With the recent dismissal of Ange Postecoglou as a Tottenham Hotspur manager, I had time to reflect on my experience with Ange and what the Spurs' former gaffer means to me. I am not going to be a hypocrite and say that Levy and the board should have backed Ange all the way. I thought the decision to sack was brave, and in the end, I believe it was the correct one, even with the circumstances.
Despite that, I found myself with mixed feelings regarding his departure from White Hart Lane. When I heard the news, my rational side thought: "Good. It was the right move." At the same time, I found my emotional bond with Ange to be deeper than I had expected, as I had been a firm Ange believer for a long time since he joined. And, even though I lost some faith in his methods along the way, supporting Ange's Spurs was a nerve-wrecking journey, which I just realized I will miss deeply.
First and foremost, I will forever admire Ange Postecoglou as a person. Even though he was considered stubborn and, at times, even condescending, I thought his morals and passion for his style of play were incredibly admirable. The connection between his father, whom he has always praised as his biggest role model in life, and the beautiful game always reminded me of how loyal he was to his core principles, both on and off the pitch.
Speaking of family, another aspect I have learned to appreciate about him was his strong connection to the squad. Unlike previous managers like Mourinho and Conte, who would often publicly criticize the team at the first sight of difficulties, the Australian never threw his players under the bus. On the contrary, Ange protected his players from all sorts of criticism, including that from fans, the media, and others. The wave of posts from players highlighting Ange's relevance to them is no coincidence; Ange treated his players as if they were his own sons.
Ange Postecoglou is Tottenham through and through
But not just the players, Ange also never missed a chance to praise the institution of Tottenham Hotspur. Even though he had disagreements on the club's mentality, especially on the 2-nil loss to City, which was celebrated by fans as Arsenal virtually lost the league, Ange never dared to speak down on the club. While the likes of Conte famously said things like "it is the history of Tottenham," Ange always gave credit to the Spurs' rich history, firmly believing the team and the fans deserved much more.
Last but not least, I would like to emphasize Ange's ability as a great communicator, which also reflects on his winning mentality and leadership. Ange has always been an above-average public speaker, not only at Spurs but in all the clubs he has managed. Even when his ideas sometimes looked out of place, he had shown so much truth in his convictions that it was hard to disagree or even contest the gaffer. That same belief resonated with the players, who always believed it was possible to achieve great things, and they did.
After this roller-coaster of a season, I concluded that Ange can be many things: stubborn, presumptuous, over-confident, brutally honest, and others. But a loser ain't one of those things, and neither a clown, as a reporter referred to him in a past press conference. It is no secret to anyone who has followed Spurs in the last two years that Ange, with all his pros and cons, has been the heart and soul of Tottenham Hotspur.
I would love to publicly thank Ange for making one of the most special days of my life possible in Bilbao. I will never forget what happened on May 21st, 2025, and Ange Postecoglou will eternally be in my heart for accomplishing what I thought was impossible, or what I had given up thinking was possible.
Even though it was time to move on, I think it is fair to say that no manager will embody what it means to be Tottenham Hotspur as much as Ange: To Dare is To Do. Ange dared since his first day at N17, and he kept his word that glory would come in his second season. From a circus clown to a Spurs legend.