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Postecoglou has conceded there is a 'general sentiment' he will leave the club

Tottenham host Eintracht Frankfurt in their Europa League quarter-final first leg

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Ange Postecoglou has hit back at critics for what he sees as continued negativity towards Tottenham - and vowed to continue fighting for however long he is in charge of the club.

Spurs languish in 14th place in the Premier League after a disappointing season, with glory in the Europa League their only chance to end the season positively. They host Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday in the first leg of their quarter-final.

Negative rumblings came to a head when Postecoglou was asked about a discussion between Brennan Johnson and Mathys Tel over who would take a late penalty kick against Southampton on Sunday.

Tel scored to secure a 3-1 victory, but the Australian was angered by a perceived shift towards a negative narrative after a positive day for his side.

‘We scored, we won. Delighted. It's incredible, it's just... literally turning gold into c*** when it's Tottenham,’ Postecoglou said.

‘Seriously. If we're 2-1 up against Frankfurt and get a penalty in the last minute, I want the best penalty taker to take it.

‘The winner's mentality in the last minute of the game is to score a goal. We scored a goal. And yet somehow in this ultimate universe where everything Tottenham does is wrong, that's come out as a negative.’

Postecoglou's future has been under the microscope for months, with speculation that the 59-year-old’s time at the club is likely to end this summer.

However, he insisted he would not use negativity as motivation to defeat Frankfurt.

‘I think someone wrote that even if we win it, I'm gone anyway. That's not having a go, that's just saying the general sentiment of people. So if you're trying to use that as a motivation, you're not going to win that anyway.

‘There's got to be more in it for us and for us what is the most important thing as a group is that we've been through a really tough time but we're still in a position where we can make an impact - and you don't know how often you get those opportunities.’

Tottenham fans were livid after Lucas Bergvall's goal was ruled out on Sunday

The VAR took five minutes to say if Cristian Romero was offside in the build-up

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Tottenham fans were left incensed on Sunday after Lucas Bergvall's goal against Southampton was ruled out following a five-minute VAR check.

The midfielder fired home from close-range after Cristian Romero nodded the ball into his path from a free-kick.

But Romero was adjudged to have been a fraction offside as he won the header, which led to the VAR ruling out Tottenham's goal.

The assistants at Stockley Park took an egregious four minutes and 53 seconds to decide that Romero was offside.

The Premier League released a statement shortly after the incident to explain the decision.

They wrote on their @PLMatchCentre X account: 'VAR checked the referee’s call of goal – and established that Romero was in an offside position in the build-up and recommended that the goal was disallowed.'

However, fans were not necessarily frustrated at the outcome of the review, but rather how long it took the VAR to make a decision. Supporters took to social media to vent their frustrations around the incident.

One fan wrote: 'Absolute joke. VAR is such a shambles.'

Another ranted: 'Absolutely joke implementation of what VAR should be and is in other leagues. English reffing is the problem. A stinking club of protectionism, above all.'

A third commented: 'Absolutely ludicrous.'

Sunday's incident came just days after Ange Postecoglou said football was no longer the sport he knew and that he expects to watch fewer games and 'find another hobby' when his career is over.

The Australian had celebrated his side's second-half equaliser against Chelsea in an animated fashion before it was ruled out following a VAR review. Spurs went on to lose the game 1-0 on Thursday night.

'I am falling out of love with the game because I loved celebrating goals,' Postecoglou said the next day.

'Last night I did, and I'm paying a massive price for it. I'll make sure I don't do it again, but I think that's kind of sad.'

Tottenham were able to cruise to a 3-1 victory over Southampton, which saw them climb up to 13th in the table.

Meanwhile, the Saints' relegation was mathematically confirmed following the result.

Spurs next face Frankfurt in their Europa League quarter-final clash on Thursday.

Glory in the competition would end a three-year dry spell in the Champions League for Tottenham, as it would secure them automatic qualification to Europe's biggest club contest.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has come under fire from supporters amid their dismal form this season.

