Ange Postecoglou spoke of his intense delight at his two-year stint as Tottenham Hotspur supervisor after it ended with him being sacked by the Premier League membership.
The 59-year-old Australian took the membership to their first trophy for 17 years final month when Tottenham beat Manchester United to win the Europa League.
However the membership axed him on Friday after their worst top-flight marketing campaign since 1976-77, ending one place above the Premier League’s relegation zone after dropping 22 video games.
“Once I replicate on my time as Supervisor of Tottenham Hotspur my overriding emotion is certainly one of delight,” he mentioned in an announcement launched shortly after his dismissal was confirmed.
“The chance to guide certainly one of England’s historic soccer golf equipment and convey again the glory it deserves will stay with me for a lifetime. Sharing that have with all those that really love this membership and seeing the affect it had on them is one thing I’ll always remember.
“That evening in Bilbao was the fruits of two years of arduous work, dedication and unwavering perception in a dream. There have been many challenges to beat and loads of noise that comes with making an attempt to perform what many mentioned was not attainable.”
Postecoglou spoke within the build-up to the Europa League ultimate about altering the best way the membership is perceived, and he mentioned his accomplishments ought to make sure that Tottenham is not going to have to attend so lengthy for his or her subsequent trophy.
“Now we have laid foundations that imply this membership shouldn’t have to attend 17 extra years for his or her subsequent success,” he mentioned. “I’ve monumental religion on this group of gamers and know there may be way more potential and development in them.”
Whereas Tottenham followers had been break up over Postecoglou’s future, he had a message for the supporters.
“I sincerely wish to thank those that are the lifeblood of the membership, the supporters,” he mentioned. “I do know there have been some troublesome occasions however I all the time felt that they wished me to succeed and that gave me all of the motivation I wanted to push on.
“And at last, I wish to thank those that had been with me day by day for the final two years. A incredible group of younger males who are actually legends of this soccer membership and the good coaches who by no means as soon as doubted we may do one thing particular. We’re perpetually related.”
The 59-year-old finally paid the worth for a horrendous Premier League season, which noticed Tottenham end seventeenth.
“The Board has unanimously concluded that it’s in one of the best pursuits of the Membership for a change to happen,” Tottenham mentioned in an announcement.
“Following a constructive begin within the 2023/24 Premier League (PL) season, we recorded 78 factors from the final 66 PL video games. This culminated in our worst-ever PL end final season.”
Postecoglou leaves two years to the day after his appointment and 16 days after his facet beat Manchester United 1-0 in Bilbao for the membership’s first silverware since 2008, a win that additionally put them in subsequent season’s Champions League.
The previous Celtic supervisor has needed to face questions over his future for a number of months, but delivered on his declare early final season that he all the time wins a trophy in his second season in a job.
He additionally took Tottenham to the League Cup semifinal, however their league marketing campaign was their worst for the reason that final time the membership suffered relegation from the highest flight, in 1976-77.
A number of of the membership’s first staff have voiced their help for Postecoglou since beating United, however chairman Daniel Levy is now trying to find his fifth full-time supervisor in six years since Mauricio Pochettino was sacked in 2019.
“At occasions there have been extenuating circumstances — accidents after which a choice to prioritise our European marketing campaign,” the membership mentioned. “While profitable the Europa League this season ranks as one of many Membership’s best moments, we can’t base our resolution on feelings aligned to this triumph.”
A number of managers have been linked to the Tottenham job, together with Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner.
Postecoglou will stroll away together with his delight intact and a good-looking bonus, however his current remark to followers on the Europa League victory parade that the third season of a TV collection is all the time higher than the second now appears hole.
It began so effectively for Postecoglou. He started the 2023-24 marketing campaign by guiding Tottenham to their finest begin to a top-flight season for the reason that 1961 title-winning staff.
That type quickly dipped, and regardless of ending fifth in his first marketing campaign, the momentum had lengthy since gone.
This season, Tottenham earned solely 38 factors and misplaced 22 top-flight matches. They managed 5 factors from their final 12 league video games, and the one win they earned throughout that run was in opposition to a Southampton facet who narrowly prevented changing into statistically the worst staff ever within the Premier League.
Postecoglou has pointed to an extended damage record, which denied him the likes of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Dejan Kulusevski, Future Udogie, Dominic Solanke, James Maddison and Son Heung-min for important intervals.
However whereas it has clearly been certainly one of long-serving chairman Levy’s hardest calls, he has concluded that Postecoglou is just not the person to guide the membership ahead.
“Now we have made what we imagine is the appropriate resolution to present us one of the best probability of success going ahead, not the straightforward resolution,” the membership assertion mentioned.
“Now we have a proficient, younger squad and Ange has given us an awesome platform to construct upon. We must always like to precise our gratitude to him. We want him effectively for the long run — he’ll all the time be welcome again at our residence.”