There is an old saying that if someone shows who they are, believe them!
We’ve all seen Ange Postecoglou’s irritable and stubborn reaction to injuries, losses and criticism this season. Coupled with, in my view, an inability to provide solutions to the challenge of finishing more than one place above the relegation zone.
It cannot, in any way, be what the Tottenham hierarchy envisaged was the road map for this season.
Though one school of thought suggests his future depends on beating Manchester United in next week’s Europa League final, I am being persuaded by an alternative view where even victory will be regarded by the club as merely papering over the cracks.
Daniel Levy will, of course, take solace and have an element of conflicted gratitude to Postecoglou if he can get the monkey off Tottenham’s back and win a trophy for the first time in 17 years. Qualifying for the Champions League too, although less appreciative of a stinker of a Premier League season.
But one moment in time isn’t the best yardstick when looking at how to prepare for future challenges.
We’ve all seen Ange Postecoglou’s irritable and stubborn reaction to injuries, losses and criticism this season
Tottenham are 17th in the Premier League and no cup success can mask that failing
It cannot, in any way, be what the Tottenham hierarchy – headed by Daniel Levy – envisaged was the road map for this season
Is there any point in Spurs hesitating to make a change this summer only to find themselves in the Manchester United position of keeping Erik ten Hag and U-turning in October? From that example, sticking with Postecoglou could create a further monsoon of problems.
Once admired by the Tottenham fanbase, I am routinely informed he has alienated many of the supporters. There is only one person less popular amongst the dissenters and that’s the chairman who could end up dispensing with his services!
Spurs can’t be 17th in the Premier League. Even the financial gains from their European run and potential entry into the Champions League will be significantly offset by the drop in merit payments due to their league position.
We can’t forget the impact that Postecoglou made at Tottenham in his first few months, but he was also the beneficiary of timing.
Anyone who followed the destructive, self-absorbed negativity of Antonio Conte or Nuno Espirito Santo’s lack of stylistic fit would have lifted the hangover to some degree.
I liked the way the Australian tried to embed a new culture and character in his players – even with nine men against Chelsea – and pushed back against the pathetic mentality of Spurs fans who wanted their team to lose to Manchester City so Arsenal couldn’t be champions.
Postecoglou initially talked and delivered a good game and, as first impressions can be the longest lasting, it has perhaps helped delay scrutiny on him until results became so bad there was no escape.
If you started digging under the bonnet, it was clear Spurs were already deteriorating at the end of last season but, as we’re in an era where feelings are promoted more than facts, that didn’t suit the narrative of Postecoglou ‘getting our Tottenham back’.
Postecoglou initially talked and delivered a good game and first impressions can last longest
If you started digging under the bonnet, it was clear Spurs were already deteriorating at the end of last season
Sophisticated, brave, front-foot football doesn’t seem so exciting when you lose every week
There is no get-out for him now. Sophisticated, brave, front-foot football doesn’t seem so exciting when you’re losing every week. Delivering pithy soundbites is no substitute for establishing a working mechanism for success.
Yes, he’s had injuries to contend with, but still Tottenham should not be losing at home to Ipswich. In any case, results have further worsened since more players have been available. Tottenham have won just once in the league since February 22 – and that was at home to bottom club Southampton.
I would imagine Postecoglou’s job was safe while Spurs were still in the Europa League, because you can’t discount the Newcastle-style importance on the club to win silverware after waiting so long.
It is not my job to call for a manager’s head, but I can see that once the final is played and the campaign is over, Levy will consider a change regardless of the result.
Optics-wise, winning a major cup is fantastic. But it won’t be significant in the longer-term should Tottenham’s bad habits re-emerge in August.
The obvious caveat is, if not Postecoglou, then who?
Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth looks a proper manager and, while I hate to hear myself say it, Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace would also be a candidate worth pursuing.
Glasner has a proven track record at Eintracht Frankfurt and has worked the oracle at Crystal Palace this season. His history suggests he has an ego and will push people hard, players and ownership alike.
Andoni Iraola (right) at Bournemouth looks a proper manager and Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace would also be a candidate worth pursuing
If Palace win the FA Cup on Saturday, Glasner’s stock will only rise higher, as will his ambition and expectation of what the club should do to be competitive
Glasner had success at Eintracht Frankfurt, where he won the Europa League in 2022
What impressed me during Palace’s early-season struggles, without Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eberechi Eze and having sold centre back Joachim Andersen, is that Glasner did not react like a rabbit trapped in the headlights.
He portrayed an inner belief his methods would turn things around, without any of the tetchiness under pressure that has become a hallmark of Postecoglou.
The irony is that if Palace win the FA Cup on Saturday, Glasner’s stock will only rise higher, as will his ambition and expectation of what the club should do to be competitive.
I don’t want to be accused by fellow Palace fans of touting our manager for other jobs on the eve of a big game, where they could lift the first major trophy in their history. But it in the interests of objectivity (take note, Martin Keown) it would be remiss of me not to mention him as a potential successor to Postecoglou.
I would love to have worked with Glasner. As an owner, it’s rare a manager comes in and does precisely what they said they would. That being, to make the team better!
A lot is made of what makes a good owner or not, and how much they spend or interfere. This week we have seen Evangelos Maranakis at Nottingham Forest march onto the pitch to express his feelings. My attitude was to hire supposed experts in their field and let them get on with it. I didn’t want to pick the team or get involved with tactics – that’s what I was paying managers for.
I won’t be at Wembley this weekend, but it’s well known that Palace was my boyhood club. I grew up 200 yards from Selhurst Park and could see from my house players like Vince Hilaire and Kenny Sansom training in a compound behind a car park.
On Sundays I would bunk into the ground with my brother and mates to have a kickabout on the grass, climb the floodlights or run up and down the Arthur Wait Stand. I was an avid football fan at that age. I devoured every magazine and collected player cards and stickers.
I grew up 200 yards from Selhurst Park and could see from my house players like Vince Hilaire training in a compound behind a car park
I won’t be at Wembley this weekend, but it’s well known that Palace was my boyhood club
An FA Cup tie with Liverpool in 1977 was particularly memorable – we saw stars like Emlyn Hughes, Ray Clemence and Kevin Keegan (L-R), who I’d only read about or seen on TV
An FA Cup tie against Liverpool in 1977 was particularly memorable because we got to see stars like Kevin Keegan, Ray Clemence and Emlyn Hughes, who I’d only previously read about or seen on TV, at our Third Division stadium.
My own football career came at youth level with Chelsea and Palace. I played in a team with another south Londoner, Michael Thomas. In later years I point you to the standout fact, in my mind at least, that I scored the second-ever goal at the new Wembley in a pro-am charity game.
Instead of a professional career, I went into business and made a few quid. When I bought Palace, it was because it was the club my father, his father before him and I supported. It was also because I was enthusiastic and ambitious and saw an opportunity in the growth of football.
For generations of Eagles fans, winning a first trophy at Wembley on Saturday will be the ultimate dream.
From a more pragmatic viewpoint, I wonder if Levy will also be keeping half an eye on the game before he switches attention to the Europa League final.