Before Ange Postecoglou's side hosted Southampton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, fans were protesting against Levy outside of the ground.

'Time for change,' read many flags, while the message on another was: 'Built a business, killed a football club.'

Another flag read: 'Enough is enough, ENIC Out!' aimed at ENIC Group, who bought a controlling stake of the club in 2001 from Alan Sugar.

A popular tune in honour of Sweden midfielder Dejan Kulusevski was altered to take aim at the 62-year-old chairman.

'We don't care about Levy, he don't care about me, all I care about is [Dejan] Kulusevski,' fans sang, referencing recent ticket-price hikes and plans to scrap some concessions.

Other chants went: 'We want Levy out,' and 'Daniel Levy, get out of our club.'

There are set to be more protests during the match, with fans urged to hold up their protest scarves in the 24th minute, denoting 24 years of ENIC ownership, and again in the 61st minute, as a nod to the fact the club were last champions in 1961.

Change For Tottenham, a fan-led group who aim to bring about change at the club, said: 'Many lifelong Tottenham supporters feel alienated by the club's ownership and direction.

'The New Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is a state of the art facility, but at what cost? Ticket prices are among the highest in the Premier League, forcing many fans, some of whom have supported Spurs for decades, to give up their season tickets or attend fewer games.

'For years the team has lacked investment in key areas, particularly in defence, while transfer windows have felt reactive instead of proactive. The result? Another trophy-less season looms, extending a drought that has lasted since 2008.'

Ahead of their clash with Southampton, Postecoglou called for Spurs to be ‘more vocal’, which was a pointed reference to the silence from the boardroom and their former players on the punditry circuit.

‘The only voice you hear is me,’ he said. ‘When we’re talking about the bigger clubs, there seems to be a lot more voices.

'And not always defending. You need scrutiny and constructive criticism as well. We definitely get enough of that but never get any of the other stuff.

‘It seems with Tottenham wherever there’s a sore there’s a real pile-on to stick a finger in that sore and then we kind of accept our fate.’

Levy has spent over £1bn on transfer arrivals since the club last enjoyed silverware, when they won the EFL Cup in 2008.

However, with their fourth permanent manager in six years, they still languish in the bottom-half of the Premier League table.

PLUS: Why Tottenham shouldn't sack Postecoglou despite mounting pressure

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In keeping with Ange Postecoglou’s philosophy, no team have drawn fewer games than Tottenham this season. They have also scored more than Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, who are both in the Champions League spots.

Yet Spurs have also lost 16 league games, which is unacceptable, and that commitment to being non-stop, gung-ho is going to be the manager’s downfall unless they pull off the unlikely trick of winning the Europa League.

While Angeball is good on the eye with its high intensity, it is unsustainable to play that way all the time. There are patches of brilliance, like the 4-0 win at Manchester City, but usually the better teams pick Spurs off.

It’s not a weakness to take the opposition into account. When Liverpool played Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal, we put Emile Heskey on to Ashley Cole on a couple of occasions. When we faced the great Manchester United team, the gameplan was different depending on whether the game was at Old Trafford or Anfield.

The best managers allow their players freedom to make decisions on the pitch because they can sometimes feel the match situation better than is possible from the sidelines. But Djed Spence said recently on a podcast that the Spurs players had to do things Ange’s way.

Postecoglou’s unwavering philosophy might just be understandable if all his players were fit. But we saw him continue the same approach even when his defence was decimated by injury. For me, it defied logic.

I was in the stadium when Spurs lost 6-3 to Liverpool. I couldn’t believe Liverpool’s full-backs were allowed to run beyond Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min. It was no surprise Trent Alexander-Arnold set up the first goal and it was carnage after that.

Unless Postecoglou changes, I don’t see how Spurs can improve. I’d like to see a different outlook against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday but I don’t see it coming.

In Europe, you have to take into account the opposition and the nature of a two-legged tie. You can’t let your ego get the better of you and stick to Plan A for 180 minutes regardless.

