This post is a little personal, but hey — it’s my blog, I get to be personal sometimes. It’s been a long, tough season. I’ve suffered along with every other Spurs fan as Tottenham has slipped from a club that we expect to finish in the top five or six in the Premier League table to one that will finish just above the relegation spots this season.
But while I too have wavered a bit in my support for Ange Postecoglou as Spurs have continued to lose and slip down the table, I’ve never fully gone Ange-Out. Why? Because while the league campaign is unacceptable and regrettable, and despite a whole bunch of unsubstantiated ITK crap that suggested otherwise, Ange has never once lost the dressing room. His players have repeatedly and vociferously stated, again and again, that they believe in him and his methods, that they believe in the project, and that they back him to the hilt.
I’ve never gone full Ange-Out because of the way he speaks. He’s forthright, clear, direct. And he’s unwavering in his support for the club and his players. He might needle the fans on occasion (especially the ones calling him a “fat fuck” from the stands or on social media) or get snippy with a reporter in press conferences, but I’ve never once thought that he, or the players, have given up.
Today, after Spurs’ 0-2 win at Bodø/Glimt that sent them to the Europa League final, the club posted a video of Postecoglou speaking to the players in the Aspmyra Stadion changing room. I’ve embedded it below. You should watch it.
To be fair, it’s a perfectly valid opinion to believe that Spurs need to make a change this summer no matter what happens on May 21 in Bilbao. That’s fine. There’s plenty of evidence to make an argument that he deserves to be let go for the diabolical league campaign. I may disagree with you and argue my point, but I’ll never say that people are stupid to have that opinion, or that it isn’t warranted. That said, this is a guy who has battled incredible hardships over the course of the season, including an injury crisis that’s unprecedented in my nearly 20 years as a fan, and has admitted it when things have been tough.
Take some time and watch the video below. Absorb what he’s saying, and listen to how he speaks to his players.
I think then you’ll understand why I’m still Ange-In.