Tottenham Hotspurs boss Ange Postecoglou say "I love the frenzy around finishing fifth this year, we finished fifth last year, but its not a good story the better story is that my team has been and continues to be a disaster"
25/04/2025
Tottenham Hotspurs Training Ground, London, UK
25/04/2025
Tottenham Hotspurs Training Ground, London, UK
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SportsTranscript
00:00We still might, mate.
00:07Yeah, you know, that's the question, isn't it?
00:10I love the fact, and thanks, Tom, apologies for sort of interrupting you,
00:14but I love the frenzy around finishing fifth this year.
00:18They're all brilliant, aren't they?
00:20We finished fifth last year.
00:22Why is it such a disaster that we finished fifth?
00:25And that's what you need to ask.
00:30Everyone and yourselves is that why, in fact, around this time last year,
00:35I was asked to lose a game, and I was wrong for wanting to win it.
00:41But we finished fifth last year, you know, but it's not a good story.
00:46The better story is that my tenure has been a disaster, and it continues to be.
00:51And, you know, I think, again, sorry for interrupting,
00:56but I just think that the kind of hysteria that's surrounding what's happening at the moment
01:08is all kind of premeditated for a certain outcome,
01:13and hopefully we can defy that.
01:16And that was, and then even on some of my other questions,
01:21kind of leaning on the back of the final moment of your press conference out in Frankfurt.
01:28And so, I was down the next one, but you said that, unfortunately,
01:31some of you hang around a bit a lot,
01:33I don't know if that was directed towards media or fans or what, but...
01:36It wasn't directed towards fans, and there's a bit of irony there.
01:40I mean, do you guys not have a sense of humour?
01:43Yeah, yeah, but what I want to get at is sometimes sense this feminist mentality
01:50as if people were against you.
01:51I personally don't see that.
01:54I see a lot of celebration about the way you try and do things a bit differently
01:58compared to, quote, quote, about what's the nature of the premiere.
02:02Where does this kind of sense, if I put it right, that there's a loss?
02:09And you're right, because there are plenty of people,
02:17including Tottenham supporters,
02:19who I still see every day or bump into,
02:24who are very, very supportive,
02:26even though they're very disappointed with the year we've had
02:28with what I'm trying to do, absolutely.
02:31And, you know, it's not...
02:33I certainly...
02:33I don't think I feel like it's them against me.
02:38It's more about the club.
02:39I'm trying to change the perception of the club.
02:42And I do think there is a narrative around the club that a lot of the...
02:46And, you know, most of the time I'm not talking about you blokes
02:49who are here regularly,
02:50because I think you guys kind of know me a little bit better.
02:54But I think there is this narrative of, you know,
02:57trying to set this club up for some sort of fall consistently
03:03and that there is no sort of allowance
03:09for any kind of building of foundations
03:13for something a bit different than before.
03:16The one thing you do know is you know it doesn't work here.
03:18So, yes, I'm trying to do things very, very differently.
03:22Hasn't all worked out for sure.
03:23Some of it's been...
03:24gone disastrously wrong.
03:26I accept that.
03:28But I said from the start,
03:29I think we needed to chart a different course
03:31if we were ever going to break the cycle
03:33that this club's been in.
03:38Bizarrely, we're still in that kind of position
03:41where we can do that.
03:42I've never taken it personally.
03:47I've never taken it as against me,
03:50even if it was against me.
03:51But I think there is a kind of narrative around,
03:56well, that this club is on a some sort of...
04:01has been on a, you know, a downward spiral again
04:04or going down the same rabbit holes it has in the past
04:06where I just think this is totally different
04:09and there's been very little acknowledgement of that.
04:14And some of it's just, like I said,
04:17me poking the bear a bit as well, mate,
04:19which, you know, like I said,
04:21I get...
04:22maybe it's my eyes of humour,
04:23but it certainly gets lost a great number of times
04:27when I say things tongue-in-cheek.
04:31But, again, I think people...
04:34if people seriously think that I would say to our supporters,
04:37what you've got to put around, put up with me
04:39for a little bit longer, it's just madness.
04:40That's never...
04:41that was never, ever going to be the case.
04:44Just by the...
04:45I could ask you a lot of questions.
04:47Yeah, go.
04:47But this period we're in,
04:51where there's stories coming out all the time
04:53about what's going on, what's going to happen,
04:54what's going to happen to you,
04:55it feels like looking back through your career,
04:58a bit like uncharted territory,
05:00or have you been through this kind of situation
05:03where there's so much speculation
05:05and obviously the streets and the families?
05:06Yeah, yeah, yeah.
05:08But have you...
05:09Is this a new experience?
05:11No, look, I...
05:12No, I've been in this situation...
05:16Well, I don't know, because I kind of...
05:19It's always funny,
05:20because after I've left clubs,
05:21usually they'll say, you know,
05:23there's always a story about how I was close to...
05:25You know, where they were in my first job,
05:26South Melbourne, like 30-odd years ago, you know.
05:30There are famous stories about a board meeting
05:32getting cancelled or I was supposed to get sacked.
