Fans of English Premier League clubs are not known for being the most tolerant supporters in the world. They never have been, and they never will be.
Fans of sides who consider themselves elite Premier League clubs are even less tolerant and less inclined to forgive the things they don’t like. Spurs fans, in particular, have always had an overblown sense of their own importance and that of their club, believing in an exceptionalism that doesn’t actually exist because, frankly, they’re not an exceptional club.
This is not a club that is used to winning things. It’s not a club that has winning in its blood.
Yet its fans behave as if it’s a club where success is not only expected but must come regularly and convincingly. That mindset has cost more managers their jobs at Spurs over the last decade than at just about any other club on this island—except perhaps the one across the city from us.
For weeks now, the press has been hammering the former Celtic boss for being too naïve, too open, and too aggressive in his attacking play. I think some of that criticism has been excessively harsh. Some of The Guardian sports writers have spoken of Ange Postecoglou in glowing terms, admiring his philosophy even if they find it a touch naïve.
Most of the commentary has centred on the weaknesses of “Angeball”—namely, that it tends to leave the team exposed at the back and vulnerable to all manner of counterattacks, particularly against top-class teams.
Last night, when the TNT commentators reviewed his record at Spurs, it struck me that while it’s not terribly impressive, most of them agreed it’s certainly exciting to watch.
That excitement, to an extent, is why some Spurs fans are willing to tolerate it—for now. Angeball excites them, as does the tantalising prospect of what it might achieve when the squad is injury-free or bolstered with better players.
But let me tell you what they won’t tolerate. Let me tell you what will get their manager sacked. What we saw last night. It will have left some of them enormously concerned.
The great philosophy of movement and attack, of overwhelming the opposition with numbers, sharp passing, and a blitzing style, was entirely absent. Instead, what we got was a deadening, dreadful performance from Spurs in every department.
It was a failure on every level.
There was no sign of the football we watched Ange deliver with our team. That wasn’t a great side he was up against either—though I’ll cover them later. For now, let’s marvel at the utterly deficient display we saw from an Ange Postecoglou side.
Spurs fans who travelled up to Glasgow to watch that match will return home with serious doubts. Those doubts aren’t without foundation. The problems at their club are beginning to take root and deepen. That performance wasn’t from a side improving, stabilising, or heading in the right direction. It resembled the Spurs team that lost to Chelsea, not one that could have won that game with a confident first-half display.
What we saw was the difference between a team playing with belief and one utterly bereft of it. Many Spurs players looked as though they’d already given up. Timo Werner, hooked at half time, was an absolute waste of a strip. But what will concern fans of Spurs most is that Ange would have known that before this game even kicked off. Still, he selected him.
Postecoglou made some other substitutions during that second half, removing much of the old guard—a move that was almost certainly correct.
These are the players who have seen off a couple of Spurs managers already, and they didn’t appear to care if another one followed them out the door. Watching their lacklustre effort, you couldn’t escape the impression that they’ve stopped trying to save Ange. It looked like they don’t believe in his ideas or that he can take them anywhere.
Not one of the usual criticisms of Angeball could be levelled at Spurs last night. They didn’t leave themselves overly exposed at the back, although there were a few moments of shocking defensive incompetence. A better side than the one they faced would have punished them severely. But when Spurs have conceded goals this season, it’s often been due to their attacking ambition. Last night, however, it was simply incoherent, uninspired football.
There was none of the attacking flair we saw from his Celtic sides—even at Ibrox, where his record was far from stellar.
With the resources he had at his disposal last night, Spurs fans were entitled to expect far better from him. I think Ange is in serious trouble now.
We’ve all seen what it looks like when players stop playing for a manager. It’s ugly, brutal, and, with this Spurs squad, it’s happened before. The uplift in their performance after he brought on his own players was notable, but even then, they didn’t look like they were going to carve the Ibrox side open. That should terrify Spurs fans.
I love Ange, but I can’t muster much sympathy for the position he’s in.
Forewarned is forearmed, after all.
Surely there were people who told him Spurs was the wrong club for him? A handful anyway who told him that he was onto a good thing at Celtic and other jobs would come along? Did he really listen to Frank Trimboli who convinced him that this was the move he’d been waiting for?
Would he have listened to more sensible advice? Probably not. He likely saw it as the move he deserved at this stage of his career, and I can’t argue with that. It was the right kind of move but not the right club. That much was obvious before he even went there. I find sympathy hard to muster because Spurs is not set up to succeed.
He’s not going to make it there. That’s my take away from last night. Spurs fans aren’t tolerant, but still, they will tolerate many things; Ange without Angeball isn’t one of them. If this is what they’re reduced to watching, his time at Spurs will be over very soon.
