Manager Watch: Ange Postecoglou

[dontcallme]

i hate to moan about our fanbase as its a game of opinions, but I have to say im surprised at a fair few (albeit still a minority) comments as to disappointment towards ange. For years we have moaned that our club motto is ‘TO DARE IS TO DO’ and we finally have a manager daring to be brave no matter the consequences and he is being called out for being ‘naive’.

Lets not let the incredible start ange had cloud your judgement into thinking we are underperforming now… we have been a club on the decline for the last 4/5years playing garbage football with a mediocre squad. Yet ange within the space of 14 games has gotten everyone singing from the same hymn sheet. We complained under mourinho and conte that once you get passed the starting 11 we are toast… yet today we have half the squad missing and our players who have been constantly chastised under previous managers like locelso, gil, davies, hjoberg etc, all step up and give a performance well worthy of three points.

Imagine if arsenal lost gabriel, saliba, odegaard, rice, and whoever else their other first team cm is, lets see how they would fair… and to top it off why not destroy their bench options too like ours have been destroyed. Lets be honest, last season they lost one player in saliba and collapsed, yet here we are giving it a good go with half a squad under ange. i hate to use the phrase ‘trust the process’ but arsenal had three years of turbulence under arteta, yet we have three bad results, (not performances) and some have started to moan.

i’ll be honest enough to admit i thought ange would fail as i knew very little about him and thought this job would be be above him… but im glad to be proven completely wrong, and i saw that after 2/3 matches, and my faith is even stronger after today. So lets just wait for the squad to heal and come back stronger whilst we stay positive. COYS.

I think a few have shown disappointment at starting selection and some substitutions but I can’t recall at him as a whole.

It’s fine to think he did one thing wrong and still support him and the process.

 

[carpediem1906]

The thing that becomes very obvious in the past 2 matches, other than the fact that we need those key players in the starting XI is that Ange’s football, with its pressing and high intensity, needs 14-16 players for the full 90-100 mins regardless of who’s playing

The fact that we have so many out means bench is thin and therefore we couldn’t do what we did in the earlier set - first 10 games - which was, the subs came in and made the difference

Gil, GLC, PEH, even Royal (not regular first XI) & Destiny (injury?) were all gassed by the 80th min

 

[TOLBINY]

And killed any enjoyment along the way.

I quite enjoyed finishing 4th while beating Woolwich 3-0, Villa (A) 4-0, Leeds (A) 4-0, Newcastle (H,) 5-1 Norwich (A) 5-0, City (A) 3-2 - selective memory works both ways!

 

[spursfan77]

And killed any enjoyment along the way.

Yep. It was New Year’s Day when villa beat us 2 nil at home and it was peak conte ball shite. We were so dull and uninspiring that day. Fast forward not even a year and we are playing the same opponents in a completely different way and on another day wipe the floor with them. So much has changed for the better. I’d actually say considering the injuries and suspensions that yesterday was our best performance under Ange. The two goals conceded though were bad.

 

[VoteMe4Prez]

Yep. It was New Year’s Day when villa beat us 2 nil at home and it was peak conte ball shite. We were so dull and uninspiring that day. Fast forward not even a year and we are playing the same opponents in a completely different way and on another day wipe the floor with them. So much has changed for the better. I’d actually say considering the injuries and suspensions that yesterday was our best performance under Ange. The two goals conceded though were bad.

Yep was one of the most insipid games I ever saw. The writing was on the wall for Conte that day.

 

[coys761]

Honestly, I'm a bit baffled by the sudden obsession with winning every game.

Let's avoid putting unnecessary pressure on the boys to win every game. It's not conducive to their development, and as Spurs fans, we should embrace the philosophy that understands setbacks are part of our journey. The world doesn't end if we lose five in a row; it's about resilience, growth, and supporting our team through thick and thin.

For me, it's not about the outcome; it's about playing attractive football, nurturing a family atmosphere at the club, and staying united as a fanbase. I'm not in it for the banter; I just want to enjoy the journey under Ange and appreciate the unique style he's bringing to the team. Let's focus on the bigger picture and relish in the process. ⚪️

 

[For the love of Spurs]

We've been a "few windows" away from achieving something for at least 15 years.

