Ange Postecoglou fighting against recent Spurs history as UK press turns on Aussie manager

Tottenham Hotspur has broken many world class managers.

Jose Mourinho came to the club a prolific Champions League and Premier League winner, he was sacked by the club days before the Carabao Cup final. It was the first time since 2002, he hadn't won a trophy at a club.

Then came Antonio Conte, who had just won the Serie A with Inter Milan.

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Conte qualified Spurs for the Champions League in his first season. By 2023 he went on a tirade against the club after a 3-3 draw to Southampton.

"Tottenham's story is this. Twenty years there is the owner and they never won something, but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stays here?," he said at the time.

Then Aussie Ange arrived in 2023 and it came with plenty of curiosity.

He impressed in the first half of his first season, his press conferences were a breath of fresh air for a hungry British media pack. His style of football had experts and fans crying out for more.

Tottenham missed out on Champions League after injuries and form at the back end of the season led to a dip in performances. But he was still awarded Manager of the Year for his efforts.

The big performance of that season was on May 15 against Man City. Spurs had the chance to stay alive in the chase for Champions League, but if Man City beat them they'd end arch rivals Arsenal's hopes at the title.

Some Spurs fans were happy to lose to City, if it killed Arsenal's chances. Postecoglou wasn't impressed. Sitting in the bleachers of the North Stand of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, I heard the anti-Arsenal chants all day. Although there was significant suspense and inevitable despair when Son Heung-min had a clear cut chance saved.

City won 2-0, and Postecoglou post-match said "the foundations are really fragile. The last 48 hours have shown me that. It's inside the club, outside the club." It sounded eerily similar to Conte's criticism.

Fast forward to now, Spurs have secured just four points from four matches, albeit Postecoglou's marquee signing Dominic Solanke has only played two of those matches and finishing has been a real issue.

But now, true to form in the Premir League, the questions are being asked about Postecoglou's future.

After Spurs' recent 1-0 loss to Arsenal, Postecoglou declared "I always win things in my second year".

Speaking on Sky Sports, former England international Stephen Warnock said Postecoglou has now "put immense pressure on his team to go and win a trophy ... it's whether his team can deal with that pressure".

Warnock went on to say Postecoglou is "very spiky at the moment" and "he's a bit rude in the way that he acts ... I don't think it's a great look, I'm not a massive fan of it if I'm being honest."

On the same panel, England legend Sue Smith defended Postecoglou, saying emotions are high when talking after a match.

"I quite like that he's super confident," she said.

On a different panel with Sky Sports, Les Ferdinand declared Postecoglou is "the right man" for Spurs and that "they're not far away".

Paul Merson, when asked about Postecoglou's declaration that he'd win something quipped "I've got more chance of winning Strictly" in reference to British TV show Strictly Come Dancing.

Former Spurs midfielder Jamie Redknapp said "they need to pick up some results quickly, it's a fact at this club if you don't win games you don't last long".

Tim Sherwood, who previously managed Spurs and Aston Villa, defended Postecoglou.

"I've got faith in him," he said on Optus Sport's coverage.

"I really think, given the time, hopefully he can start scoring the goals and picking up points.

"I wouldn't put him under pressure. I love him. I think they need to persevere with him. But he needs the fans behind him. When he first came in they loved what they were seeing, it was such a contrast from previous managers, they were very boring to watch, now they're not."

One criticism that has come for Postecoglou in the past two seasons is conceding off set pieces. It was the same story when Gabriel headed home the winner off a corner in the North London derby.

Post-game, the Spurs coach declared "we work on them all the time". The Guardian's sportswriter Jonathan Wilson pointed out after the loss that Postecoglou declared last season "I'm just not interested in it" when asked about working specifically on set pieces.

"He did clarify that to explain that, on a philosophical level, he prefers to see the game holistically rather than hiving off one aspect to a specialist set-piece coach," Wilson wrote.

As the season drags on, how Tottenham owner Daniel Levy reacts will be one of the storylines of the season.

Prior to the season beginning, Manchester United icon Paul Scholes delivered one of the great compliments to Postecoglou.

"I think the only way he'll leave is go to a bigger club," he said on The Overlap's fan debate.

"I think there'll be teams after him ... I think he'll manage big clubs ... bigger clubs."

Will Postecoglou's second season at Tottenham mirror the success at South Melbourne, Brisbane Roar, the Socceroos, Yokohama F. Marinos and Celtic?

Time will tell.