Latest news with #Angeball
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Ange Postecoglou's triumphant sacking holds the key to modern football
Enjoy your launch. And for Ange Postecoglou, who always bristled at the idea that his wealth of coaching experience had somehow been earned in inferior competitions, perhaps his departure from Tottenham really can be a kind of springboard: to one of these prestigious, equally demanding leagues he keeps talking about. Maybe the struggling Gamba Osaka. Perth Glory could well have a vacancy soon. Motherwell are still looking. A step down? That's just your old-world, Eurocentric, Prem-brained snobbery showing right through there, mate. And so to Postecoglou's many rhetorical elisions can be added another: the triumphant sacking. Perhaps it was only in this universe – the post-truth universe – that such a feat was even conceivable. Along with the Europa League trophy he so stunningly spirited to north London, this may turn out to be the defining legacy of the Postecoglou interregnum. There have been better Premier League managers. There have been more charming and more entertaining Premier League managers. But there may never have been a manager better at defining his own terms of achievement; a managerial reign so evidently built upon a towering silo of nuclear-strength bullshit. From the very start, Angeball constructed its own bespoke logic as it went along. The journey matters more than the destination. There is a process, and we stick to it. There are principles, and however tough things get, you never deviate from or compromise on them. 'Even if we go down to five men, we will have a go,' he said after his nine men were defeated by Chelsea in November 2023. The idea of Champions League qualification as a goal in its own right, unaccompanied by broader progress: 'meaningless', as he put it in March 2024. In January 2024 he rejected the idea that a single trophy could ever constitute satisfaction or atone for mediocrity elsewhere ('You can't just sit back and say: 'I've just delivered a trophy, shouldn't I have some latitude to not be successful?''). In October 2024 he insisted that Tottenham's league performance should be regarded as the 'most meaningful' measure of his side's progress. Ange Postecoglou 2023-24: meet Ange Postecoglou 2025. The coach who promised to attack in all circumstances, who disdained the transformative effect of a single trophy, has just won a trophy with the lowest possession recorded in a European final because sometimes – as he put it in Bilbao – 'you have to change your approach'. A coach who urged us to judge him on the league now no longer judges himself on the league. A coach who blames Tottenham's abject league performance on a freak injury crisis also takes no responsibility for that injury crisis, for a style of play in which Tottenham comfortably spend more time in high-intensity sprints than any other Premier League team. A coach who claims he takes no notice of what is said and written about him has spent a suspiciously high proportion of this season reacting to things that have been said and written about him. None of this is a character judgment or smoking gun in its own right. Changing your mind when the facts change: this is, in fact, entirely normal and rational behaviour. Hypocrisy is what makes us human. Go back through everything I've written about Postecoglou over the last two years and I'm sure you'll find it riddled with compromising contradictions. For what it's worth, I think the decision to sack Postecoglou now is a big error on Daniel Levy's part. At a time when Spurs are undergoing all shades of upheaval off the pitch, trying to bolster an underpowered squad, a managerial search and a vibe shift is the last thing they need. Beyond this there is an enduring fascination to Postecoglou, the animal magnetism of the true ideologue. He came to the Premier League with no great reputation or playing record behind him. Tactically, he offered little groundbreaking or novel beyond a hard-running, hard-chasing dogma in which the only solution to every problem is to believe harder in the dogma. The dogma will win your duels. It will head away set pieces for you. And if it doesn't, it was ultimately your fault for not believing sufficiently in the dogma. In an important sense Postecoglou marked a continuation of the Mourinho-Conte axis: the latest in a series of coaches convinced that their own principles were stronger and worthier than those of the club, determined to prove to the world that Tottenham was terminally sick, yet they alone had the cure. All of a sudden, one February morning, the league is gone; survival secure. The new dogma is defending like hell against continental Europeans on a Thursday. In fact, scratch that: this was always the dogma. There was no old dogma. This was what you were trying to build all along. Of course this has always been Postecoglou's real superpower: the cult of personality, the ability to render words convincingly true simply by emitting them from your mouth, to build castles and citadels of bullshit, an apparatus of demagoguery so potent and alluring that it supplants all previous logic. Which – and no moral judgements here – is quite interesting, right? A 57-year-old Australian bullshits his way into a Premier League job, to spectacular away wins at Manchester City and Manchester United, to some of the most entertaining football ever seen from a Tottenham team in my lifetime. He convinces players to run themselves past the point of wellness. He convinces them to stick together amid a frightening assemblage of centrifugal forces. He convinces a significant part of the English footballing public that league tables are a form of fraud. And finally to a European title. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Plot twist: the bullshit works. This isn't a cheap con job. This is talent, as surely as substitutions or being able to put on a small-sided coaching session is talent. And what it exposes – perhaps 'indicates' is a better word – is how much of modern football is essentially an act of persuasion. Agents bullshit. So do analysts and marketers and journalists. An entire industry built on pure narrative skill, the ability to make things up on the fly and bring people with you. What matters is not what you say, but the conviction with which you believe it to be true at the time. And so the Postecoglou who declared at Celtic that he was 'exactly where I want to be' now seeks another fresh start. Perhaps a sideways move to another Premier League club, perhaps even a step up in class to the Greek Super League, the Korean K League, the League of Ireland. This part will not be a problem. Football has no shortage of soiled dreamers, clubs who missed the gold rush, fans whose only real desire is to feel something again. Marseille, Roma, Benfica, Schalke, West Ham. Leeds sacking Daniel Farke in November and going all in on Angeball feels like a perfect fit. There is of course an irony here. In his meticulously cultivated personal branding, Postecoglou often likes to paint himself as a throwback, an outsider, a counter-culturalist, the grizzled underdog. But in his reliance on patter and persuasion, bluster and bluff, he is in fact a very modern footballing phenomenon. This is Ange's world now, and we're all bullshitting in it.