05:33Now, that's people telling me I was oblivious to it,
05:37you know, and maybe that's happened at...
05:38I don't know, whether it was Yokohama or Celtic,
05:42I don't know.
05:43So...
05:44But certainly the noise is greater.
05:46But again,
05:47I really think even that sort of noise
05:51is just there to kind of distract
05:56and take us away from what's...
05:58I don't think there would be a...
05:59If you asked any Tottenham supporter
06:02what's the most important thing for them right now,
06:05who's going to be the manager next year
06:06or whether they win this thing,
06:08100% of them would say,
06:10listen, just make sure we give ourselves
06:12the best opportunity to create some history.
06:15The rest of it doesn't matter.
06:16It'll all take care of itself.
06:18But...
06:18The worst thing you can do
06:20is kind of focus on
06:21what may or may not happen
06:23and miss this unbelievable opportunity
06:25that's before us.
06:26We're in the final four
06:27of a European competition,
06:29which also, by the way,
06:31has Champions League qualification,
06:32which, again,
06:34there's a real frenzy around the place.
06:37But for us, apparently,
06:38it's not that important.
06:39Even though it was important last year
06:40and we finished fifth last year
06:41and we didn't get it.
06:42So that's where I get a little bit
06:44confused with everything that's going on.
06:46But I can assure you, Tom,
06:47from my perspective,
06:49there is nothing more in my thoughts
06:51than us being absolutely ready for Thursday.
06:54We've got a massive challenge.
06:56And for us to be ready Thursday,
06:57we've got to make sure
06:58we go into Sunday against Liverpool,
07:02you know,
07:02really clear-headed about
07:06what kind of performance
07:08we need to put on
07:09to make sure we're ready for Thursday.
07:10You've spoken quite a lot
07:14about the culture of the club
07:15and wanting to come in
07:17and change a bit.
07:18I suppose the question is,
07:19where do you feel you are with that?
07:21Because just listening to you
07:22talking to Tom now,
07:23it's easy to feel the frustration
07:25in your voice.
07:26I'm sorry, but
07:27I just wonder where you feel
07:28you are generally with that mission.
07:30I guess time will tell.
07:32I talk to the players a lot
07:40about the stonecutter's creed.
07:44Stonecutter's creed.
07:45You know what that is?
07:46Yeah.
07:48Stonecutter,
07:49on the 101st blow,
07:50the rock cracks.
07:52But no one sees the other 100 blows
07:54and they think it's the last one
07:55that does it.
07:56It's not.
07:58So time will tell
07:59whether what I've tried to do
08:01over the last two years
08:03gets us to crack that stone.
08:05If not,
08:07maybe I haven't.
08:08But you won't know that.
08:10And you won't know
08:10how much I've
08:13sort of had an impact
08:16until we get to that place.
08:18Because
08:18that's where we're at.
08:21We need to
08:22try and take the opportunities
08:24before us right now.
08:26And that won't happen
08:27because we're good for the next
08:28two, three weeks.
08:30That'll only happen
08:31if
08:31what's got us to this place
08:33gets us
08:35what we
08:36want.
08:37And the shooting
08:38when you meet
08:38and that final crap
08:39with his shot
08:40at a trophy.
08:41Yeah.
08:42Yeah.
08:44Do you tell the players
08:46to pound the rock
08:47on this?
08:48Is that there?
08:49You could read it.
08:51You've missed that
08:52analogy.
08:55I mean,
08:55I've just bugled it.
08:57Is this an Australian
08:58thing that it says you have to say?
08:59No, I don't think
09:00it's an Australian thing.
09:00I think...
09:01That's the only reason
09:02I think.
09:02Okay, well...
09:03So do you have to keep
09:04pounding the rock?
09:06Yeah.
09:06And what it says
09:08is that you keep
09:09doing the right thing
09:10that sometimes
09:11it's unseen
09:11the impact it has.
09:13Because you won't
09:13break it with
09:14a hundred and first blow
09:15unless you've
09:16done a lot of things
09:18that to the naked eye
09:19seems like you're
09:20doing nothing.
09:21Or maybe you're
09:22doing the wrong thing.
09:23But Stonecutter knows
09:25that he needs
09:27to keep doing it
09:27because it'll come.
09:30I'm glad I've educated
09:31you guys.
09:32If nothing else
09:33you can have that.
09:36What do you feel
09:38has gone disastrous
09:38to your own range?
09:40Just I think...
09:41I think I said before
09:42it just feels like
09:43a season where
09:44we've just been
09:45chasing everything
09:48and every time
09:50we look like
09:50we're kind of...
09:51There's always...
09:52We just haven't been
09:54able to gain
09:54any traction
09:55or momentum
09:55or get ahead
09:56of the curve
09:57in terms of
09:58trying to establish
09:59a real footing
10:00in the league.
10:01Every time we make
10:01a couple of steps
10:02forward it seems
10:03like some of it's
10:05been self-inflicted
10:06in terms of...
