An embattled Ange Postecoglou was in a feisty mood in his press conference before the first leg of Tottenham's crunch Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt
Ange Postecoglou believes the world thinks he will get sacked even if he wins the Europa League.
Under-pressure Postecoglou claims everything Tottenham do at the moment is turned from “gold to cr**” and fears he is fighting a losing battle. Postecoglou still believes he can turn the club’s fortunes around after a dismal season in the Premier League but is acutely aware of the mood music saying he will be axed no matter what happens.
Tottenham boss Postecoglou, who faces Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday, said: “That's just the general sentiment of people writing even if we win it, I'm gone anyway. That's not having a go, that's just the general sentiment of the people.
“But I have said before, that is not what drives me. I came to this club with a clear purpose and vision of what the club needed and what I could offer. That is to change the way the team plays, to obviously rejuvenate the squad because it was a squad that was coming towards the end of a cycle and to bring success.
“As long as I’m in this position, that’s always my focus irrespective of whatever noise there is or what there may or not be in the future. I don’t see that, that should diminish my burning ambition, my desire and my determination to make that happen.
“Anything you achieve in life usually comes with a struggle. Certainly everything I have achieved in my life has come with a struggle from a professional perspective. This is just another struggle, but never through this struggle have I lost the will to fight for what I think is the right thing to do and I’ll continue to do that.”
Postecoglou even rounded on the controversy surrounding Mathys Tel grabbing a late penalty from Brennan Johnson who was on a hat-trick in Sunday’s win over Southampton.
“It's incredible, it's just... literally turning gold into cr** when it's Tottenham,” said Postecoglou. “Seriously. If we're 2-1 up tomorrow night and get a penalty in the last minute, I want the best penalty taker to take it.
“I mean the one slight against this club is apparently it hasn't been a winner. Well the winner's mentality in the last minute of the game is to score a goal. We scored a goal. And yet somehow in this ultimate universe where everything Tottenham does is wrong, that's come out as a negative. Be that as it may.
“From my point of view, I was delighted because as I said if that's tomorrow night and we get a penalty in the last minute and get a third goal which could be really decisive, I'm really pleased with the way the players handled it.”
Tottenham have not won a trophy since 2008 but now have a European quarter-final and also the chance to get a passport into the Champions League. It will be tough against Eintracht Frankfurt - currently third in the Bundesliga - while Spurs have lost 16 games in the Premier League and are 14th in the table.
Postecoglou urged the fans to come together and added: “The atmosphere can make a huge impact. That’s hugely important. I’m not sure how many times the club has been in the quarter-finals of a European competition. It will be a good challenge for us. When you get to the last eight of a European competition, that is what you expect to face and I’m looking forward to it.”