The mood from fans towards Postecoglou has shifted in the last week or two, particularly after cupping his ear to the away end at Stamford Bridge. When Spurs were in three cup competitions, there was an acceptance to overlook the league but no longer.

Ange, so likeable last season, has started getting agitated and snapping back at questions. That doesn’t help with fans who want to hear solutions being offered.

The manager can’t take all the blame. Recruitment has been questionable. How many Spurs forwards would be wanted by Liverpool, or even Newcastle, right now? Maybe Kulusevski, but that’s about it.

Some are calling for Ange to be sacked now so a new manager bounce helps them win the Europa but it’s not my gut feeling unless there is a Jurgen Klopp available with the CV to make a difference. To draft in someone less experienced doesn’t make sense. New managers need time to impose their ideas.

There is still a chance Spurs could win the Europa, of course, primarily because the quality of the other quarter-finalists is not world-beating.

But if they continue to play like this, they are asking to be hurt. They have to improve their game management. If there are periods where they are being pressed, there is nothing wrong with playing a percentage ball to Dominic Solanke.

I don’t think Spurs players have downed tools. I see a group trying to do it Ange’s way but who are too fatigued and lacking energy at times to make it work.

It’s made Spurs very one-dimensional and too easy for other teams. They have been worked out, hence the 16 losses.

In the last two domestic cup finals, Manchester United and Newcastle have departed from their normal game to beat Manchester City and Liverpool. Ange doesn’t have to rip up everything he’s introduced at Tottenham but unless he starts showing flexibility, it’s curtains.

Tottenham duo Richarlison and Pape Sarr locked horns in traffic earlier this week, as the Brazilian shared a video on social media of the two arguing at a junction.

The clip was shared as a joint post on both players' Instagram accounts, and was uploaded just a day after their side's 1-0 defeat by Chelsea on Thursday evening.

Richarlison jumped out of his £140,000 Corvette to slap the bonnet of Sarr's Mercedes, before shouting expletives and putting up his middle finger.

Meanwhile, Sarr filmed the incident from his point of view and was in hysterics. The Senegalese midfielder honked his horn at a junction while stopped behind Richarlison.

Despite his frustration in the moment, Richarlison later saw the funny side of the incident, taking to Instagram to write a light-hearted caption.

He said: 'Tag your friend who has no patience in traffic!!!' followed by some laughing emojis and tagging Sarr.

Richarlison was driving his Corvette E-ray - a car which is not officially sold in the UK and must be imported.

It is likely that he paid up to £140,000 for the V8 motor, which boasts a top speed of over 180mph, and can do 0-60mph in 2.5 seconds - quicker than a base Ferrari Roma.

Meanwhile Sarr was motoring around his Mercedes G Wagon which, from what the interior looks like, is likely a G400, G450 or G500 model.

One of these models would run the 22-year-old anywhere between £110,000 and £150,000.

The two-and-a-half ton G Wagon has a top speed of just 130mph, and can do 0-62mph in around 6.4 seconds.

Ange Postecoglou let rip at Tottenham's board after their 1-0 defeat at Chelsea

He also implied that Spurs' legends need to publicly back the club more

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Ange Postecoglou fumed about VAR, even confessing it has made him fall out of love with football, but that was not all. He let off steam on a whole range of other matters, too, as he tackled the mood of discontent brewing inside the Tottenham family.

Postecoglou called for Spurs to be ‘more vocal’, which was a pointed reference to the silence from the boardroom and their former players on the punditry circuit, compared to Liverpool’s army of media cheerleaders.

‘The only voice you hear is me,’ he said. ‘When we’re talking about the bigger clubs, there seems to be a lot more voices. And not always defending. You need scrutiny and constructive criticism as well. We definitely get enough of that but never get any of the other stuff.

‘It seems with Tottenham wherever there’s a sore there’s a real pile-on to stick a finger in that sore and then we kind of accept our fate.’

Postecoglou is upset that inquests from Thursday’s 1-0 defeat at Chelsea — a 16th defeat in the Premier League this season — focused on his exchange with Spurs fans rather than a six-minute VAR stoppage culminating in a decision to rule out what would have been an equaliser by Pape Matar Sarr.