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Postecoglou sacked by Spurs despite ending trophy drought
Ange Postecoglou earned rave reviews for his 'Angeball' style of attacking play. (AP pic) LONDON : Ange Postecoglou was sacked as Tottenham manager on Friday, just 16 days after the Australian ended the club's 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League. Postecoglou led Tottenham to a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in Bilbao to clinch the north Londoners' first European prize in 41 years and secure a place in next season's Champions League. But the Australian paid the price for Tottenham's worst domestic season since they were relegated from the top flight in 1976-77. 'Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties,' a statement on Tottenham's official X account said. Exactly two years after he was hired from Celtic, Postecoglou's eventful spell in north London was brought to a ruthless end by chairman Daniel Levy. Tottenham lost 22 of their 38 Premier League games to finish 17th in the table, above only relegated trio Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton. 'The Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the club for a change to take place,' the statement said. '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.' 'It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond.' 'This has been one of the toughest decisions we have had to make and is not a decision that we have taken lightly, nor one we have rushed to conclude.' 'We have made what we believe is the right decision to give us the best chance of success going forward, not the easy decision.' Postecoglou had forcefully defended his track record during the season and bristled at the constant questions over his future after his trophy success. He clashed with Tottenham fans during a defeat at Chelsea when he cupped his ear to them in a defiant gesture after a goal that was eventually disallowed. That blunder encapsulated his turbulent time in north London, but the 59-year-old bowed out gracefully. 'My overriding emotion is one of pride. The opportunity to lead one of England's historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime,' he said in a statement released moments after his sacking. 'That night in Bilbao was the culmination of two years of hard work, dedication and unwavering belief in a dream.' 'Sharing that experience with all those who truly love this club and seeing the impact it had on them is something I will never forget. We are forever connected.' Tottenham were ravaged by injuries and in the latter stages of the campaign Postecoglou focused on keeping his key players fit and fresh for the Europa League. The gamble paid off but even securing Tottenham's first trophy since the 2008 League Cup was not enough to save him. He becomes the fifth manager sacked by Levy in the past six years. Brentford boss Thomas Frank, Fulham manager Marco Silva, Crystal Palace chief Oliver Glasner and Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola are reportedly the leading candidates to replace Postecoglou. Postecoglou made a blistering start to his Tottenham career, earning rave reviews for his 'Angeball' style of attacking play. However, a string of defeats at the end of the season blew a golden opportunity to qualify for the Champions League. In September 2024, Postecoglou boldly stated that he 'always wins things' in his second year. He delivered on that pledge but even the euphoria from the Europa League win could not save him from the axe. Postecoglou had largely retained the support of his players and Tottenham defender Pedro Porro saluted his efforts. 'Thank you for everything, boss. I'll always be grateful for the way you led us, defended us, and kept us going through all the highs and lows,' Porro said. 'Above everything, you gave us one of the greatest moments in the club's history and for that, you'll always be celebrated.'
