The famous phrase “the game is about glory” echoes around the magnificent Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before every game as a call to arms and the club’s mission statement.
They were the words of the legendary Danny Blanchflower, who captained Spurs to the league and FA Cup Double in 1961, the charismatic figure who epitomised the stylish image the club wished to portray.
Ange Postecoglou, the Australian manager who led Spurs to the first glory they have enjoyed in 17 years by winning the Europa League, has discovered in the most brutal manner that this message carries a hollow ring in the hands of chairman Daniel Levy.
Postecoglou followed that time-honoured Spurs mantra, fulfilling a promise to win a trophy in his second season. His reward for grabbing the glory was the sack.
In the statement confirming Postecoglou’s dismissal after two seasons, Spurs revealed the new reality by saying: “Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the club’s greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph.”
In other words, head not heart. Glory and emotion are welcome but are not the currency that carry most weight at Tottenham Hotspur these days.
Glory and emotion, at least under Levy, are not enough for Spurs any more, even though his only previous brush with success during his time as chairman was winning the League Cup with Juande Ramos as manager in 2008.
Postecoglou, justifiably, reflected on his work with “pride”.
In a statement he said: “The opportunity to lead one of England’s historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime.”
When history tells the tale of Postecoglou’s time at Spurs, it will remember the historic night in Bilbao when Manchester United were overcome in a manner his critics claimed was beyond him – organised, disciplined, tactically sound, victorious.
It will also recall a dreadful Premier League season and a 17th-place finish, with 22 defeats and only 11 victories, but Postecoglou’s real legacy will be becoming only the third Spurs manager to win a European trophy after the great Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw.
And this is why there was a strong case for Postecoglou keeping his job, with even the confirmation of his dismissal acknowledging he had established “a great platform to build upon”.
Of course Postecoglou had flaws, such as his stubborn refusal to change his high-line, high-risk strategy, even when it was being exposed in his first season, but the Europa League showed he could do it differently, especially when a crippling injury list thinned out.
Many Spurs fans will feel it is right to sack Postecoglou, but others will believe his success earned him the right to a third season, an opportunity to build on the emotional scenes witnessed in Bilbao, then on the streets around Tottenham at the Europa League homecoming.
The Premier League placing will be ‘Exhibit A’ in the case against Postecoglou, but it is a reflection of the cold state of the game these days when securing a club’s first silverware in 17 years sees you out of a job.
Comparisons will be made with Manchester United’s ill-fated and expensive decision to keep Erik ten Hag last summer after they won the FA Cup, only to sack him in October, but they had also won silverware under his predecessors Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal.
Spurs, by contrast, were starved of trophies until Postecoglou changed all that. They had no recent history of winning until the Australian arrived following a brilliant spell at Celtic.
Postecoglou achieved something that was beyond those who went before him, illustrious names like Mauricio Pochettino, Mourinho and Antonio Conte, by providing Spurs with the glory they once regarded as their hallmark.
Former England striker and BBC pundit Alan Shearer made his feelings clear on X when he posted: “What a stupid game football is!”
And ex-Celtic striker Chris Sutton told BBC Sport: “I would love to know the thought process behind the decision to get rid of him. Is it saying the finance of the Premier League is the be-all and end-all? So finishing fourth or fifth in the Premier League and not winning a trophy is what matters.
“It is like they are morphing into Arsenal under Arsene Wenger at the end, if that’s what is important.
“But money over glory sums up the owner, Daniel Levy, doesn’t it?
“Nothing surprises me in football any more, so Postecoglou is better off out of it really – and maybe they can go back to being mediocre old Tottenham again now.”
Sutton added: “To get someone in who wins them silverware, then straightaway get rid of him, that sums up modern football, doesn’t it? It’s absolutely bonkers.”
It was Levy who grabbed the microphone at the post-match party in Bilbao and shouted: “We’re champions.
“This has been a very long time coming – 1984 was the last time we won a European cup. Tonight was have made history and I want to thank Ange and all the coaching staff, all the players. You guys have gone down in history.
“This a magnificent achievement for the club and hopefully gets us on the road we absolutely deserve to be – which is at the very top.”
If they achieve, or get anywhere near, to that target remains to be seen, but it will be done without Postecoglou, who clearly wanted to carry on in charge.
Levy was basking in the glory Postecoglou brought him, but this did not stop him taking a decision which he insisted could not be shaped by emotion.
The pressure and scrutiny will now switch back to Levy, who has followed his long track record of sacking managers who did not win trophies by sacking the one who did.
Postecoglou brought glory – only to learn the harsh lesson that it is not enough for Daniel Levy.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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