Postecoglou Expresses Indifference to Fan Support Following Confrontation

“I’m just as determined as ever to get it right,” declared Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou, who expressed disinterest in whether fans support him after a confrontation with supporters. Several Spurs supporters directed insults at Postecoglou after the team’s 1-0 loss to Bournemouth on Thursday. Postecoglou commented on the incident, stating, “I didn’t like what was being said because I’m a human being but you’ve got to cop it.” On Friday, ahead of Spurs’ London derby against Chelsea on Sunday, Postecoglou further remarked: “They aren’t behind me, they are behind the club. I have got no interest in who is behind me.” He elaborated on the previous night’s events, noting, “Last night you have to figure the fans who travel to Bournemouth are fairly hardcore supporters. They weren’t happy with what they saw and they felt like they needed to give some feedback. I took the feedback onboard and we move on.” Tottenham has secured only one win in their most recent six matches across all competitions; however, that sole victory was a dominant 4-0 defeat of current Premier League champions Manchester City. When questioned about a message for disgruntled Spurs supporters, Postecoglou responded: “As I said last night, no messages. I am here, I am going to fight to make sure we bring success to this football club. Nothing really changes. Where there is doubt, whether that is internally or externally, it just gets my resolve stronger to make sure we get it right.” Gus Poyet commented on Tottenham’s inconsistent form, stating, “‘Postecoglou won’t change’.” For their upcoming match at Stamford Bridge, Tottenham will be missing seven key first-team players, with Ben Davies having sustained a thigh injury against Bournemouth. Cristian Romero’s availability will be determined after an assessment on Friday afternoon, though Postecoglou has refrained from attributing recent results to injuries. He elaborated on his disappointment: “For me the disappointment last night, there was a repeat of cycle of us going into games, starting well enough but then allowing the opposition to get a grip on it by either conceding a sloppy goal – like we did last night – or not taking our opportunities.” Postecoglou emphasized the need to change this pattern: “We need to break that cycle, irrespective of where we are at at the moment. We know we are really thin on the ground in terms of squad numbers. We know there is not a lot of opportunity to rotate and rest players. We paid the price with Benny [Davies] last night. Those are known things. What also is known is we repeatedly shot ourselves in the foot in games like last night and we need to change that.” Postecoglou also provided a defense for Tottenham’s strategy of primarily acquiring young players during the summer transfer window. He explained, “We needed to do that because it was a team that was coming towards the end of its cycle, and we were rebuilding not just the squad but the playing style, and you couldn’t replace experience with experience because that is not a rebuild.” He concluded, “The decisions we made around signing young players are the right decisions for this club for where we are at right now, and they will bear fruit.” A Spurs fan characterized Postecoglou’s squad as “‘Held together by duct tape and vibes’.”