Ange Postecoglou did not mince words when discussing Tottenham, dismissing the club’s status as a ‘big’ entity following the dismissal of Thomas Frank as manager.
The ex-Tottenham coach, who was ousted and succeeded by Frank last summer, candidly critiqued the team, asserting that any leader would face challenges due to the club’s volatile setting.
Reflecting on his two-year tenure at Spurs, Postecoglou shared with The Overlap: “It’s less about what Tottenham’s leadership conveys to you directly, and more about what is communicated to the public.”
He continued, “When Arsenal seeks talent, they invest £100 million in someone like Declan Rice. I haven’t witnessed Tottenham taking such financial leaps, not during my time or even before.”
Commenting on Frank’s exit, Postecoglou said, “It’s a difficult situation. Frank’s not the sole problem, but in the end, that’s how we’re evaluated.”
Ange Postecoglou has brutally stated that his old side Tottenham are not a ‘big’ club
Thomas Frank was sacked on Wednesday with Spurs languishing in 16th place in the league
He added, “Reflecting on my own experiences, Tottenham is indeed a peculiar club. It made significant shifts at the conclusion of last year, affecting both myself and Daniel Levy’s departure.”
‘They’ve had world class managers there. They haven’t had success. And for what reason? What was the reason for such a major pivot? Thomas is walking but what’s his objective? What’s the club’s objective?
‘At the start of the year, they said to compete on all fronts. Well, the club hasn’t competed on all fronts for a 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. Did Thomas Frank know that he was walking into that? I don’t know. It’s a fair departure for me. Anyone who studies the game will know that it wasn’t like there was progression.
‘I built that squad to play a certain way over the last couple of years and he’s coming in and [trying to do it his way]. So it’s a curious club, Tottenham.’
Following Frank’s departure, which came after Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat by Newcastle on Tuesday, Spurs sit 16th in the Premier League on just 29 points, with seven wins, eight draws and 11 losses from 26 games.
Under Postecoglou last campaign, Tottenham finished the season in 17th place and with their lowest points tally in Premier League history (38), before winning the Europa League to secure Champions League football.
The Dane also enjoyed better success in Europe prior to his dismissal on Wednesday, with Spurs qualifying for the Champions League knockouts by finishing fourth in the group phase.
Postecoglou, who was replaced by Frank at Spurs last summer, has questioned whether the Dane knew what he was in for when he arrived as he hit out at the unstable nature of the club
Postecoglou, who was appointed manager of Nottingham Forest in September but was sacked just 39 days afterwards following an eight-game winless run, clarified what he meant by Tottenham being a ‘curious club’.
Addressing how high-profile managers such as Antonio Conte, Jose Mourinho and Mauricio Pochettino have been hired and fired at Spurs over the last few years, he said: ‘If you look at the list of names, there isn’t really a common theme there in what they are trying to do.
‘I do think part of Tottenham’s DNA – for the lack of a better word – is that they do like their teams to play a certain way.
‘It’s fair to say with Mauricio [Pochettino] they were going down that path, but at the same time, I think people have been too dismissive of Harry’s [Kane’s] influence through that period.
‘If I had had Harry in that first year, I’m convinced we would have finished in that Champions League spot. Even him leaving, you cannot plug that hole. It’s impossible.’
