Following Tottenham Hotspur’s sacking of Ange Postecoglou, we wanted to take a trip down memory lane, looking back at some of his best quotes. Let’s take a look through our top five from the last two years in North London.
Ange Postecoglou’s departure from Tottenham Hotspur has sparked mixed reactions from Spurs fans, with some believing that his poor league campaign was enough for a sacking, while others cannot wrap their heads around why the club has sacked a manager who delivered silverware after a 17-year drought.
Tottenham have since issued a lengthy statement following Ange Postecoglou’s sacking, thanking the Australian manager for his commitment to the club and for being one of three managers to deliver European silverware to the N17 club.
Postecoglou undoubtedly has given several Spurs fans a memory that will live long in their hearts, following the Europa League triumph in Bilbao, Spain.
The manager was one who always stood to defend the club each time the media looked to diminish Tottenham’s standing and success. He also ended the club’s banter era and delivered on his second-season trophy promise.
Indeed, Ange Postecoglou has etched his name into Tottenham folklore, and now we have decided to take a trip down memory lane to relive some of his quotes in his two years at Hotspur Way.
Coming in at number five of some of his best quotes as a Spurs manager was the absolute gem he gave us during the trophy parade, where Ange Postecoglou stated that season three is always better than season two.
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This quote could simply have been number one if the manager had been given a chance to live up to his statement, but unfortunately, he was axed before the start of the movie following his audition.
His quote: “I told them and they laughed. I told them and they did not believe, but here we are and we are here because of this unbelievable group of people – players, staff – absolute heroes.
“Led by the legend Heung-min Son, Cuti Romero, James Maddison and Guglielmo Vicario – all of them heroes. And they did it all for you because you deserve it.
“This club deserves it. And I will tell you something, I leave you with this – all the best television series, season three is better than season two.”
Coming in at number four is Postecoglou calling out Daniel Levy after he delivered the Europa League to Hotspur Way.
The Australian was quick to state that Daniel Levy did not see him as a winner when he appointed him, but he did not hesitate to let the club’s chairman know that he is a winner as well, even though many downplay his success because it did not happen in Europe’s top leagues.
He said: “I remember even when I signed, the club and even Daniel said, ‘we went after winners, it did not work and now we have got Ange,’ but mate, I am a winner. I have been a serial winner my whole career. It is what I have done more than anything else.
“I know people talk about my football, which I am very proud of. I know people dismiss my achievements because they did not happen on this side of the world, but for me, they were all hard-earned and all I have done my whole career is win things.”
Third is Ange Postecoglou’s quote on how football can provide escapism for fans, and this one is really emotional, given the circumstances surrounding it, following the unrest in the Middle East.
The manager reminded us of how he sees football and the impact it can have on people who are struggling, and how it can often unite a diverse group of people.
He said, “Well, it is not business as usual. That is not how we see our role. Our role, like I said, is to provide our supporters with something that you know they want to see in their football team.
“When we go out there on Monday night there will be 60,000 out there – and hundreds of thousands around the world – who just want to see their football team play some exciting football and win a game and give them that joy that only football can bring.
“Because, you know, when you score in that last minute to win a game of football, you do not care who is next to you. Do you? You do not care where they come from, what they think or what they believe. You are united as one for that moment.
“That is what football provides. It can provide. And I think that is our role. It is always our role, irrespective of what the current climate is or what the climate might be next week or in weeks to come.
“Football, like I said, maybe I am not using the right term, but it is a form of escapism for a lot of people for those moments, providing some comfort, feeling like you are part of something bigger. That is always our role as a football club.”
Speaking about how he processes the events of the past two weeks, Postecoglou added: “I have always felt that I am not a custodian of any football club.
“I have the responsibility of being a football manager like everyone else, I am a human being and you struggle with these things, and you understand that other people will struggle with them.
“My life experience has taught me not to judge or come to any strong conclusions. I will let the people who are affected by it be the guide in these kinds of things. Because it is very easy for others to cast judgement but in all these things, you are guided by people who are directly affected.
“And all I can do as a football manager within our football club is try and provide support, advice, and guidance in the best way I can and the best way a football club can to anyone who is struggling with these things.
“Again, I have always felt football – in sport, in general, especially football, the greatest role I can play is just that – and it sounds trivial at times – but it is, it can be a form of escapism.
“Ninety, 95 minutes where you can take people who are struggling with wherever they are in life just away from it, just for a little while, waiting for that period of time that you know you are around supporting their football club.
“And maybe within that context, we can provide some sort of small solace or comfort or, or even a little bit of joy that takes them away from whatever they are going through. But yes, that is where I have gone.
“I do not try and sort of interject myself into these things because, you know, there are things I do know about, my own sort of upbringing. And, you know, I know about what it feels like to be an immigrant and I can talk strongly about those kinds of things. But my family has never been involved in the war. So it is not for me to cast judgement on it.”
In number two is Postecoglou’s reaction to winning Tottenham the Europa League, after the club’s 17-year wait for a major honour and a 41-year wait for a European piece of silverware.
His words ultimately marked the end of the club’s banter era as he backed his constant defence of the club with a piece of silverware.
He also spoke about how delighted he was to make Spurs fans happy after a long season that was mostly filled with lows but ended with a major high.
He said: “I love how it has made people feel, it has filled a massive hole that they have had for so long, so that they now can proudly say their club is a trophy winner.
“It is a champion of a competition. There is no more this slight of ‘you are a great club, but you have never won anything’, that is done and I am super proud of that.”
The biggest quote of them all was Ange Postecoglou’s famous ‘I always win things in my second season‘. The fact that he backed it up makes it one of the coldest lines in football history.
Not once in any press conference did the manager back down from his original quote, with Postecoglou constantly doubling down on his original statement. It says a lot about his mentality and the belief he had in this group of players.
He said: “Usually in my second season, I win things. That is the whole idea. First year is about establishing principles and creating a foundation. Hopefully, the second year is going on to win things.
“Of course, it is easier said than done, particularly in the Premier League and the competitions we are in. But, that is always the way I have looked at it, is that the second year you should be in a position where you can push on, depending on how the first year has gone.
“Last year we had some really good moments, obviously we also had some tough moments. I think we learnt as much from the tough moments as we did from the good stuff and hopefully, that means we are in a good place. We are definitely a better-prepared team than we were last year.”