‘I’d have thought that would be the story but it’s not,’ said the 59-year-old Australian.

‘I am falling out of love with the game because I loved celebrating goals. (On Thursday) I did, and I’m paying a massive price for it. I’ll make sure I don’t do it again, but I think that’s kind of sad.

‘In the time I’ve been here, we’ve had two decisions gone for us against Liverpool and there has been a national campaign, almost.’

He joked about outlasting predecessors and hinted, as some of them did, that the reasons for Tottenham’s trophyless struggles run deeper than the identity of the man picking the team.

‘I just don’t think it’s about the managers themselves,’ said Postecoglou. ‘I’ve almost lasted two years, it’s pretty good for Tottenham. At some point, the club need to stick to something.

‘If I say it now, it sounds self-serving and defeats the purpose, so maybe not now… but if you want to change the course of your events, you need to change materially a lot of things in terms of your outlook as a club.’

Postecoglou defended his work last year, finishing fifth after selling Harry Kane and transforming the style of football, while accepting this season had not been up to scratch.

‘If you have five years at a club and maybe one or two disappointing years but three really strong years, you’d say, “I’ll take that”,’ he said.

‘Here it seems like, well, you have one good year and one poor year and that’s it. Let’s move on to the next.’

On the matter of job security, he said: ‘There’s life after this for everybody, including Tottenham and including me.’

Nuno Espirito Santo, sacked after four months as Spurs boss, has Forest third in the Premier League. Jose Mourinho arrived having won the lot, was sacked after 17 months, six days before a League Cup final, and went on to win the Conference League with Roma.

Mourinho is now at Fenerbahce grappling — literally at times — with Galatasaray for the Turkish title. Antonio Conte, who won league titles at Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan, and now has Napoli second in Serie A, lasted 16 months at Tottenham, departing soon after a blistering attack on the club’s culture after a draw at Southampton.

Conte branded the players ‘selfish’ and said: ‘If they want to continue in this way, they can change manager, a lot of managers, but the situation cannot change. Believe me.’

His words linger. They might as well be printed on the dugout.

Postecoglou vowed to fight on, admitting he knew the scale of the challenge when walking out on Celtic for the job in 2023. His team, 14th in the league, face rock-bottom Southampton tomorrow before the first leg of a Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday.

He knows winning Tottenham’s first trophy for 17 years is probably the only way to appease restless fans. ‘Let’s see if we can deliver that and see what happens,’ he said.

Ange Postecoglou defended himself for cupping his ear towards the Spurs fans

New footage has emerged of the controversial incident at Stamford Bridge

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Tottenham fans have reacted to new footage emerging of Ange Postecoglou appearing to cup his ear towards the travelling supporters during Thursday's 1-0 defeat at Chelsea.

Spurs fell a goal behind early in the second half when Enzo Fernandez headed home Cole Palmer's cross, and the mood in the away end did not improve when Postecoglou made a double substitution just after the hour mark that saw Pape Matar Sarr and Brennan Johnson come on for Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert.

Fans could be heard chanting 'you don't know what you're doing', but Sarr then scored from long range just five minutes later.

As the ball hit the back of the net, Postecoglou was spotted turning to the away fans and cupping his ear, only for the goal to subsequently be disallowed for a foul in the build-up.

Pressed on the incident after the game, Postecoglou defended himself by claiming he was just trying to get the supporters to cheer louder after admitting his team have been going through a difficult period.

However, previously unaired footage has now emerged online showing Postecoglou cupping his ear and then waving at the supporters, seemingly trying to get their attention to make sure they saw his gesture.

The new clip has not gone down well with fans who have lashed out at Postecoglou for his behaviour on social media.

'He knows EXACTLY what he's doing,' one X user wrote.

'It's the wave that's worse,' another added.

One supporter simply branded the gesture a 'disgrace', while another accused the Australian of 'arrogance'.