10:07Last week's a good
10:09point in case
10:09where we played
10:10really well
10:10but our start
10:11was awful
10:11so you lose
10:13another game
10:13but it wasn't
10:14because we didn't
10:14play well
10:15it's because we
10:15didn't get a great
10:16start at the times
10:17it's just been
10:17stuff that's been
10:18out of our control
10:18losing players
10:19with injury
10:19with key players
10:22so it's just
10:23been...
10:24It just hasn't
10:24gone anywhere
10:25near as kind
10:27of...
10:29Not to plan
10:29because it never
10:30goes to plan
10:30but like I said
10:31where we felt
10:32like we're in a
10:33place where we
10:34can chart a
10:34course forward
10:35and like I said
10:36it seems like
10:36we've always been
10:37trying to plug
10:39holes here and
10:39there or trying
10:40to get us to
10:40a certain place
10:41where we can
10:41again...
10:42Because within
10:43that context of
10:44everything that's
10:46happened in the
10:46league we still
10:47had a very good
10:48Carabao Cup run
10:49so there was
10:49still that to
10:50kind of
10:50up for that
10:52then we gained
10:53some traction
10:53but then the
10:53league sort of
10:54drags us down
10:54a bit again
10:55and now it's
10:55in Europa
10:56so it's fair
10:59to say that
10:59there's no other
11:02kind of way
11:03to describe our
11:04season in the
11:05league as one
11:05that has fallen
11:06well short of
11:07expectations but
11:08as I said
11:09there's still
11:12an opportunity
11:12there for us
11:13to do something
11:13special.
11:13I think that's
11:36pretty obvious
11:37I mean you
11:37just have to
11:38look at our
11:38recruitment strategy
11:39over the last
11:40two years
11:40it's about
11:41regenerating
11:42this quality
11:43I mean I
11:43think the game
11:45against Frankfurt
11:46away I think
11:47we had
11:49Romero
11:50Porro
11:51maybe
11:55Benton
11:55call the only
11:56starters who
11:57were there
11:58when I came
11:59so that's
12:00that's a fair
12:02whack of a
12:03rebuild
12:03so yeah
12:06and there is
12:07there's always
12:07pain in rebuilds
12:08because invariably
12:10you dip in the
12:12bottom end of the
12:12pool in terms of
12:13age demographic
12:14and you want
12:15that team to
12:16grow so
12:16I think
12:18you know
12:20if we
12:24if we
12:25if we'd done
12:25this last year
12:26we'd probably
12:27be paying the
12:28same price
12:28but last year
12:29we kind of
12:30still had some
12:31experience in the
12:32group to get us
12:33through
12:33whereas this year
12:34you know we
12:35we obviously
12:36went young
12:37which is the
12:39right strategy
12:39I believe
12:40because I think
12:41you've seen the
12:42growth in our
12:42young players
12:43that I just feel
12:44so exciting
12:44for the years
12:45to come
12:45but then we
12:47got hit with
12:48a ridiculous
12:48you know
12:49unprecedented
12:50injury crisis
12:51that sort of
12:52brought it all
12:53together to
12:54create the
12:55scenario where
12:56it's been a
12:57real difficult
12:57year
12:57yeah look
13:14I don't
13:16think that
13:16that means
13:18that they're
13:19going to be
13:19complacent in
13:20any way
13:20I think
13:20that's
13:21you know
13:23that's
13:24the world
13:24we live in
13:25where
13:25you know
13:26they've got
13:27themselves an
13:27opportunity to
13:28become champions
13:29on Sunday
13:30and they should
13:30be ready for
13:30that for sure
13:31but notwithstanding
13:33there's still a game
13:33to be played
13:34and we're part
13:34of that game
13:35and you know
13:36as I said
13:37when we played
13:37City last year
13:38I want to win
13:38every game
13:39I play
13:39irrespective of
13:40kind of who
13:41benefits or who
13:41doesn't benefit
13:42from it
13:42it's an opportunity
13:43for us to win
13:44we're going to
13:46have to play well
13:46because they're a
13:47good side
13:47but you know
13:49the fact that
13:50you know
13:52they have a sort
13:53of great prize
13:54at the end of it
13:54should they be
13:55successful
13:56means we're
13:57going to face
13:57a very motivated
13:58opponent
13:58and a very
13:59motivated crowd
13:59you know
14:01so it's going
14:02to be a hell
14:02of a challenge
14:03for us
14:03but exciting
14:05one if we can
14:05overcome it
14:06well I just
14:18think if we
14:19do that
14:19then we would
14:20have played
14:20awfully well
14:21and that would
14:22be you know
14:23fantastic sort
14:24of impetus
14:25to go into
14:26a game
14:26our most
14:27important game
14:27of the season
14:28on Thursday
14:28so I think
14:30any time you
14:31go to Liverpool
14:31if you can
14:32come out of
14:33there with
14:33a result
14:34and a performance
14:35I think
14:35irrespective of
14:36again what
14:38ramifications
14:38that has
14:39you feel
14:40good about
14:41yourself
14:41thank you
14:42thank you