Ange Postecoglou’s last post-match press conference (after the Ipswich loss) was one of the shortest we’ve ever seen, lasting barely three and a half minutes. The poor man looked lost for words, and even more uncomfortable than he usually does.
Even for those who haven’t taken the Aussie to their hearts, this was surely not enjoyable viewing for anyone. To hear a supposedly top-flight coach say the words, ‘That’s down to me. That’s my responsibility, is not good. Nobody wants a manager to throw players under the bus, but equally, into his second season, with a big spend on transfers that he told us he wanted, it’s really not good.
Speaking with his superior Football London’s head of football Lee Wilmot, reporter Alasdair Gold slammed the “we’ve got our Tottenham back” sentiments of club CEO Daniel Levy.
Whilst the phrase sounds positive enough, on the surface, what does it actually mean? Is this a Tottenham Hotspur that has enjoyed much tangible success on the pitch in the last 25 years?
Gold seems suspicious of the true value of the chairman’s words.
“The north London outfit’s last league win came in 1961, when they did the double. That’s 63 years ago. Ever since then, the club have won the occasional trophy, be FA Cup, League Cup or UEFA Cup, so exactly what Tottenham are the fans getting back? Alasdair argued that, in fact, Postecoglou should be allowed to build something new to replace the decades of mediocrity that has come since.”
I suspect that this was simply said to placate those in the fanbase (and there were plenty of them) who were unhappy with the football served up under recent incumbents, José Mourinho and Antonio Conte. Win percentages to one side, the football itself didn’t set Lilywhite pulses racing.
This is a curious take on events, to put it mildly, given it was Daniel Levy who appointed both men.
So what exactly does Spurs CEO, mean, by getting “…our Tottenham back”? It’s difficult to guess, given his reign has seen the club regularly sack coach after coach.
The question on the mind of many supporters must surely be, ‘Given the lack of success for the football club, on the green stuff, would Daniel Levy, have sacked himself, by now?’