Another fan hit out at Postecoglou for denying he had been trying to rile the crowd in the media, as they wrote: 'Makes his excuse in the interview sound even more pitiful now!'

Postecoglou had attempted to explain his gesture to Sky Sports in a prickly interview as he told the broadcaster: 'I wanted them (the fans) to be happy, mate. We'd just scored a cracking goal. So I wanted them to cheer – because they haven't had a lot to cheer about.'

He added: 'It's not the first time my substitutions have been booed. If you followed my tenure, it's not the first time. They're allowed to boo. But I wanted them to cheer – because I thought it was a cracking goal.'

Spurs midfielder James Maddison admitted in his own interview with Sky Sports that fans have every right to be angry with the team right now following a 16th league defeat that leaves Tottenham down in 14th.

'It hurts a lot. It’s been one too many times this season. Our fans are rightly disappointed. We’re disappointed.

'We’re just trying hard to search for the answers of why, in the league, we’re not getting the results in the tight games. We’ve lost so many games this year by one-goal margins.

'So, I don’t really want to be out here talking out of nowhere. Our fans don’t even want to hear what we’ve got to say, do they? So, it’s about just trying to be better going forward.

'To be fair, they’re rightly angry. I think it’s still important that we go over and show our appreciation for them, even though we’re not getting a nice reception, let’s put it that way.

'So that’s why I still walk over there. I think they deserve that, even though it’s not easy to go over and get pelted right in your face.

'But, like I said, they pay their money, they travel all over for us. And we’re just as disappointed as they are, but we’re trying to put it right.'

Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp believes Ange Postecoglou is on borrowed time after Spurs were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea on Thursday night.

Enzo Fernandez scored the only goal of the game as Tottenham slipped to their sixteenth league defeat of the season to remain 14th in the Premier League table.

Spurs still have a chance of ending their 17-year wait for silverware after reaching the Europa League quarter-finals, and Redknapp believes European glory could save Postecoglou, but he insists their cup run should not paper over the cracks following a dismal league campaign.

'If they weren't still in Europe, I don't think he'd still be the manager,' Redknapp told Sky Sports. 'They've been that poor.

'He knows the price of the ticket. You don't lose 16 games at a club like Tottenham. Yes, they've had injuries but that's not good enough.

'He's got to win the cup. If they win the cup, they're creating history. If they don't win it, they will be history. It's all or nothing for Ange Postecoglou. They are capable because they've got the players to do it, but they need the spirit.'

Postecoglou was jeered by the travelling fans when he replaced Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert with Pape Matar Sarr and Brennan Johnson just after the hour mark at Stamford Bridge.

He was then seen cupping his ear in the direction of the supporters when Sarr scored shortly afterwards, only for the goal to subsequently be disallowed for a foul in the build-up.

Redknapp's fellow pundit Gary Cahill admitted he was 'baffled' by Postecoglou's tactics, but did concede that winning a trophy would change the mood at Spurs.

'Their season can be saved in a massive way,' Cahill said. 'They probably can't wait for the Premier League season to be over. The Europa League is a distraction. It will save their season (if they win).

'Tottenham, I was baffled with their tactics and how they were trying to play out. Chelsea, you can see a method.'

Tottenham host rock-bottom Southampton on Sunday, and will be looking for a confidence boost ahead of the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt next Thursday.

Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham Hotspur lost 1-0 at Chelsea on Thursday night

Postecoglou appeared to aim a gesture at Spurs fans before later avoiding them

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Ange Postecoglou was left fielding uncomfortable questions and accusations of disconnect with Tottenham supporters on Thursday night after his side slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Chelsea.

The Australian was involved in a frosty post-match interview with Sky Sports and attempted to downplay a moment during the second half when he appeared to cup his ear in the direction of the away end at Stamford Bridge.

The gesture came in the immediate aftermath of Pape Matar Sarr's long-range strike in the 69th minute, which looked to have brought Spurs level until a lengthy VAR review ruled it out for a foul by Sarr on Moises Caicedo in the build-up.

