Ange Postecoglou: Ex-Tottenham boss says ‘curious’ Spurs are ‘not a giant membership’ after successor Thomas Frank sacked

Tottenham’s week from hell bought an entire lot worse on Thursday.

A house loss to Newcastle on Tuesday put them firmly in a relegation battle, resulting in Thomas Frank’s sacking on Wednesday. And now his predecessor Ange Postecoglou has brutally described “curious” Spurs as “not a big club”.

Talking to The Overlap’s Follow Soccer podcast on the day of Frank’s sacking, earlier than its launch on Thursday, the Australian’s near-18-minute look gave lots to chew over.

Here’s what we discovered from Spurs’ former Europa League-winning head coach…

Why Ange believes Spurs are ‘not a giant membership’

Tottenham’s wage construction has all the time been a serious challenge for followers – and so it proved to be too for Postecoglou in his two seasons in cost.

He mentioned: “They’ve constructed an unbelievable stadium, unbelievable coaching amenities, however once you have a look at the expenditure, notably within the wages construction, they don’t seem to be a giant membership.

“I noticed that as a result of after we have been making an attempt to signal gamers, we weren’t available in the market for these gamers.

“At the end of my first year, when we finished fifth, how do you go from fifth to really challenging? Well, we had to sign Premier League-ready players. But finishing fifth that year didn’t get us Champions League. We didn’t have the money, so we ended up signing Dom Solanke – who I was really keen on – and three teenagers [Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert].

“I used to be taking a look at Pedro Neto, [Bryan] Mbeumo, [Antoine] Semenyo, and Marc Guehi, as a result of I mentioned, if we will go from fifth to there [gestures higher], that is what the opposite huge golf equipment would do in that second.

“And those three teenagers are outstanding young players, and I think they’ll be great players for Tottenham, but they’re not going to get you from fifth to fourth and third.”

He added: “I still felt like Tottenham, as a club, were saying we’re one of the big boys, and the reality is I don’t think they are in terms of my experience over the last two years.

“When Arsenal want gamers, they will spend £100m on Declan Rice. I do not see Tottenham doing that. Perhaps now, I do not know. However not simply in my historical past, even predating me. Plenty of that was that they have been constructing a stadium, so funds have been a problem.

“I guess the bit I didn’t realise was just how much Champions League football makes a difference, and I think that’s why there was always this desperation because that provided the kitty. So that means in my first year…we almost got there. We finished fifth – any other year that probably would’ve been [Champions League qualification].

“And if we did, possibly final yr we would not have purchased three youngsters. However I nonetheless do not assume we’d have spent – it isn’t the switch charge, the wages to essentially entice.

“When was the last time Tottenham really signed somebody who you go, ‘Wow’.”

‘Membership’s actions are the antithesis of its motto’

‘To Dare Is To Do’ is Tottenham’s membership motto, however Postecoglou strongly believes this isn’t the philosophy of these in cost, together with ex-chairman Daniel Levy, who left his position in September after 24 years within the job.

He mentioned: “When you walk into Tottenham, what you see everywhere is to Dare Is To Do. It’s everywhere. And yet their actions are almost the antithesis of that.

“Whether or not you prefer it or dislike him, you give credit score to Daniel, as a result of that path has bought them a brand new stadium, new amenities, by taking a protected path.

“I think what they didn’t realise is that to actually win, you’ve got to take some risks at some point – and that’s the DNA of the club.”

Postecoglou’s big threat was to sacrifice the Premier League marketing campaign to finish their 17-year silverware drought by profitable the Europa League.

Glory in Bilbao got here amid a Seventeenth-placed Premier League end, however Postecoglou felt he abided by the membership’s motto.

“We were never in a relegation battle last year,” he mentioned. “We never got even close. We finished 13 points off relegation.

“However in the direction of the again finish of the yr, the place it was fairly apparent we have been going for one thing else, we nonetheless scored 64 objectives final yr. I used to be nonetheless making an attempt to get the blokes, however we weren’t geared up to do it [on multiple fronts].

“But I still felt that was the way forward. If we’re ever going to become the team that I thought Tottenham wanted to be, then this was the path.”

Spurs’ lowest end since promotion to the top-flight in 1978 price Postecoglou his job – one thing he realised had been coming for months earlier than it was confirmed in June.

He revealed: “I knew I was gone probably around the end of January, early February. I said to the coaches, ‘Look, we weren’t in a relegation [battle], we’re in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, I think we can win it’. And that means not just winning a trophy, but that also means Champions League football. I said, ‘But the reality is, get your helmets on because every week we’re going to be copping it. I’ll take that. Don’t worry, I’ll take the responsibility for that’. But also, if we get knocked out of any stage of the Europa League, I said, I’m pretty much sure it’s over.