A dreadful performance from Spurs in particular
Werner and Pedro Porro who was even worse.
I think that Sevco did play well and no doubt BR would have watched the game, we have to be really alert on Sunday and at our very best and hopefully win.
As usual with all the incomin hype, perspective will take a back seat. Granted, good performance and result by the ibrox club and tbf, the should’ve won it. Tho that Spurs team ?! Ah would definitely fancy us against them. That’s no bein arrogant, that’s bein absolutely honest. Aye, they’re a top premiership club by name, certainly no form wise right now, that’s obvious. Lookin at that last night, ye can understand why they’re sittin 11th in the EPL.
Great article James, and very accurate as per usual. Putting the injuries aside, I thought his Spurs team were shockingly poor, and dare I say, completely insipid, until the changes were made.
Not taking anything away from Sevco, who were certainly up for it and should have scored a few more.
Ange’s current plight may well split opinion with our fanbase and no doubt, there will be many who couldn’t care less.
However, as you say, most of us understood his move, albeit, to the wrong club. The early signs had so many Spurs fans, raving about his style of play, but it sounds as if the groundswell of opinion has completely changed to one of negativity, impatience and condemnation!
I hope things improve for him and he gets more time, but the end of his tenure may well come sooner, rather than later!
Humbled and Hunted by The Sevco Huns by all accounts…
Not a good night then for Ange –
Their board will undoubtedly see last night as the beginning of the end…
Now then – Will The Scummy’s of The Scummy Scottish Football Media be touting Fillipe Fillop for a Premiership job down South…
Because if it was Brendan they would be…
But they mustn’t speculate and upset the poor little lambs of Liebrox must they !
I can’t help but look at that game and how it could effect us on Sunday, Spurs shocked me, they were weak in every area of the park and big Fraser saved them from a 2 or 3 goal defeat. Looking at Rangers, I said a few days ago that Clement had them playing with energy and determination but as players most of them are pretty ordinary. They press teams well and that’s where we’ve got to watch, if we try to play out from the back in the way we did against Brugge they’ll be on us like a rash and we showed that night we couldn’t handle it. With 3 speedy players up front in Maeda,Kyogo and Kuhn why we don’t mix it up now and again by hitting a long ball into the space behind the defence puzzles me, That Rangers defence are pretty one paced.
I’ll leave that up to BR as I’m sure he’s just a wee bit more tactically aware than me, other than the high press I’m still sure that in every other dept we’re better than them.
Must admit this is a very condescending article. Spurs played last night without their two starting centre backs, VDV in particular is key to their all round play. An 18 year old midfielder playing centre back in a hostile environment doesn’t exactly inspire confidence to players around him. Also their starting goalkeeper. The team has been ravaged by injuries to key players and current form isn’t really reflective of them as a team. They are fatigued, playing Angeball with minimal rotation. The reference to spurs not being a team used to or entitled to winning things, or have winning mentality in their blood? More recently under Levy perhaps. I would point out that Spurs have won a European trophy both before and twice after Celtic, the first British team to do so. I am someone who has been to many Celtic games as a youngster, and I can assure you if Celtic were without a trophy in 15 years, all wouldn’t be rosy with the fanbase. I remember the great Henrik Larsson getting heckled in his first season in the stands. Make no mistake, Celtic fans are just as fickle and demanding as Spurs fans. While I’m normally an a staunch defender of the Scottish league and their teams success’ given you can only win what you are in. You can’t argue that challenging in England and challenging in Scotland are a completely different kettle of fish. The premise of the article is correct however, Spurs fans wouldn’t accept Ange without exciting football. Just as Celtic fans wouldn’t accept Rodgers in a trophy-less season.
Not a great performance from Spurs, and Ange’s coat hook grows shooglier. For us, mixed bag. They extended a lot of energy down those coefficient mines, but their tails will be up. It’s extremely important we start well, none of this being crap for 30-40 minutes as that only helps the zombies.
Tavpen getting an assist may give him a start on Sunday. I’d have him targeted and Maeda ripping him one from minute 1. We don’t need an early goal, by any means but we do need to avoid early bookings.
Only the overconfident were ever predicting a high scoring victory in a cup final anyway. We play anywhere near our potential and we win, but our form has been iffy of late, as it often is at this time of year.
As for Spurs…who cares? A conveyor belt of managers haven’t made them click, that core group of players is a problem and not one the club seems interested in dealing with.
Aye Spurs have some problems, Ange’s signings just aren’t good enough. They overachieved last year and now the team looks like it’s lost faith in the philosophy. I don’t know how much is Ange’s fault but I think he’s on his way out