True. The squad needs to be completed by Jan and summer windows, no excuses. Probably means 6-7 extra top players but this is what we need to do if we want to call ourselves a top club.

 

[coys761]

True. The squad needs to be completed by Jan and summer windows, no excuses. Probably means 6-7 extra top players but this is what we need to do if we want to call ourselves a top club.

I'm firmly convinced that loading up on new signings isn't the answer for us. We're competitive, and trying to match the spending of clubs like City isn't sustainable. What matters most is cultivating a positive atmosphere within the squad. Too many new players can bring unnecessary internal rivalries, which isn't healthy for our journey. Let's focus on unity and strategic, thoughtful additions rather than chasing after big-name signings.

I strongly believe in trusting our youth and focusing on the development of homegrown talent. Instead of splurging on big signings, let's invest in nurturing the potential within our youth academy. Bringing them up not only strengthens our squad but also reinforces the identity and tradition of our club. It's a sustainable approach that aligns with our values.

 

[Gilzeanking]

In the first half of least season, with the exception of Romero, Conte's first choice defensive options are now Ange's second / third choice, and we have seen in the last few games what that means. Defensively, "key players" for Conte would have been Emerson, Dier, Lenglet (who can't get a start at Villa) and Davies - it's an under appreciated achievement that he got us and kept us in 4th place.

Not a fashionable view ofc...but an accurate one. People also won't like to hear that Dec in Jose's first season, same defence, we were 3 weeks at the top.

Ange is great, pleased we have him, but in all the endless praise from everyone inc commentators and YT posters this season, the massive upswing in our 1st team quality got kinda buried. It was all our genius manager went the narrative.

Reality has imposed itself now, we can understand better the struggles of our last managers re the squad quality they had to deal with....and have learned that Ange's style of football , works in the Prem, BUT... only with supremely good players.

 

[Trix]

Who would you promote?

Donley definitely deserves minutes. I'd also make a strong case for Dorrington considering we are having to play two back up fullbacks at CB.

PEH and Dier in particular have no future with us Ange has made that very clear behind the scenes, so why not try players that might have a long term future with us? Ange keeps saying it's about the process and where we want to be long term. He's not overly worried about dropping points now as long as it's pushing towards the end goal so why not give them some time off the bench at least to bed them in a little and see how they do? Levy said one of the big reasons Ange was brought in was because he will use the academy and bring through players yet we are seeing him play players out of position and even back ups to back ups instead. Donley has 17 goal contributions from 11 games this season and is absolutely bossing PL2. If he can't get minutes now over Olly Skipp when we are thread bare and chasing the game with 15 minutes to go when can he? My worry is when the big players are available the likes of Donley and Dorrington won't even make the bench, and this is worrying when the have so many admirers elsewhere.

 

[alamo]

Donley definitely deserves minutes. I'd also make a strong case for Dorrington considering we are having to play two back up fullbacks at CB.

PEH and Dier in particular have no future with us Ange has made that very clear behind the scenes, so why not try players that might have a long term future with us? Ange keeps saying it's about the process and where we want to be long term. He's not overly worried about dropping points now as long as it's pushing towards the end goal so why not give them some time off the bench at least to bed them in a little and see how they do? Levy said one of the big reasons Ange was brought in was because he will use the academy and bring through players yet we are seeing him play players out of position and even back ups to back ups instead. Donley has 17 goal contributions from 11 games this season and is absolutely bossing PL2. If he can't get minutes now over Olly Skipp when we are thread bare and chasing the game with 15 minutes to go when can he? My worry is when the big players are available the likes of Donley and Dorrington won't even make the bench, and this is worrying when the have so many admirers elsewhere.

Would it not be the case that the younger, inexperienced players are actually more likely to get playing time when all the big names are back? Far more likely then to be situations where we are in a comfortable lead and they can be brought on for the last 10-15 mins or so.

 

[Rosco1984]

Donley definitely deserves minutes. I'd also make a strong case for Dorrington considering we are having to play two back up fullbacks at CB.