“So I knew I used to be gone, since you get a way of that with the conversations you may have about folks. Nobody was speaking to me concerning the switch window or pre-season subsequent yr, so that you form of know, and that was nice. I did not perceive it.”

Simply what are Spurs making an attempt to attain?

Tottenham are looking for a sixth everlasting supervisor in seven years following Frank’s dismissal, which got here simply eight months after Postecoglou’s sacking.

The Dane was closely criticised for his destructive fashion of play, which was in stark distinction to Postecoglou’s gung-ho method.

Fashion was additionally the downfall of serial winners Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, whereas Nuno Espirito Santo lasted simply 4 months.

Mauricio Pochettino is arguably Spurs’ greatest supervisor of the twenty first century, however he did not win any silverware – one thing which Postecoglou achieved, main him to query Spurs’ course.

“It’s a curious club, Tottenham,” he mentioned. “It’s made a major pivot at the end of last year, not just with me, but with Daniel [Levy] leaving as well. And you’ve created this whole sort of environment of uncertainty because there’s no guarantees, no matter which manager you bring in – you’ve had world-class managers there that haven’t had success. But for what reason? What was the reason for such a major pivot?

“So Thomas is strolling in, and what’s his goal? What is the membership’s goal? Firstly of the yr, they mentioned, compete on all fronts. Effectively, the membership hasn’t competed on all fronts for a really very long time.

“And the most influential person at the club for the last 20 years is also going. So if you’re going to do such a major pivot, then you’ve got to understand there’s going to be some instability there.

“Now, did Thomas know he was strolling into that? I do not know. And it is a honest departure from me. Anybody who form of research the sport will know that it wasn’t prefer it was a development for me. I constructed that type of squad to play a sure approach during the last couple of years.

“So it’s, it’s a curious club, Tottenham, mate.”

He added: “You look at that list of names, and there isn’t really a common thread through there as to what they’re trying to do. And I do think part of Tottenham’s DNA is they do like their team to play a certain way.

“I feel it is honest to say with Mauricio, they have been taking place that path…so once you have a look at these managers, they’ve gone from Mauricio enjoying a sure approach and becoming the DNA. Then the massive factor was, nicely, they have not gained something. We’d like winners, so let’s go for Jose. Jose will get them right into a cup remaining, they usually sack him the week earlier than the cup. In case you’re speaking about winners, in a one-off recreation, I would not thoughts Jose being my supervisor at my membership only for a one-off recreation.

“Then it was Antonio because, again, he’s another winner, and then Antonio goes and I come in, and they say, ‘Well, we want the football. With Antonio we made Champions League but we didn’t have the football. So we want the football, and you’ve got the football’, even though my DNA is I win as well.

“So then we go down that path, so that is what I imply it is actual curious by way of understanding what are they making an attempt to construct.”

Ange’s Levy story shows why ‘Spursy’ tag ‘100 per cent’ exists

The Europa League success had appeared to be a major step in helping the club shake off its infamous ‘Spursy’ tag, which Postecoglou “100 per cent” feels exists at the club.

The term was back on the agenda just three months later, as Tottenham chucked away a two-goal lead late on to lose the UEFA Super Cup final on penalties to PSG in Frank’s first competitive game in charge.

Postecoglou claims he would have “backed himself” to win that match in Italy had he remained in charge.

He said: “We might have had two trophies within the house of two months, after which impulsively that is out the window that they cannot win a giant recreation. You have damaged that. So that is what I imply, that is the curiosity in me of understanding why? What are you making an attempt to attain? The most important factor hanging over you was this Spursy tag, and I am positive you all thought, come the ultimate, Man United will win as a result of they simply know the right way to win.”

The 1-0 Europa League remaining victory got here after Postecoglou had boldly declared earlier within the season that he “always wins things in my second year” – and he revealed that that quote was a part of his plan to make the membership consider they might finish their trophy drought.

He mentioned: “My whole statement about winning things in the second year was, I was doing that for the club because no one internally would dare say that, because they were just scared. They’d been close a few times.

The 60-year-old even recalled how Levy’s behaviour on the day of the final was ‘Spursy’.

“I bear in mind the day of the Europa remaining, everybody within the resort was actually calm,” he said.”It was one of many few occasions, truly, Daniel [Levy] got here in, and I had a espresso within the morning, and he mentioned, ‘Everybody’s actually relaxed’. Even he was. And the one factor he mentioned to me, which was weird as a motivation level, he mentioned, ‘Oh, what, I have been in seven finals and semi-finals, and we’ve not gained one’. However I do know why he mentioned that, due to that.

“So you’ve got that, and that does exist, absolutely. And then you break that by winning something, and what do you do? You tear it all up, and you go again.”