Just moments before that, Postecoglou had substituted Sarr on for Lucas Bergvall - a decision that was met with boos from the travelling fans, some of whom also chanted: 'You don't know what you're doing.'

Seemingly in response, Postecoglou turned toward the away section and cupped his ear. But when questioned about the gesture by Sky Sports' Patrick Davison, he insisted it had been misinterpreted.

'Yeah, I wanted them to be happy, mate,' Postecoglou said. 'We'd just scored a cracking goal. So I wanted them to cheer – because they haven't had a lot to cheer about.'

Asked whether the gesture was a direct reaction to his substitutions being booed, Postecoglou replied: 'It's not the first time my substitutions have been booed. If you followed my tenure, it's not the first time. They're allowed to boo. But I wanted them to cheer – because I thought it was a cracking goal.'

Davison pressed again: 'You said in the week – in your interview with Mark Schwarzer – that you felt you'd lost a portion of the fans. Is that what we saw tonight?'

Postecoglou bristled: 'I get it, Pat. You're trying really hard. That's fine. You've already decided what the outcome is.'

Davison later attempted to keep Postecoglou on side by telling him: 'There's no agenda.'

The interview also saw Postecoglou reiterate his distain for VAR.

'It's killing the game, mate. It's not the same game it used to be,' he said. 'We all sat on our couches last night and watched TV – I guarantee you, if [Thursday's VAR] Jarred Gillett was the VAR last night, we'd have got a different outcome.'

The 'last night' Postecoglou referred to was Wednesday's Merseyside derby at Anfield, where Liverpool beat Everton 1-0. During that match, a dangerous challenge by James Tarkowski on Alexis Mac Allister only resulted in a yellow card, despite VAR briefly checking whether the on-field official had been too lenient.

The lack of VAR intervention shocked pundits and fans alike, while the PGMOL even later admitted that Tarkowski should have been sent off.

'You just don't know what you're going to get,' Postecoglou continued, still fuming at Sarr's disallowed goal. 'We waited for six minutes for something that apparently the VAR thought was clear and obvious. It's madness, mate.'

Davison asked if he believed the VAR decision to disallow Sarr's goal was wrong. Postecoglou pushed back: 'Look, Pat, you can try and force me into a corner.'

Davison: 'I'm not trying to force you into anything.'

Postecoglou replied: 'Did you think last night was clear and obvious? How many minutes did it take this referee to figure out whether it was clear and obvious? In your basic knowledge of human vocabulary – "clear and obvious" – what does that suggest to you?'

Davison admitted: 'No, it's maybe not clear and obvious. I do think it's a foul [by Sarr], if I'm honest.'

Postecoglou: 'OK. Right. Well, there you go. So the referee didn't see it. He then needs to see it for six minutes, but you get the right outcome so you're happy – and that's why the game's going the way it is. And I guess people like you will continue to be happy sitting on your couches waiting for six minutes for clear and obvious stuff. That's fine. I don't agree with that, but that's fine.'

Davison attempted to finish on a positive note by looking forward to next week's Europa League quarter-final first leg against Frankfurt: 'You saw enough for Thursday? Because the season hinges on that ultimately, doesn't it?'

Postecoglou shook his head: 'No, no. We've got to get Sunday first [against Southampton in the Premier League]. We've got to go ahead on Sunday. I think it's important that we continue to play.'

Former Spurs captain Jamie Redknapp, working as a pundit for Sky, said there was no doubt the ear-cupping gesture signalled tension between Postecoglou and the club's fanbase.

'He made a couple of substitutions and I don't think it went down too well with the Tottenham fans,' Redknapp said. 'And I think when they scored, it looked like he cupped his hands to the Spurs fans as if to say, "Well, listen, I know better."'

On the post-game scenes, Redknapp added: 'Normally, he'd be over there clapping them. There's a disconnect between the two at the moment.

'It's not ideal for the manager. But he's got some big games ahead. He's just got to keep his head up.'

Former Chelsea defender Gary Cahill also sensed serious strain.

