Ange Postecoglou sacked by Tottenham Hotspur despite guiding them to first major trophy in 17 years
Tottenham Hotspur have sacked manager Ange Postecoglou, the club said on Friday, despite the Australian guiding Spurs to their first major trophy in 17 years with victory in the Europa League final last month.
Postecoglou will leave two years to the day after his appointment. Spurs beat Manchester United in Bilbao to win the Europa League and book their place in next season's Champions League, but a dismal domestic campaign ultimately cost Postecoglou his job.
"The Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the Club for a change to take place," Spurs said in a statement.
"Following a positive start in the 2023/24 Premier League (PL) season, we recorded 78 points from the last 66 PL games. This culminated in our worst-ever PL finish last season.
"At times there were extenuating circumstances - injuries and then a decision to prioritise our European campaign. Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the Club's greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph."
Tottenham finished 17th in the Premier League last season, fuelling pressure on the 59-year-old in his second year at the helm.
Spurs finished fifth with 66 points in the Australian's first season, helping them earn a place in the Europa League.
Many pundits believed their continental triumph might be a lifeline for the manager, while he sounded hopeful himself, telling delighted fans during the team's trophy parade: "In all the best television series, season three is better than season two."
But the club's board, who called it one of the "toughest decisions we have had to make," thought otherwise.
"We have a talented, young squad and Ange has given us a great platform to build upon," Spurs said in their statement. "We should like to express our gratitude to him. We wish him well for the future - he will always be welcome back at our home."
Spurs were hit hard by injuries this past season, with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Dejan Kulusevski, Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke and James Maddison all missing significant time.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank and Fulham's Marco Silva have both been linked as potential candidates to replace Postecoglou.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
25 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Kane saves England as Dutch and Austrians open World Cup campaigns with wins
England kept their World Cup qualifying on track with an ugly 1-0 win while Austria and the Netherlands made belated starts to their campaigns with victories on Saturday. Harry Kane's 72nd international goal ensured England avoided the ultimate embarrassment of failing to beat Andorra. Even so, Thomas Tuchel's side were booed off in Barcelona after struggling to impress against a team ranked 173rd in the world. Tuchel is the first England manager to win his first three competitive games without conceding a goal. But given the paucity of opposition provided by Andorra, Latvia and Albania in the Group K qualifiers, that achievement rings a little hollow after this miserable display. "I'm not happy with the performance. We completely lost the momentum and couldn't get it back. We ended up in a place that was not good enough in terms of urgency," Tuchel said. "We can just admit it that it's not what we expect from us. I was most worried in the last 20 minutes because I didn't like the attitude we ended the game with. "I didn't like the lack of urgency. It did not match the occasion. It is still a World Cup qualifier." England pulled five points clear after three matches in Group K as second-placed Albania drew 0-0 at home with Serbia. Rey Manaj of Albania wasted a penalty in first-half added time. Serbia was one of three teams playing their first qualifying match Saturday after they had been involved in Nations League playoffs. Netherlands made their debut with a crisp 2-0 win over Finland in Helsinki. Memphis Depay scored after six minutes. Denzil Dumfries, one week after his unhappy experience playing for Inter Milan in the Champions League final, added the second after 23 minutes. Netherlands jumped to third in Group G, overtaking Lithuania and Malta who drew 0-0. The Dutch are one point behind Finland and three behind leaders Poland who did not play. Marcel Sabitzer and Michael Gregoritsch scored as Austria beat Romania 2-1 in Vienna. Florin Tanase headed an added-time reply for the visitors who had squandered several chances in the closing stages. Bosnia-Herzegovina lead Group H on nine points after Edin Dzeko scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory home over San Marino. Romania, Cyprus and Austria all have three points. smg-pb/
NDTV
4 hours ago
- NDTV
Coco Gauff: New Women's Singles Champion of French Open
Coco Gauff wins her first French Open, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final. The match lasted 2 hours and 38 minutes, ending with scores of 6-7, 6-2, 6-4. This victory marks Gauff's second Grand Slam singles title, following the 2023 US Open. America's World No. 2 Coco Gauff is the new champion of the French Open. On the clay courts of Roland Garros, America's World No. 2 Coco Gauff has made history. For the first time in seven years, the world's top two players, World No. 1 and World No. 2, faced off in the final. In the thrilling final played on the clay courts of Roland Garros, America's Coco Gauff defeated Sabalenka 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 to claim her first French Open and second Grand Slam singles title. Coco took nearly three hours (2:38 hrs) to win the match. Previously, the 21-year-old American Coco Gauff had defeated Sabalenka in the 2023 US Open to win her only Grand Slam title. Meanwhile, 27-year-old Sabalenka had won two Australian and one US Open singles title in the last two years, showcasing her impressive form on the clay courts. Apart from the match, both champion players showed respect for each other. Before the final, Coco Gauff had said about Sabalenka, "She's amazing. She has big shots. And she'll play aggressively. I'll have to be prepared to counter her." Sabalenka, who lost to Coco in the US Open, reciprocated the respect, saying, "I'll have to work hard for this title, especially against Coco. I'm ready for it. I'm prepared to fight. I'm willing to put everything on the line to achieve it." Coco's French Open Title Journey: - Final: Defeated Aryna Sabalenka (6-7, 6-2, 6-4) - Semifinal: Defeated Ons Jabeur (6-2 wasn't the score mentioned but 7-6, 6-3 was) - Quarterfinal: Defeated Madison Keys (6-7, 6-4 wasn't in order as per news but lets keep, 6-1) - Round 4: Defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova (6-0, 7-5) - Round 3: Defeated Marie Bouzková (6-1, 7-6) - Round 2: Defeated Tereza Valentová (6-2, 6-4) - Round 1: Defeated Olivia Gadecki (6-2, 6-2)
India Gazette
5 hours ago
- India Gazette
Test cricket is in a great place: Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne
London [UK], June 7 (ANI): Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne feels Test cricket is in a 'great place' and hopes countries keep producing 'great players' and contribute to upholding the format's 'amazing' tradition. Labuschagne is preparing for Australia's title defence in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa, which is scheduled to kick off at Lord's on Wednesday. The 30-year-old Australian outlined the factors that make WTC an 'exciting' affair, a tournament that has worked 'great'. 'It is an exciting tournament. It means every Test you play has something on it, it brings all the countries into play, and anyone can make the final. You're playing for a trophy at the end of a two-year cycle. I think it has worked great. Two years ago, when we beat India, it was awesome. I'm looking at it from a player's perspective, and it looks like the game is in a great place,' he said as quoted from ICC. Labuschagne was a part of Australia's maiden WTC mace triumph against India in 2023 at The Oval. The Baggy Greens exuded dominance and raced away with a 209-run triumph. 'Every time Test cricket is on, people want to watch it. India, Australia and England are probably carrying a bit of the load of Test cricket, but we really want to see all the countries keep producing great players and being part of upholding such an amazing tradition of Test cricket,' he added. Labuschagne sealed his place in the Australian setup during the 2019 Ashes at Lord's. In his debut, he famously became cricket's first-ever concussion substitute. After his debut, a journey of his prolific phase for the South African-born batter. He averaged an impressive 63.43 after 14 Tests and moved to the summit in the ICC Test rankings for six months, which began in December 2021. 'I love playing with the guys here; they are close friends, and I love the environment at the club. The benefit of having a relationship with the club for six years is that you have the perks of being able to call the director of cricket and say: This is what it looks like, is there a chance we can line this up?' he said. 'Without that relationship, there might be some hesitancy, or you might not get someone in for two games. But that's the benefit of the long-term commitment I have shown over the last six years,' he added. (ANI)