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Ange Postecoglou restored belief at Spurs — but they are right not to see him as a long-term solution
Increasingly, it feels like there are two separate spells to a managerial tenure. There's the 'personality' period, and the 'philosophy' period. One's a short-term blast, the other's a long-term slog. Ange Postecoglou's tenure at Tottenham Hotspur was somewhat unusual. He was cast almost purely as the latter; a manager who was all about the technical and tactical side of the game, and it seemed clear that Tottenham's path to glory was about understanding and perfecting 'Angeball'. Advertisement But Postecoglou was really the former, in two separate spells. He provided a brilliant quick-fire confidence boost at the start of 2023-24: the classic new manager bounce. He dragged Tottenham over the line in the Europa League at the end of 2024-25: the back-to-basics interim boss. In-between? The 'real' Postecoglou? That part was considerably less convincing. It shouldn't be forgotten that Postecoglou walked into a situation that was completely unenviable. The sale of Harry Kane was arguably the biggest loss any club had felt in the Premier League era. He was the symbol of the club, and their record goalscorer. The 2023-24 season seemed set to be a campaign of: 'Well, Kane would have tucked that one away…' But it wasn't. And it wasn't largely because of Postecoglou, who brought a freshness and a positivity that owed as much to his persona as his tactics. He was a good old-fashioned motivator. He had presence. He spoke with conviction. He breezily dismissed daft questions in press conferences. He believed in what he was saying. What was he saying? It didn't necessarily matter. He had conviction. Sparked by the good early form of James Maddison, Tottenham briefly looked like title contenders, with an incredibly uncompromising form of football. They were top of the league going into that memorable encounter with Chelsea, where they remained committed to a high line despite being down to nine men, lost 4-1, and that prompted a run of one point from five games, after which they found themselves fifth, which is eventually where they finished. Many defended the tactics, largely because Postecoglou explained his rationale so convincingly. Tottenham would play like that every week. The irony in Postecoglou's second season was that, despite such a consistent brand of football, Postecoglou struggled to put together a consistent XI. None of his players started more than 28 of Tottenham's 38-game season. This was partly down to the focus on the Europa League, and partly down to injury, which is traditionally an area where one has sympathy for a manager. Advertisement But there are reasonable suspicions that Postecoglou's approach hasn't helped; not only has the intensive style placed demands on players, but Postecoglou himself admitted that he played things wrongly at the start of this season, throwing players into action too soon after they'd returned from international duty. He deserves credit for admitting that, in a world where football managers instinctively deflect criticism by blaming others. But equally, physical conditioning is one of the most important elements of management, and it's difficult not to consider Postecoglou's inexperience with top footballers. Postecoglou had previously worked at a huge club, Celtic. But it's also worth clarifying that he'd previously only worked in leagues that were ranked — according to one football data company that attempts to work out these things — the 17th (Japan), 33rd (Scotland) and 60th (Australia) best leagues in the world. Now, huge respect should be afforded to those who have worked their way up to the Premier League through less prominent divisions, rather than been parachuted in because of their reputation as a player. But does his approach work in the Premier League? Two seasons in, it's difficult to be sure. Even with the focus on the Europa, for Tottenham to finish 17th is a staggering underachievement, almost without question the worst performance in the Premier League era for a manager who has been in charge for the whole campaign. Postecoglou's style of football is invariably described as 'brave', and it certainly takes technical and positional bravery from the players. But whether it's actually 'brave' to manage in such a fashion is a different question. After all, when his team fails to get results, the manager can always point to entertainment value, or explain that it's part of a long-term plan; there's always something other than the result to use as cover. If anything, it's surely braver to manage in a purely results-oriented fashion, where there's no hiding place. And that brings us to the second aspect of the short-term job. In European competition, Postecoglou softened his principles and played functional football. The victory over Eintracht Frankfurt was the kind of backs-to-the-wall display you associate with Chelsea in 2011-12. The final performance against Manchester United was about circumstance as much as design — without any serious midfield creativity, and leading for half the game — but Tottenham defended their box very well and, in truth, created almost no chances. Advertisement After the final, Postecoglou was still speaking in terms of long-term philosophy. 'I don't feel like I've completed the job here,' he said. 'We're still building.' But building towards what? It's difficult to work out what another season of Postecoglou would have looked like. Perhaps the most stubborn ideologue the Premier League has witnessed, he produced underwhelming results with 'his' style, but recorded a historic success with the complete opposite. There's every reason to respect what he's done. But there's little logical argument for keeping him on. In life, when something starts well and ends brilliantly, we tend to overlook the underwhelming bit in the middle: Xabi Alonso's spell at Liverpool, the various series of Alan Partridge, eating a Cornetto, the discography of David Bowie. Postecoglou has restored belief at Tottenham, but Tottenham were right not to believe in him as a long-term solution. (Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photos: Justin Setterfield / Getty Images)
