordingly.
The relentless schedule will not be about to vary. Levy will not be going to vary tack. Retaining Postecoglou could be to ask the identical final result for a 3rd season. The identical calls for on an immature squad, similar harm issues, leaving them unable to remain aggressive on all fronts.
The golf equipment thriving in trendy English soccer synchronise their workings elements beneath clear course. They’ve a head coach to steer the soccer undertaking, entrance the membership and undertaking an identification, nevertheless it have to be in tune with the recruitment, which needs to be on a wavelength with the academy.
Eric Dier, after signing for Bayern Munich, revealed how Spurs did no tactical work to fight opponents. Solely form on how they needed to play
It was not till halfway by way of season two, within the deepest of the harm disaster and after conceding six at house to Liverpool, that Postecoglou did lastly relent on his ways
Chief soccer officer Scott Munn, an Australian employed from the Chinese language department of the Metropolis Soccer Group in 2023, seems set to take the autumn for medical points which have plagued Spurs
A profitable membership achieves a cohesion, however it’s simpler stated than completed. Many discover it tough, together with Spurs the place no one guidelines over Levy. It’s his prepare set. He hires and fires the departmental heads whereas courting exterior influences similar to his favorite brokers and consultants.
Government director Donna-Marie Cullen is leaving after a few years loyal to Levy. Munn’s days seem numbered with former Arsenal chief government Vinai Venkatesham becoming a member of the Spurs board in an analogous function.
Lange has been given licence to tear up the scouting system and pursue younger and growing expertise by way of a data-led mannequin, and but former managing director Fabio Paratici, a relentless presence regardless of his FIFA ban, is anticipated to formalise his function inside the recruitment setup when his punishment expires this 12 months.
So Postecoglou will not be the one casualty, however he’s the massive one and his destiny was most likely sealed in midseason when his reference to supporters fell into disrepair.
It by no means actually recovered from the friction across the Manchester Metropolis sport in Might final 12 months, when some Spurs followers celebrated a house defeat as a result of they could not bear to see Arsenal win the title.
There have been hints of the language of Conte as Postecoglou fumed about ‘fragile foundations’ contained in the membership.
Again then, he was on strong floor so far as outcomes have been involved. Fifth with 66 factors, solely two behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, appeared a good return for the primary season of the revolution, the primary with out report goalscorer Harry Kane.
Spurs, although, performed solely 41 video games in 2023-24. This season, with European soccer thrown in, they’ve been overwhelmed. 38 Premier League factors is their worst return since relegation in 1977, 22 league defeats their joint-worst ever. They’ve claimed simply 13 factors from 19 video games in 2025.
38 Premier League factors is Spurs’ worst return since relegation in 1977, 22 league defeats their joint-worst ever
They’ve claimed simply 13 factors from 19 league video games in 2025 in a time of significant wrestle
In the end, this reluctance to vary proved decisive as a result of even when he did change it was too late, these not watching Tottenham carefully barely seen and continued to assume he hadn’t
There have been few highlights within the home marketing campaign past early prospers of basic AngeBall, the 4-0 win at Manchester Metropolis in November and a Carabao Cup run.
Extra plentiful lowlights included defeats at house to by Ipswich and Leicester, a second-half demise from two-up at Brighton, 15 conceded in three video games in opposition to Liverpool, and the failure to beat fifth-tier part-timers Tamworth inside 90 minutes within the FA Cup.
Followers misplaced endurance, then misplaced religion. Many had already given up on him by the point Postecoglou took on the away finish at Stamford Bridge in April.
That was the evening they sang, ‘you do not know what you are doing’ when he changed Lucas Bergvall with Pape Matar Sarr at 1-0 down, and the Spurs boss cupped an ear of their course when Sarr scored what he thought was an excellent equaliser, solely to search out the aim dominated out by VAR.
If there was a second to seal his destiny this was most likely it, the second when Levy knew the ‘Large Ange’ bonds cast within the autumn of 2023 had perished, and that he wouldn’t face a significant backlash if he set change in movement. Possibly he recognised the drained and ground-down expression of one other Spurs supervisor.
Postecoglou rallied in opposition to VAR, in opposition to the pundits, moaned a couple of mole within the camp leaking harm tales and lashed out on the eve of the Europa League last at somebody who wrote the end result of 1 sport is likely to be the distinction between branding him a legend or a clown.
Invariably, he was extra relaxed earlier than matches than afterwards, and all the time value listening as to whether he was quoting Billy Joel lyrics, reminiscing about his days with Ferenc Puskas and the winding street from Melbourne to London, or sharing the creed of the stonecutter who struck 100 blows realizing the one hundred and first would be the one to interrupt the stone.
The Europa League turned his solace. With out it, Postecoglou would possibly already be lengthy gone. And, if he can curse his luck over some issues within the final two years, he was lucky to enter this new format with out Champions League groups dropping in.
Followers misplaced endurance, then misplaced religion. Many had already given up on him by the point Postecoglou took on the away finish at Stamford Bridge in April
Postecoglou rallied in opposition to VAR, in opposition to the pundits, moaned a couple of mole within the camp leaking harm tales
There have been hints of the language of Antonio Conte as Postecoglou fumed about ‘fragile foundations’ contained in the membership
Tottenham misplaced solely two of 15 video games and made it by way of the knockout levels by beating the champions of Norway, the third-best crew in Germany and the fifth-best crew within the Netherlands, earlier than an attritional win in opposition to the worst Manchester United crew for 5 many years within the last.
Postecoglou however had his fingers on the trophy he instructed us he by no means didn’t ship in his second season. One step forward of the stonecutter, it got here in his a centesimal sport as Spurs boss and though sport 101 was one other defeat, 4-1 on the ultimate day at house by Brighton, they have been singing his title as soon as once more again in N17.
He gained them again. Or lots of them. He joined Invoice Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw in a choose group of Tottenham managers to win a European competitors, and that shall be sufficient to safe his standing as a legend if not his job as head coach.
There shall be no season three. Maybe that is for the very best. Large Ange will experience once more.
