Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has conceded that his job’s now on the line and that a “fair chunk” of the fans will want him out after their demoralising home capitulation against basement-dwelling Leicester City.
With his injury-ravaged side 15th in the Premier League and in apparent freefall amid a calamitous run following the 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, the Australian sighed that Spurs were “as low as we’ve been” and admitted: “It hurts, it hurts a lot.”
But in the teeth of an increasingly mutinous air among the fan base who’ve backed him up to now, Postecoglou still saluted his players, saying he believed they were giving everything for him and could still do something “special”.
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But will he be given time to lead any revival?
“You can do a million investigations and talk to anonymous sources but you don’t need to talk to an anonymous source, you can talk to me. Every decision that’s made is on me,” he said while saying the reason behind their bad form was as simple as their heavy injury toll.
“I’m responsible for it, I’m the one that’s guiding this. If you’re looking for a head on a stick, take mine. But I’m absolutely 100% confident that we are in a much better place in all areas of the football club today than when I started.”
Spurs are still in contention for three trophies and leading 1-0 after the first leg of the League Cup semi-final with Liverpool, but the pressure’s pouring down relentlessly on the 59-year-old after this loss.
Spurs’ first-half 1-0 lead, courtesy of a Richarlison goal, slipped away in the first five minutes after the break as Leicester, who’d lost their seven previous league games, scored through Jamie Vardy and Bilal El Khannous.
Asked if he would still be around once Spurs, currently without 10 injured first-team squad players, got those key men back over the next few weeks, Postecoglou shrugged: “Who knows?
“I reckon there is probably a fair chunk that will say no.
“When you are the manager of a football club you can be very vulnerable and isolated. I don’t feel that. I feel like this group of players, not for me, are giving everything for the club. I have a group of staff that is really committed. I focus on that.
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“Yeah, it hurts. It hurts a lot. The players gave everything again. We are going to look at a lot of things, but in terms of effort I can’t ask any more of this group, things just didn’t go our way today.
“But I can even see in training when the guys who are coming back come back, it is going to give everybody a lift.
“As I keep saying to the players, there is a fantastic opportunity this season to really make an impact and I know we can.”
But Postecoglou, a footballing dreamer, is nothing if not a realist when it comes to his current plight.
“I’m a football manager and I get judged on results, that is the way of the world,” he shrugged.
“I have been around long enough to know that some will just judge on where we are at at the moment and rightly so in some respects. It’s not good enough.
“If people want to put context to that they can, if not so be it. I’m still very much stuck on the fact the players are just giving everything they can.
“I know it will turn.”
But the White Hart Lane natives are getting restless, with pundits turning their sights on Postecoglou.
One former Spurs player Jamie O’Hara launched a stinging attack on Sky Sports, saying: “Ange Postecoglou is out of his depth”.
“It’s understandable the fans are not happy with our current situation,” admitted Postecoglou.
“It is a difficult one to navigate because we need them right now, especially at home to create an atmosphere.”
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Manchester United have secured rare back-to-back wins as Lisandro Martinez’s second-half strike sank Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage.
The Argentina defender fired the only goal of the Premier League game in the closing stages, via a deflection off Fulham’s Sasa Lukic, as United followed up their midweek Europa League win against Rangers with three points.
It was only Ruben Amorim’s fourth victory in 12 Premier League matches since taking charge of United.
And the back-to-back wins have come since Amorim declared last weekend his team was “the worst, maybe, in the history of Manchester United.”
It was another blunt attacking display from United, who managed just one shot on target, but the valuable three points moved the Red Devils above Crystal Palace and up to 12th.
United forward Rasmus Hojlund endured another ineffective match and was replaced by Joshua Zirkzee after 58 minutes, with Amorim’s side appearing to require more inspiration from skipper Fernandes to find a breakthrough.
Fulham, who saw Joachim Andersen’s late header superbly cleared off the goal-line by United substitute Toby Collyer, have won one of their last five league games and sit 10th.
In the other match, Brentford beat Crystal Palace 2-1 in a contest between mid-table clubs.
Bryan Mbeumo converted a penalty at the second attempt to put Brentford ahead. His first try at the spot kick hit the post and was cleared away by Palace defender Marc Guehi, who was penalised for encroachment.
Kevin Schade made it 2-0 to the visitors before Romain Esse pulled a goal back on his debut for Palace, two minutes after entering as a substitute.
with AAP