Reason in madness
Levy reveals why Tottenham appointed Postecoglou as new manager
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR chairman Daniel Levy has revealed why he chose to appoint Ange Postecoglou as manager, after the Australian signed a four-year deal to take over as boss. Spurs had been looking for a new permanent manager since Antonio Conte spectacularly burned almost every bridge on his way out of north London earlier this year and the interim spells of Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason failed to inspire – ensuring the club missed out on European football for the first time in almost 15 years.
They have now turned to Postecoglou, the 57year-old who has hugely impressed north of the border at Celtic and will become the first Australian to manage in the Premier League.
His attacking football philosophy has not only made the Glasgow club a breathlessly scintillating watch en route to a clean sweep of domestic trophies but also convinced Levy that he is the right man to take Spurs forward.
“Ange brings a positive mentality and a fast, attacking style of play,” Levy explained.
“He has a strong track record of developing players and an understanding of the importance of the link from the academy – everything that is important to our club.
“We are excited to have Ange join us as we prepare for the season ahead.”
Postecoglou faces a lengthy to-do list at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, including working with a new, as-yet-unappointed director of football, sorting out the future of talisman Harry Kane and solving a full-back conundrum created by predecessor Conte’s adherence to a wing-back system.
His attacking philosophy will be music to the ears of Spurs fans, who saw the most successful period in their side’s recent history come under the free-flowing style of Mauricio Pochettino, with the subsequent tenures of Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Conte all more conservative and dour – to a greater or lesser degree. Postecoglou also found success in both the Japanese and Australian leagues before joining Celtic and Levy is banking on the new boss to transform a side stuck treading water, with a shiny, new, state-of-theart stadium but without the onpitch success to accompany it.
Matt Smith, who won back-to-back titles under Postecoglou at Brisbane Roar, says the boss was not content with simply winning, he wanted to “change the whole scope of how Australian football was perceived”.
“Ange’s massive strength is his ability to be able to bring players along that journey and buy into what he does,” the former Brisbane captain told BBC
Sport.
“There’s zero tolerance for players that don’t want to follow. We were never made to feel comfortable, we were always pushing to be better, always developing, always working harder than any group I’ve experienced before.
“It didn’t matter if you were the biggest player in the dressing room or the youngest – if you weren’t pulling your weight or following his principles, he was very ruthless.” – The Independent/Express Newspapers/Agencies