DEAD MAN WALKING WINNING

Postecoglou ended Tottenham's bleak 17-year trophy drought but he was doomed long before the Európa final kick-off in Bilbao

- BY JOHN CROSS

THE writing was on the wall long before Bilbao.

In fact, Ange Postecoglou knew in his heart of hearts that he was going to be sacked no matter the outcome of last month's Europa League final.

And anyone who suggests differently is not in tune with the soap opera which has been Tottenham's bizarre season.

Postecoglou was a likeable fella, his sound bites were nearly as entertaining as his football but ultimately the Spurs hierarchy (Daniel Levy, above) had no alternative but to pull the trigger.

Tottenham feared they would just be repeating the mistake that Manchester United made with Erik ten Hag by getting sucked in by the emotion of winning a cup final.

United were ready to sack Ten Hag, but the Dutchman won the FA Cup and they stuck with him only to then get rid of him a few months later.

They wasted time and money by allowing loyalty and sentiment to creep into what had to be a coldhearted decision on the manager.

That was a brutal lesson for Spurs who won their first trophy in 17 years under Big Ange and are back in the Champions League.