Ange Postecoglou maintained that Tottenham Hotspur was “not a big club” after head coach Thomas Frank was fired on Wednesday.
Although the Dane took over as Spurs’ manager after Postecoglou, he was unable to lead a comeback in their Premier League performance.
The north London team is only five points above the relegation zone following a 2-1 loss to Newcastle at home on Tuesday.
“It’s difficult, having been in that situation twice in the past six months,” Postecoglou stated on the Stick to Football podcast from The Overlap.
He can’t be the only problem in the club, you know. The Tottenham club is an odd one. It underwent a significant change at the end of the previous year, not just because of my departure but also because Daniel Levy, the executive chairman, left, and you’ve created a complete atmosphere of uncertainty.
Tottenham has only won the English championship twice, which is equal to second-tier Portsmouth, despite their longstanding status as a “Big Six” team and their current home stadium.
The final Spurs championship occurred decades before the Premier League era, in the 1960–61 season, when a renowned team led by Bill Nicholson won the FA Cup and the former First Division trophy to complete the “Double.”
High-profile managers Terry Venables, George Graham, Harry Redknapp, Jose Mourinho, and Antonio Conte attempted and failed to return Spurs to the top of English football long before Postecoglou took over.
Regardless of the manager you choose, Postecoglou stated, “there is no guarantee — they have had world-class managers there and they haven’t had success.”
Even though Spurs defeated Manchester United in the 2005 Europa League final, ending their 17-year trophy drought, Postecoglou was fired due to the team’s dismal league performance.
The 60-year-old Australian maintained that Spurs’ issues were caused by a lack of player investment.
“They’re not a big club when you look at their expenditures and especially their wage structure,” he remarked, despite having erected a fantastic stadium and training facilities.
“We weren’t in the market for those players when we were trying to sign them, so I saw that.”
Spurs were not living up to their own standards, Postecoglou remarked.
“To Dare Is To Do,” the club motto, is displayed wherever you go in Tottenham, but their deeds are practically the opposite of that,” he remarked. “I don’t think they realized that you have to take some chances in order to win.
“As a club, Tottenham seemed to be saying, ‘We’re one of the big boys,’ but in actuality, I don’t think they are.”