'There's certainly a frustration with the manager and the fans,' Cahill said.

'Honestly, I have to be honest: they were dreadful today. I didn't see a clear game plan. No shots on target by half-time. He's got to be disappointed.

'There's clear friction there, you can see.'

Spurs have now lost 16 of their 30 Premier League games this season. The most defeats they have ever suffered in a single Premier League campaign is 19.

Tottenham were criticised for their performance in their 1-0 defeat by Chelsea

Supporters showed their anger towards the players and Postecoglou at the end

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Tottenham fans' fury is justified, James Maddison admitted after their 1-0 loss at Chelsea.

Spurs fell to a 16th defeat in 30 Premier League games - their most in any entire campaign since 2003-04 - and were second-best in the London derby at Stamford Bridge.

Enzo Fernandez's header was enough to secure the three points for Chelsea, with Moises Caicedo and Pape Matar Sarr both having goals ruled out after VAR checks.

Ange Postecoglou did not clap the fans at full time while supporters gave the players an earful.

They had booed Postecoglou's decision to bring on Sarr and Brennan Johnson (for Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert), and the Spurs boss appeared to cup his ears at them when he thought the former had scored, though he later insisted he just wanted them to cheer.

'It hurts a lot. It’s been one too many times this season. Our fans are rightly disappointed. We’re disappointed,' Maddison told Sky Sports.

'We’re just trying hard to search for the answers of why, in the league, we’re not getting the results in the tight games. We’ve lost so many games this year by one-goal margins.

'So, I don’t really want to be out here talking out of nowhere. Our fans don’t even want to hear what we’ve got to say, do they? So, it’s about just trying to be better going forward.

'To be fair, they’re rightly angry. I think it’s still important that we go over and show our appreciation for them, even though we’re not getting a nice reception, let’s put it that way.

'So that’s why I still walk over there. I think they deserve that, even though it’s not easy to go over and get pelted right in your face.

'But, like I said, they pay their money, they travel all over for us. And we’re just as disappointed as they are, but we’re trying to put it right.

'It can still be a super special season if we lift silverware. We’re in the quarter-final. We’re two fixtures away from a European final. So it can still be a very special season.

'The message would be, just stick with us. We need them as much as they need us, you know. And again, they probably don’t want to be listening to me right now after another defeat in the league. That’s fine, but I have to come out, I have to answer your questions. So, just try and stick together, I guess.'

The feeling between supporters and the team became tense when fans began chanting 'you don't know what you're doing' at Postecoglou due to some of his subsitutions.

When sub Sarr finished from outside the box minutes later, then, Postecoglou took the chance to cup his ears at the travelling fans.

Unfortunately for Spurs, that goal was ruled out after lenghty VAR consideration due to Sarr's foul on Moises Caicedo.

But Postecoglou's gesture remained a talking point after the game.

'When they scored, it looked like he cupped his hands to the Spurs fans as if to say, listen, I know better,' Jamie Redknapp told Sky Sports in the aftermath.

'Normally he'd be over there clapping them. There's a disconnect between the two at the moment. It's not ideal. He's got to keep his head up, keep working hard, believing what he's trying to do. It was a tough night for them.'

But Postecoglou insisted he had not meant to taunt the fans, and instead just wanted to encourage them.

'Jeez, mate. It’s incredible how things get interpreted. We'd just scored. I just wanted to hear them cheer,' he said in his press conference.

'Because we’ve been through a tough time, and I thought it was a cracking goal. I just wanted them to get really excited. I felt at that point we could potentially go on and win the game. I just felt momentum was on our way.

'It doesn’t bother me. It’s not the first time they’ve booed my substitutions or my decisions. That’s fine. They’re allowed to do that. But we just scored a goal. We just scored an equaliser. I was just hoping that we could get some excitement.

'People want to read into that — that somehow I’m trying to make a point about something. I said I felt we’ve been through a tough time. But I just felt there was a bit of a momentum shift there. If they can get really behind the lads, I thought we had the momentum to finish on top of them.'