Ange Postecoglou: Why are Tottenham fans angry at chairman Daniel Levy? 
2025-01-27
Category: sports

Ange Postecoglou has had some tough moments during his second season in charge at Tottenham.There was defeat by newly promoted Ipswich in November, a 6-3 loss to Liverpool at home in December and needing extra-time to scrape past non-league Tamworth in the FA Cup in January. But Spurs' season plunged to new depths on Sunday with a 2-1 loss to Leicester City, who had been on a seven-match losing streak before arriving in north London.The mood inside the Tottenham Hotspur stadium turned toxic at full-time but Postecoglou was not the only one bearing the brunt of the supporters' rage, as fans made their feelings clear towards chairman Daniel Levy. After defeat to Leicester left Spurs 15th in the Premier League and on a seven-match winless run, Postecoglou admitted he was unsure over his future.But why is a lot of the anger directed elsewhere? 
How bad is Spurs' form?
After the loss to Leicester, Postecoglou said: "I'm a football manager and I get judged on results, that is the way of the world."If that is the case, then the results do not make happy reading for the Tottenham boss. After Sunday's loss: Spurs are 15th in the Premier League, collecting 24 points from 23 matches.They are eight points above the relegation zone and are closer to bottom place Southampton (18 points) than they are to league leaders Liverpool (27 points)They have won just one of their last 11 Premier League matches, winning one, drawing one and losing nine. They have taken four points from the last 33 available. Tottenham have failed to win any of their last seven Premier League matches - their longest winless streak in the top flight since a nine-game run in 2008.The defeat against Leicester was the first time since a loss to Notts County in 1912 that Spurs have lost at home to a side who had lost their previous seven league matches in a row. 
'24 years, 16 managers, one trophy - time for change' - analysis
Nizaar Kinsella - BBC Sport football news reporterA banner displayed by fans in Tottenham's South Stand during the first half put it simply, saying: "24 years, 16 managers, one trophy - time for change".There's a sense that changing the manager now would not solve Spurs's problems - as they have repeatedly tried since Mauricio Pochettino's longer five-year spell - with Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte.Chairman and owner Levy is the most powerful person at Spurs and, rightly or wrongly, it is him rather than manager Ange Postecoglou who is the target of anger.The criticism largely centres on a perceived inability to re-invest the riches earned from growing the club, including the building of a world class stadium in North London, into helping to build a winning team.Spurs also have one of the best, if not the best, training grounds in the country, but the criticism is that the development of infrastructure is not matched on the pitch.Yes, Levy might argue that Spurs have given Postecoglou Â£214m to spend in the transfer market but Â£100m of that came from the sale of Harry Kane to Bayern Munich.Reports that Spurs can't compete on wages with their London rivals Arsenal for January signings have also put Levy's project under scrutiny.This comes amid Postecoglou's repeated calls for "help" in the form of new signings amid a 10-player injury crisis, which has derailed the season.A protest movement against the ownership began ramping up in mid-December but has been taken to the next level and is now more mainstream in January.Speaking to the media on Sunday, Postecoglou said he had not been able to "unify" the club. "Certainly, something I wanted to try and do when I took on this role was to try to unify the club and create an environment here where we are all focused on the one thing. Obviously it hasn't worked out that way," he said. "It's understandable, like you said, the fans are not happy with our current situation. It is a difficult one to navigate because we need them right now, especially at home to create an atmosphere."Ben Kauffman, from YouTube channel Tottenham On Tour, in December 2024"We have been very vocally 'Levy out' for many years. We just want to see Tottenham win something, we want to see us give it a go - and I know we are not the biggest club like a Liverpool or Manchester United, but we want to see a club that cares about the fanbase."It's time for a fundamental change of the football club. "Daniel Levy is the target because we have had many mangers, many directors of football and many board members, and the one constant is Daniel Levy. We see the same actions from the club every year. This isn't a surprise - I predicted we wouldn't back a manager."
What about Postecoglou, injuries and tactics?
While there is sizeable pressure on Levy's ownership, Postecoglou is by no means escaping scrutiny. The Australian brought swashbuckling football back to the club in 2023 when he replaced Antonio Conte, winning eight and drawing two of his first 10 league games.That run helped Spurs to finish fifth in the Premier League last season, earning 1.74 points-per-game. But that record has dropped dramatically to 1.04 points-per-game this season, with Spurs winning seven, drawing three and losing 13 of their Premier League matches.Taking out the initial 10-match unbeaten run at the start of Postecoglou's reign, the side's points-per-game record is 1.25 in the Premier League. With 24 points from 23 matches, Spurs are eight points above the relegation zone. Maybe that is a big enough margin for fans to feel comfortable that they will avoid the drop, but 11 clubs have been relegated having earned 24 points (or more) in Premier League history. The former Celtic boss will point to the injuries that have blighted Spurs' season and there is no doubting that the long-term absences of Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie has contributed to the poor results.Postecoglou has largely refused to adapt his playing methods, deciding to continue with the same style of play even without key players at his disposal.Depending on who you talk to, this is either Postecoglou's biggest strength or his main weakness. "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," said Postecoglou."If people want to put context to that they can, if not so be it. From my point of view, I'm still very much stuck on the fact that the players are just giving everything they can. They did on Thursday night, they did today."Hopefully over the next 10 days to two weeks we should get some significant players back which I think will help this group a lot. It will give them the boost they need. We have still got some fantastic opportunities this year to make an impact in the second half of this year and I'm sure that will happen."Asked if he has enough credit in the bank to still be at the club for when those injured players return, Postecoglou said: "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."Postecoglou said earlier this season that "I always win trophies in my second season" and Spurs remain in the hunt for silverware this term.Spurs are through to the fourth round of the FA Cup, on the brink of qualifying for the Europa League knockout stages and they take a 1-0 lead to Liverpool in the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final next month."I still think that in these last three months we can do something really special and I think these players believe that," said Postecoglou. 
'Fault with Levy' or 'Ange out' - what you said
Pete, Devon - You can say what you want about injuries, that second goal all comes from bad tactics. Playing from back and gaps between defence and midfield are shocking. Adapt to change. Andrew -The fault lies totally at Levy's door - constantly hires managers and then doesn't bring in the right players for that manager. Ange is not totally blameless I agree, but the right backing he would be great. Levy only cares about the business side and anything said otherwise is a lie. Toby - Levy needs to invest in the team. No manager can perform with hands tied. Angeball is good. So many injuries have not helped to be fair. Rob, Stourbridge - Lifelong Spurs fan here and watched the club rot slowly under Levy. It's becoming a hard watch now so I'm binging Traitors with the missus and the dog instead. Rob, Stourbridge Nick - I'm no fan of Levy but he's not on the pitch. He hasn't sent the team out. Look at the clubs above us challenging for Europe. You can't tell me that most of the players in our team today wouldn't walk into Bournemouth, Fulham, Forest. Ange has to go! NickKaden - I don't think you can blame Daniel Levy. He has invested the money, improved the business side and cares for the club. I think you have to blame the recruitment and the amount of poor signings such as Richy and Ndombele, who were both Â£60m. Ange can only do so much with the players he has. Ben, Farnborough - I'm a Tottenham fan, we are in a relegation battle for sure, but I still believe Ange can turn this around once people return from injury and the squad is reinforced. So many excellent young players coming through. It's not like under Mourinho or Conte. He wants to be here, he actually cares about the club. If he's sacked the person coming in still has a disastrous injury situation. At some point Levy needs to stick with a manager. 