Across Tottenham Hotspurs’ 2023/24 season, there were many times when it felt like a defining moment for manager Ange Postecoglou was happening.
Early on there was the explosion of joy from the home fans as Dejan Kulusevski rifled home a winner to complete a remarkable comeback against Sheffield United.
Then there was the red card for Cristian Romero against Chelsea which turned a commanding 1-0 display into a 1-4 defeat.
The March routing of Aston Villa felt consequential until the equally weighty 3-0 loss to Fulham the following week deleted the progress achieved by that win.
However, whilst those moments felt important at the time there is one that will outlive them all; Postecoglou’s postgame reaction to the loss against Manchester City.
As he entered the media room at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium for the second to last press conference of the season the Australian coach looked truly downbeat.
It wasn’t the performance that had altered his mood, that had been excellent against one of the best teams in the league, no, Postecoglou was in disbelief that so many of the home fans had been urging their opponents to win so they’d prevent bitter rivals Arsenal claiming the title.
"The foundations are really fragile," the Australian said of the build-up to the game which had focused on the desire of Spurs fans to lose.
"The last 48 hours have shown me that. It's inside the club, outside the club. Outside, inside, everywhere. It's been an interesting exercise. It's just my observations, mate.”
When asked about the Spurs fans' chanting about Arsenal after Manchester City’s goals, Postecoglou replied: "I'm not interested, mate. I just don't care. Maybe I'm out of step, but I just don't care, I just want to win.
"I want to be successful at this football club, it's why I was brought in. So what other people, how they want to feel, and what their priorities are, are of zero interest to me.
"I know what's important to build a winning team - that's what I need to concentrate on.”
There was great sympathy for his position in the aftermath of the game, although most of it came from voices outside the club.
One closer to home was former Spurs midfielder Jamie Redknapp, who was in wholehearted agreement with the Australian manager.
“It’s not been easy listening to what’s been going on and people questioning whether Spurs winning the game,” he said live on television after Postecoglou’s comments were broadcast.
“But they had the Champions League, if they had won today and they win on Sunday there was a chance of Champions League football at this club.
“The people were more interested in stopping Arsenal from winning the title and that mentality and I 100% agree with him [Postecoglou]. That’s the culture that has been created for a long while at this club. I was here, I didn’t ever feel it was a winning mentality. You can’t always win but sometimes you can make sure you try.”
But the point overlooked by both men is that there was an incredibly specific context which determined the Spurs fans wanting a Manchester City victory.
The game, coming as it did so close to the season’s end, was definitive in Arsenal either winning the league or not.
If the Citizens had dropped points against Tottenham Hotspurs the club’s biggest rivals would be in poll position for the crown. That’s why they were subdued.
Last season, when the club faced City in February 2023 at a crucial but not definitive moment of the previous campaign, they supported their side as vociferously as ever.
This is what Postecoglou failed to recognize when he said pregame: “I was part of one of the biggest rivalries in the world in the last couple of years with Celtic and Rangers, and I understand the rivalry, but I’ve never and will never understand if someone wants their own team to lose.”
Understanding the Old Firm rivalry would be knowing that Celtic fans would probably be even more self-sabotaging were the same set of circumstances to arise involving Rangers.
As a Spurs fan who supported City explained in the Daily Mail after the game, the Australian’s mistake was to interpret the reaction to that one game with specific context as some sort of broader theme.
“In criticizing the fans' mentality after the game he suggested we don't want to watch a winning team,” the supporter wrote.
“It showed that he doesn't appear to understand the fanbase and what the rivalry with Arsenal means - a rare misstep from someone who has spoken so eloquently throughout the season.
“His rhetoric also feels damaging. Suggesting Tottenham fans need counseling for wanting City to win, despite earlier in the season saying he can't tell supporters how to think, the usual trophy jibes more akin to Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte in seasons gone by and even confronting a fan in the crowd all feed towards a growing disconnect between manager and supporters.”
Given this was a coach who made the fans feel good, he needs to take a moment to understand them better.
It has made the summer far more complicated than it might otherwise have been.
He didn’t have to agree with their stance, but he could have understood and accepted it.