Daily Record
03-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Record
Inside Russell Martin's colourful life from Rangers history to Buddhism, Green Party and Lucy Pinder
Rangers target Martin has one of the most interesting back-stories in football There aren't many more interesting backstories in football than that of Russell Martin. The man Rangers want to be their next manager comes off the back of a spell with Southampton that saw him achieve the high of promotion to the Premier League – followed by the low of being sacked while rock bottom of the table. His coaching background is rooted in an uncompromising belief in his principles. It's his way or the hard way, it's almost Angeball esque, and that's likely what's stood him out in the eyes of the new board at Ibrox. His personal life though has even more nuance than his tactics. He's dating former glamour model Lucy Pinder; he's a member of the Green Party; he's a vegan for health reasons, and he's a student in Buddhism. All of that is before we dive into his 29 caps for Scotland, and his ill-fated stint at Rangers as a player that might just have taught him a thing or two about the club he is seemingly about to assume charge of. Here's everything you need to know about Russell Martin. Russell Martin personal life One of the most Googled subjects about Russell Martin is his relationship with Lucy Pinder, famous former glamour model once ranked by FHM among the '100 Sexiest Women in the World'. They've been confirmed to be seeing each other since August 2024 after Martin's split with his ex-wife Jasmine Martin, with whom he has three kids. He had a rough upbringing alongside his three brothers: his father was in and out of prison, abusive to his mother, and had a gambling addiction that saw them lose their home when Martin was a kid, While prominent football figures often shy away from politics, Martin has rarely hid his. In a 2018 interview with The Guardian, he revealed he'd switched his support to the Green Party after becoming disillusioned with politics. In 2014, he became a vegan for health reasons after suffering from ulcerative colitis. But after researching it, it became an ethical concern. "I did some research into diet and what could help (the condition)," he said. "But then when you become involved in that it raises your awareness of the ethical side. You actually look at it and think: 'This makes sense'." He also advocates for Buddhism, so there's that too! Martin admits his social consciousness may make him a 'weirdo' in the eyes of some, but isn't remotely fussed. That's much like his approach to football. Russell Martin tactics and football background To try and be really dominant with the ball, aggressive, play with purpose, play with ball speed, with good rhythm in the team," is how Martin described his style after taking the Southampton job in 2023. He wants to dominate games and won't change that for anybody. You won't see a Russell Martin team play a goal-kick long except in desperate circumstances. It's all about keeping the ball, keeping in control, and staying on top of teams. If that doesn't work, then he'd rather go down his way than diverge from his principles. That's worked to his benefit more often than his detriment over the years, but it hasn't been unilaterally successful. He led Southampton back to the Premier League, but in December, he was shown the door after a 5-0 defeat to Tottenham left them bottom of the table with 13 defeats from 16 games. It's a style that may suit Rangers for the type of domestic games they've so often struggled with in recent years, but there remains a question mark whether he can adapt it for Europe, or even to take on Celtic toe-to-toe. Russell Martin's management career so far It all started for Marin with MK Dons in League One, where he transitioned from a player-coaching role into outright management, and received near instant plaudits for the possession-based football he implemented. He established them in League One before Swansea came calling in 2021 – and after a good start in South Wales, he was named as a potential replacement for Steven Gerrard when he left Ibrox for Aston Villa. He steadily improved things at Swansea, finishing 15th and then 10th in the Championship, before Southampton swooped in June 2023. In his first season, he led them back to the Premier League via the playoffs, but wasn't able to make any real mark on the top flight. He's been out of work since December and Leicester among other English clubs have also shown an interest in his services. Russell Martin's Scotland career Martin was born in Brighton and spent his entire childhood in England, but qualified for Scotland through his Scottish father. In 2011, while playing some of the best football of his career for Norwich, he was called up by Craig Levein and was a regular in squads over the next six years, becoming a favourite of Gordon Strachan's racking up 29 caps in dark blue. His final appearance came against Slovenia in March 2017. Russell Martin's history with Rangers The bit Rangers fans may not recall fondly was his ill-fated playing career with the club. He was loaned in in January 2018 in the final stretch of the Graeme Murty era. He made his debut against Aberdeen that month and scored his only goal for the club in a 2-0 win over Hearts in February, but that was about as notable as it got. Later that year he was released by Norwich and signed for Walsall in a player-coaching capacity that got him started on his badges and led him to this point.
