Postecoglou brushes off "schoolyard" 'Spursy' tag as he plots Tottenham revival
Ange Postecoglou needs only to look at his own CV to remain confident of ending Tottenham’s Spursy tag.
He’s right. It is schoolyard stuff. But it remains the kind of stuff the north Londoners’ rivals revel in. Particularly with Spurs knee deep in a nightmare run of form following Thursday night’s surrender to West Ham.
The self-inflicted loss was their fourth in five. Spurs also dropped points from a winning position for a fifth consecutive game.
Home fans and opposition attackers have become used to seeing Spurs defenders looking blankly at each other like contestants on University Challenge.
But Postecoglou’s career trajectory has seen him defy his doubters across Australia, in Japan and in Scotland to arrive at the Premier League.
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Postecoglou is trusting his experience to drag Spurs out of their slump (John Walton/PA Wire)Having kept Spurs competitive despite the sale of Harry Kane, few now question the Aussie’s credentials to operate at the top level.
Now he intends to end the Spursy tag once and for all.
“That’s schoolyard stuff,” he said matter of factly. “All I need to know is that this club hasn’t won anything for 15 years.
“That’s all I need to know. Why that is, and why others may think that is, and whatever tag, that’s the reality.
“If you want to be successful, then like most organisations, you’ve got to learn from the mistakes of the past, you’ve got to come up with a plan and you’ve got to stick to it.
“Whatever tags other people want to put on it, that can’t be your motivation, that can’t be what drives you.
“If you want to bring success, you’ve got to have a clear idea of how you’re going to go about it and stick to the process.
“It shouldn’t weigh the new players down because they have no history.
“Whether it weighs the ones that have been here, that’s something that is hard for me to gauge. But if you want to change perceptions, there is only one way to do it.
“That’s why I’m here because the club wanted to change its course. That’s what I’m doing.
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“I said from Day One, change means change. Changing everything. If it means changing mindset because people are carrying scars from the past, let’s get rid of them.”
Postecoglou appears to have accepted the loss of his no 2, Chris Davies following an approach by Swansea to make the 38-year-old their new manager.
The Welsh club sacked Michael Duff on Monday and Davies, who worked on the Swansea coaching staff under Brendan Rodgers from 2010-2012, is their prime target.
“It’s not my decision,” said Postecoglou. “But a sign you’ve got good people in your building is that they're wanted by others.
“In terms of the way forward that’s going to be a club decision and Chris will be involved in that. I have my views but I won’t have the final say.”
Sunday represents a sliding doors moment which worked in Postecoglou’s advantage. Had Newcastle boss Eddie Howe not rejected the Celtic job in June 2021, Postecoglou would never have led the Hoops to two titles, two League Cups and a Scottish Cup.
“Absolutely, sliding doors moment,” he smiled. “There's probably been no bigger decision in me being here today than Eddie knocking back the Celtic job. I haven't thanked him, I probably should.”
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