PEH and Dier in particular have no future with us Ange has made that very clear behind the scenes, so why not try players that might have a long term future with us? Ange keeps saying it's about the process and where we want to be long term. He's not overly worried about dropping points now as long as it's pushing towards the end goal so why not give them some time off the bench at least to bed them in a little and see how they do? Levy said one of the big reasons Ange was brought in was because he will use the academy and bring through players yet we are seeing him play players out of position and even back ups to back ups instead. Donley has 17 goal contributions from 11 games this season and is absolutely bossing PL2. If he can't get minutes now over Olly Skipp when we are thread bare and chasing the game with 15 minutes to go when can he? My worry is when the big players are available the likes of Donley and Dorrington won't even make the bench, and this is worrying when the have so many admirers elsewhere.

I did think it was very strange when it became clear our attack had run out of legs with about 15 minutes left that we didn't just throw Donley on in a situation with nothing to lose. There wont be many better opportunities for him.

 

[djhotspur]

I did think it was very strange when it became clear our attack had run out of legs with about 15 minutes left that we didn't just throw Donley on in a situation with nothing to lose. There wont be many better opportunities for him.

Yeah exactly this. I don’t get why we didn’t have a winger from the u21s on the bench too. At least then we could have brought on attacking threats.

 

[Trix]

Would it not be the case that the younger, inexperienced players are actually more likely to get playing time when all the big names are back? Far more likely then to be situations where we are in a comfortable lead and they can be brought on for the last 10-15 mins or so.

Doubt it. When all are fit we will have GLC, Gil, Sarr, Peresic and Richarlisson on the bench.

 

[Dougal]

We’re losing battles, but will win the war. Postecoglou is sticking to his guns and the fans need to stay strong like that too. Obviously a shitload won’t. But then they’re not my Gaffer so it makes bugger all difference. Rather come out of a game cursing our luck rather than our intent.

 

[McFlash]

We’re losing battles, but will win the war. Postecoglou is sticking to his guns and the fans need to stay strong like that too. Obviously a shitload won’t. But then they’re not my Gaffer so it makes bugger all difference. Rather come out of a game cursing our luck rather than our intent.

Yep, for all the current talk about Jose and Conte, can you imagine what we'd be playing like under them in a situation like this?
It would be total backs to the wall stuff, with everyone in our half apart from Sonny on the halfway line.
We'd still lose but wouldn't even give ourselves a chance of winning.

 

[mil1lion]

The thing that becomes very obvious in the past 2 matches, other than the fact that we need those key players in the starting XI is that Ange’s football, with its pressing and high intensity, needs 14-16 players for the full 90-100 mins regardless of who’s playing

The fact that we have so many out means bench is thin and therefore we couldn’t do what we did in the earlier set - first 10 games - which was, the subs came in and made the difference

Gil, GLC, PEH, even Royal (not regular first XI) & Destiny (injury?) were all gassed by the 80th min

It's also putting us at even more risk for injury

 

[Dougal]

Yep, for all the current talk about Jose and Conte, can you imagine what we'd be playing like under them in a situation like this?
It would be total backs to the wall stuff, with everyone in our half apart from Sonny on the halfway line.
We'd still lose but wouldn't even give ourselves a chance of winning.

And they’d both be slaughtering the club publicly in the press conference after. Thank fuck for a calm head.

Anyway, enough about that pair of shysters.

 

[RuskyM]

We’re losing battles, but will win the war. Postecoglou is sticking to his guns and the fans need to stay strong like that too. Obviously a shitload won’t. But then they’re not my Gaffer so it makes bugger all difference. Rather come out of a game cursing our luck rather than our intent.

Absolutely spot on. I didn’t buy under Mourinho or Conte when we lost that it could’ve gone either way if not for “individual errors”; yesterday it genuinely could’ve. When I think of the Milan home game under Conte or the Chelsea games under Mourinho, at no point did I think we’d win, and lo and behold we didn’t. We’re at least trying now, which is the minimum, but after the last few years it feels like an oasis in the desert.

 

[Wearegoingtowintheleague]

Delighted to have Ange at the helm.

The way we took the game to Villa despite our injuries and suspensions. No fear, this is who we are and what we do.

Finally we are back on track and some of our football yesterday was fantastic.

Yes need to replace a few players who don't fit the system and we will be a real force again.