Malay Mail
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Malay Mail
The end of Tottenham's trophy drought
MAY 26 — I'm writing this on the Thursday morning after Tottenham Hotspur's victory in the Europa League Final—their first trophy in 17 years and first European title in 41 years. I'll be blunt. If you had asked me to bet money on whether Spurs would even reach the final in Bilbao (let alone win it) I'd have laughed it off and said it's more likely that John Wick wins the Nobel Peace Prize. Everyone, especially Tottenham fans, are well aware of the 'Spursy' mentality i.e. that Tottenham vibe which can buy talented players, score spectacular goals, produce amazing upsets and even play brilliant football but find it easier to solve world hunger than win a trophy. As the 2024/205 season progressed, fans had even fewer reasons for hope especially when we saw Tottenham's performance in the English Premier League. Gone was the magic of 'Angeball' from the last season where Tottenham was in the top 3 for about four months (before eventually finishing 5th in the table). This time, by October, serious problems in the form of injuries were beginning to rear their heads and Spurs never got above fifth (a position they achieved very early in August). By Christmas, they were hovering between 12th and 14th and, to fast track this sob story, on the day of the Europa final in Bilbao (in May 2025) Tottenham were 17th in the league — that's one place above relegation! (see Note 1). The road to Bilbao As such, fans can be excused for not exactly betting the bank on the team achieving European glory this year. I for one wasn't even paying much attention to Spurs' progress in Europe which was relatively uneventful. Their opponents included Qarabag, Ferencvaros, AZ Alkmaar, Galatasaray, AS Roma, Rangers, Hoffenheim, and Elfsborg. Other than a big 3-0 win over Qarabag and a 3-2 loss to Galatasaray and a 3-0 win over Elfsborg, there was really nothing much for a Spurs fan to write home about. Some were probably even suggesting that, hey, maybe we should quickly drop out of this competition and focus on improving our domestic league position to ensure at least fourth. (A small irony is that during the 2021/2022 season, Tottenham was forced out of the Europa competition due to a disagreement over rescheduling a match with Stade Rennes from France. No one complained then because it gave then-manager Antonio Conte more time to work with the team and focus on strengthening their league position. It is very likely that many fans were hoping for something similar to happen with Ange Postecoglou and his men, especially given how prone Spurs players were to injuries.) Still, the Tottenham train marched on in Europe. But when I found out Ange & Co were meeting Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals I was practically sure our Europe affair was going to be over soon. I mean, Frankfurt was the third placed team in the Bundesliga, what can an injury-hit team from North London (which has never won in Germany before) with 14 losses in the league by April do against them? Lo and be frickin' hold! Ange's boys held their own, drawing in London and then (surely miraculously!) winning 0-1 away in Frankfurt! At this point I, and many others I'm sure, had to desperately hold back that terrifying notion called Hope because we didn't want our hearts broken again. But Hope didn't give up and when Spurs beat Bodø/Glimt in the semi-final on a controversially difficult Norwegian artificial pitch and super-cold weather, all of a sudden there was real belief. Maybe, just maybe, this year Tottenham can end their trophy drought? And boy did it rain that night in Bilbao. The game plan against Manchester United was essentially to defend like hell then hit back on the counter. And hit Spurs did. Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean forward Son Heung-Min waves to fans as he carries the Europa League trophy. — AFP pic Brennan Johnson scrambled in a cross from Pape Matar Sarr. It was probably the messiest and least pretty goal scored in Europe this season but no Tottenham fan will care a damn. Also if you watch the highlights it looks as if Tottenham had only that one shot and that's it. Up to the very final second, United was trying to equalise but, to Ange's and Tottenham's credit, the back four held firm. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario had to make two superb saves against Alejandro Garnacho and Luke Shaw in the second half; Micky Van de Ven had to pull off an acrobatic mid-air goal-line clearance against Rasmus Højlund. Someone wrote after the match that great strikes win matches whilst great goalkeepers and defenders win trophies. Whilst obviously debatable, it was an absolute fact on that Wednesday night in Bilbao. When that final whistle went, I had to pinch myself. OMG! Tottenham Hotspur has actually won a trophy! An actual 'top competition' trophy and not one of those Asean charity tour shields. In hindsight, Spurs' victory in the Europa could be the perfect example of a reverse Turkey Illusion i.e. the league performance made everyone believe a trophy was impossible when in fact Postecoglou sacrificed league success (even accepted 17th position) in order to win the Cup. Ange had to make a choice with the injury cards he was dealt with, not unlike how traders like Nassim Taleb and Mark Spitznael sacrificed capital gains in a bull market in order to use options to reap the windfall in the event of a crash. Glory glory, Tottenham Hotspur! Let's have more of this please, Ange? Note 1: A double irony for this season, of course, was that Tottenham's rival in the Europa final was Manchester United who was placed 16th in the Premiere League as at last week i.e. only two places above relegation! The 13-time champions of England have also fallen on hard times.
