Ange Postecoglou has urged the Tottenham Hotspur hierarchy to wait it out to reap long-term rewards, whether that be with him or someone else. The Australian has come under heavy criticism in recent weeks and months.
"At some point, I think the club needs to stick to something. If I say it now, it sounds self-serving and defeats the purpose, so maybe not now… but I think that if you want to change the course of your events, you need to change materially a lot of things in terms of the way your outlook as a club."
The rumour mill is continually swirling, with new discussions emerging every day regarding the state of the former Celtic boss' tenure at the club, with speculation stating that the decision at the end-of-season review will be heavily reliant on the UEFA Europa League knockout stage. Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva have already had their names thrown into the hat, alongside Brentford's Thomas Frank.
Postecoglou, however, believes the best chance of turning the club's fortunes around depends on sticking with a manager through thick and thin, something Spurs have not done since the reign of Mauricio Pochettino.
Although these are unprecedented times for the club domestically and they are on track for their worst season since they were relegated in 1977, the Australian has a contract until 2027, but who knows whether the club will see fit to stick with their current Head Coach in an attempt to finally undergo that painful project they have craved for years.
Backlash from interaction with fans
Last night's loss to Chelsea was another episode in the clashes between Tottenham fans and Ange Postecoglou.
It is not the first time a situation has occurred between the loyal supporters and the man who makes the decisions on the pitch - a man who will be held responsible for overseeing a side who are currently sitting in 14th place in the Premier League.
The decision to bring off Lucas Bergvall for Pape Sarr was met with boos and chants of "you don't know what you're doing" from the travelling supporters, however, the Senegalese thought he had struck an equaliser less than five minutes later, with Postecoglou celebrating by cupping his ear and waving to the away end before VAR disallowed the goal.
Although he has since stated he didn't mean it in a harmful way, instead wanting to hear more noise to celebrate making it 1-1, it is just one of a number of incidents which have taken place.
When asked why he bothers dealing with aggro from fans, he supplied a mature answer, saying that he is trying to quash 'bullying' which could then be taken out of a football ground and into schools or onto the streets.
"If somebody says [picks up his phone and holds it up, as if recording], 'Hey, I didn't like that article', what do you think they are trying to achieve? What I think they're trying to achieve? They're not really interested in answering the question, they just want a reaction. They want their five minutes of fame because that's what this [the phone] gives them.
"Why are you holding up a phone? What are you trying to do? So you can put it on social media and say, 'Look, I got Ange Postecoglou to react, isn't that great'. I can take it, I'm 60 years old, I don't care. What if they take that in the schoolyard, what if they do that in general life, what if they do that to you?"
The incident that he is referring to was the clash he had with a fan when entering the tunnel at Craven Cottage following the 2-0 defeat before the international break, their last match before the defeat at Stamford Bridge, however, he also had a fiery exchange with fans at Bournemouth in December.
Has it been all doom and gloom?
Whilst it has been tough to follow The Lilywhites since their incredible start to the 2023/24 campaign, Postecoglou clearly believes it's harsh to dismiss the job he has done since taking over from the mess the side was left in by Antonio Conte.
“Fair to say this year hasn’t worked out. But that’s the other thing. We finished fifth last year. In another year, that would have been a Champions League spot. With people, it just doesn’t register. If you have five years at a club and you have maybe one or two disappointing years but you have three really strong years you’d say: ‘I’ll take that.’ But here you can’t have one good year … and last year was a good year, I don’t care what anybody says.
"We lost Harry [Kane]. I know everyone talks about our start. We lost Harry. We finished fifth. We changed the way we played. But it seems like, well, you have one good year, you have one poor year and then that’s it. Let’s move on to the next.
"But that’s what I accepted so I can’t sit here and say: ‘Ah, woe is me.’ That’s the challenge I accepted. Fair to say at the moment I’m not doing a good job of turning that mind-shift around. But as I said earlier, I am a fighter. I will continue fighting until told otherwise.”
Possibly, there is an egotistical issue amongst Spurs fans and their team, having had multiple years of Champions League football and high league finished under Mauricio Pochettino.
What some may seem to disregard from the memory bank is that the Argentinian changed the outlook at the club and although they have regressed in recent years - and there is no excuse for the current season, albeit it's seen unbespoke circumstances with injuries - has it been all bad under Ange's reign?