Sacking Postecoglou raises.a familiar question for Spurs

The Australian’s exit may have felt inevitable but concerns remain over how the club rebuild again

- Richard Jolly

Daniel Levy is talked about more than he talks; in public, anyway. The Spurs chair’s quotes can be used against him and, a few weeks into Ange Postecoglou’s reign, he said: “We’ve got our Tottenham back.”

Now, with another manager sacked after a reign of 18 months to two years, some would say the comment has a different pertinence. Postecoglou lasted longer than Antonio Conte, Andre Villas-Boas and Jose Mourinho; his eventual tally of 101 games fell just short of Glenn Hoddle (104) and George Graham (108).

Like Juande Ramos, he was dismissed in the same year he won a trophy. But then Tottenham’s major honours can come to a backdrop of indifferent league form. They finished 11th in both 2008 and 1999, and 10th in 1991 and 1981. They twice won the Uefa Cup in years when they ended up eighth in the old Division 1. Postecoglou took that trend to extremes. His second season at Spurs brought 11 league wins, 10 in the Europa League, continental glory and domestic ignominy.

In their statement announcing his departure, Tottenham said the Australian returned “us to the attacking brand of football that has traditionally been associated with the club”. He may have both resolved Tottenham’s identity crisis and compounded it. The last few years have brought it into sharp focus; sometimes because of forces beyond Tottenham’s control and a fastchanging environment, sometimes by their own choices. Who are or what is Tottenham Hotspur?