
Ange Postecoglou deserves to go out in blaze of glory after Europa League final
If Tottenham win the Europa League, it will be their first piece of silverware in 17 years. That is what we will remember. It has been a rollercoaster season. For Tottenham to lose 21 games in a Premier League campaign is just unthinkable.
But if Postecoglou delivers on his promise - and how people laughed and mocked him - of always winning a trophy in his second season, then he deserves to ride into the sunset with the biggest smile, a winner's medal and an 'I Told You So' T-shirt.
I've seen a lot of Tottenham over the last few years. And Postecoglou's reign has been more memorable, more enjoyable and more dramatic than his three main predecessors put together.
Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte were instantly forgettable. Bad fits. None of them worked. The football was dreadful and no-one shed any tears when they left.
We will not forget Postecoglou. And that is why it would be so good to see him win a trophy. Yes, Manchester United need the Europa League, too. But they need it for Champions League qualification. That is more important to them.
Tottenham want the silverware. That is what matters. Yes, the Champions League qualification would be massive. But it would be a huge financial bonus rather than the main target of Wednesday's final in Bilbao.
It is the most ridiculous argument to say they should not qualify because they are in 16th and 17th place respectively in the Premier League. The rules are very clear at the start of the season and do not change just to fit a narrative.
The Champions League qualification is vital because otherwise clubs would not take the Europa League so seriously. It keeps clubs interested. That is why UEFA have done it.
But it is more for Tottenham. We can all laugh and mock but the club's motto is To Dare Is To Do and it's all about the glory of the game. We should champion that. Even now, so many Tottenham supporters like Big Ange. There is not a debate to be had about him staying. If you cannot see the writing is on the wall then more fool you.
What would be the point of getting into the Champions League and then sticking with a manager who has just not been able to get results this season? Manchester United tried it with Erik ten Hag after winning the FA Cup and look how that went.
But we can still enjoy the ride. The first six months of his reign - when Tottenham briefly topped the table - were unforgettable. Brilliant football, kamikaze defending and amazing entertainment.
They have smashed Manchester City and Manchester United away from home. It is incredible to think those wins were THIS SEASON. But injuries kicked in. And a lack of depth in the squad.
I'm torn. On the one hand, Tottenham have spent big in the market. On the other hand, have they bought enough quality? Postecoglou has also been fearlessly naive with his tactics and formations.
But I can't deny that he has sucked me in. He reads every word that is written about him. It's self indulgent, but he seems to like newspapers more than radio and TV. He engages with us more and we like him.
And if he wins a trophy - something not even Mauricio Pochettino could do - then he deserves to walk into another job. And that club will be lucky to have him.
It has been one hell of a ride for Postecoglou at Tottenham. An unforgettable one. But an enjoyable one and one which deserves to end in glory.
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