Ange Postecoglou has launched a passionate defence of Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario after the Italian's heated exchange with the travelling supporters in Alkmaar.
After Spurs' dismal 1-0 defeat to AZ in the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie on Thursday night in the Netherlands, Vicario, one of the few visiting players to come out of the game with any credit with his saves, led the team over to the 950 travelling supporters in the corner of the stadium.
The goalkeeper attempted to call on the fans to raise their support by passionately raising his arms up in the air repeatedly. It was a miscalculated decision and the furious supporters hit back with angry words towards Vicario and the group of players who had followed him.
The goalkeeper looked disappointed at the reaction and walked off from the group towards the tunnel, with the supporters left disgruntled at being asked for more support after a big game in which Tottenham had failed to show up.
"Vic is very, very passionate about this football club and very passionate about what we're trying to do here and he wants to win and he wants everyone on board with that," Postecoglou said on Friday. "If people think there is one bad or vindictive bone in Vicario's makeup then they don't know the man that I do.
"The guy is one of the purest human beings you have ever come across, mate, so whatever he does he does for what he thinks is best for the team and for the football club because he really cares."
Vicario admitted afterwards that he could appreciate the frustration among the fans amid his failed attempt to bring them together.
"I can understand the disappointment for the night because we didn't play our football," he said. "So I can understand the frustration of the fans, but we still have a lot to play for, especially in the second leg. It's just a way of trying to stay together because we have the opportunity to go through to the next round.
"They can [be critical]. They have to be, they must be disappointed for the game we played tonight but we still have another game to play against AZ at our place, so it's the moment to stick together now because we can go through this round."
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