Anj Postkoglu insists Tottenham Hotspur are “not a big club” after sacking manager Thomas Frank on Wednesday.
The Dane was the favorite to succeed Postkoglu at Spurs but failed to see Spurs resurrect in the Premier League.
advertise
The north London club are just five points above the relegation zone after losing 2-1 at home to Newcastle on Tuesday.
“I’ve been in this position twice in the last six months and it’s been tough,” Postkoglu told The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast.
“You know he can’t be the only problem at the club. It’s a strange club, Tottenham Hotspur. It took a big turn at the end of last year, not just for me but with (executive chairman) Daniel (Levy) leaving and you created a whole uncertain environment.”
Despite Tottenham’s traditional status as a “big six” club, now playing in one of the best stadiums in the country, they have only been crowned champions of England twice, the same number of times as second-tier Portsmouth.
advertise
Tottenham’s last title win came decades before the Premier League era, when the famous team coached by Bill Nicholson won the ‘double’ by lifting both the First Division trophy and the FA Cup in the 1960/61 season.
Long before Postkoglu took over, well-known managers such as Terry Venables, George Graham, Harry Redknapp, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte had tried and failed to return Tottenham to the pinnacle of English football.
“No matter which manager you bring in, there are no guarantees – they have a world-class manager and they’re not succeeding,” Postkoglu said.
Despite Spurs’ victory over Manchester United in the 2005 Europa League final ending Spurs’ 17-year wait for a major trophy, poor league form meant Postkoglu was still sacked.
advertise
The 60-year-old Australian insists the root of Spurs’ problems lies in a failure to invest in players.
“They’ve built an incredible stadium, incredible training facilities, but when you look at their spending and particularly their wage structure, they’re not a big club,” he said.
“I see that because, when we try to sign players, we’re not entering the market for those players.”
Postkoglu added that Spurs had failed to live up to their aspirations.
“When you walk into Tottenham Hotspur you see ‘Be the first’ (club motto) everywhere, but their behavior is almost the opposite of that,” he said. “I don’t think they realize that to really win you have to take some risks.
“I feel like Tottenham Hotspur are saying, ‘We’re one of the big boys’, but the truth is I don’t think they are.”
jdg/DMC