By cupping his ear and waving sarcastically, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou went head-first into a confrontation with his critics.
Unfortunately, those critics were the club’s hard-core fans.
Postecoglou, whose future at Tottenham has been looking increasingly uncertain in a tough season for the underperforming London team, might have gone a step too far Thursday when he appeared to goad his own supporters during the 1-0 loss at Chelsea — even though he later denied having that intention.
Tottenham’s away contingent had serenaded Postecoglou with a chant of “You don’t know what you’re doing” after the combative Australian coach made two substitutions in the 64th minute at Stamford Bridge, including bringing on Pape Sarr to replace fellow midfielder Lucas Bergvall.
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Within five minutes, Sarr scored a goal from long range and Postecoglou reacted by facing the end containing Tottenham’s fans, cupping his hand to his ear and then waving.
Ange Postecoglou under fire to keep his job. Getty
Unfortunately for Tottenham and Postecoglou, the goal was disallowed and Chelsea went on to secure a 1-0 win that consigned Spurs to a 16th loss in 30 Premier League games this season.
Postecoglou was asked about his actions after Sarr’s “goal” and, in his unique style, said “I wanted them to be happy, mate.”
“We’d just scored a cracking goal,” he said. “I wanted them to cheer because they hadn’t had a lot to cheer about.”
Tottenham fans sure will attest to that this season.
And his explanation might not wash with many fans who appear to have turned against their manager, maybe because of the team’s results, maybe because of his style of play, and maybe because of increasingly unhappy demeanour.
It was only a couple of months ago, after a 2-1 loss to relegation-threatened Leicester, that he attempted to confront a fan who had directed criticism the Tottenham manager’s way as he walked down the tunnel.
Pape Matar Sarr of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates with team mates Djed Spence and James Maddison after scoring a goal that is later disallowed following a VAR review during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Stamford Bridge on April 03, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) Getty
That is one thing, however. Appearing to taunt supporters — though he denied doing so again in a news conference on Friday, maintaining his actions did been misinterpreted — is another.
“I’d heard the supporters weren’t happy with my decision, which is fine,” he said, “and my response was to celebrate and get them to make some noise and get them behind the team.”
Postecolou also condemned fans that have intentionally goaded him with taunts, filming the altercations and posting them online.
“They’re not really interested in your answer to the question, they just want a reaction,” Postecoglou said.
“They just want their five minutes of fame because that’s what this (a phone) gives them.
“That’s what I was talking about. For young people, it’s more dangerous than any other weapon in the world as far as I’m concerned.
“If I don’t pull up, especially young kids who pull up a phone and put it in my face, then what’s stopping them from doing that in the schoolyard? What’s stopping them from doing that in general life?
“It’s a bullying mechanism. It’s not criticism.”
Postecoglou, who is coming to the end of his second season at Tottenham after joining from Celtic, said he wasn’t affected by fan criticism.
“I have been fighting my whole career,” he continued, “and I’ll continue to fight until I’m told to stop by someone.”
Given the growing disconnect between Postecoglou and the fans, winning the Europa League — and thereby ending Tottenham’s 17-year wait for a major trophy and securing a place in next season’s Champions League — might be the only thing that keeps him in his job.
Tottenham plays Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League quarterfinals, with the first leg on Thursday.
Lose and Tottenham just has Premier League games left to play. The team is in 14th place in the 20-team league, making it a woeful campaign for a team among the so-called “Big Six” in England and which was one of the clubs pushing to join a breakaway Super League four years ago.
Postecoglou, who has previously blamed injuries for his team’s poor results this season, said Friday he understood the criticism heading his way and didn’t want to “say something that somehow will change the mood of the fans.”
“I still believe we’ve got a massive opportunity for ourselves this year,” he said, “and I’m not going to let that slip away — whether that’s from external or internal pressure.”
