Ange Postecoglou has brutally stated that Tottenham are not a ‘big’ club after weighing in on Thomas Frank becoming the latest managerial casualty at Spurs.
The former Tottenham boss, who was sacked and replaced by Frank last summer, did not hold back in his assessment of Spurs, insisting that any manager would struggle to succeed in the club’s unstable environment.
Opening up on his two-year spell in charge of Spurs, the Australian told The Overlap: ‘It’s not necessarily what they [Tottenham’s hierarchy] tell you, it’s what goes out publicly.
‘Tottenham as a club will say “we’re one of the big boys” and the reality is I don’t think they are in terms of my experience over the last two years.
‘When Arsenal need players, they spend £100million on Declan Rice. I don’t see Tottenham doing that. Not just in my history, pre-dating me.’
Addressing Frank’s departure, he added: ‘It’s tough and you know that he can’t be the only issue at the club, but ultimately that’s what we get judged on.
Ange Postecoglou has brutally stated that his old side Tottenham are not a ‘big’ club
Thomas Frank was sacked on Wednesday with Spurs languishing in 16th place in the league
‘But, you know, it goes back to me [my time there]. It’s a curious club, Tottenham. You know, I it’s made a major pivot at the end of last year, not just with me, but with Daniel [Levy] leaving as well.
‘They’ve had world class managers there. They haven’t had success. And for what reason? What was the reason for such a major pivot? Thomas is walking but what’s his objective? What’s the club’s objective?
‘At the start of the year, they said to compete on all fronts. Well, the club hasn’t competed on all fronts for a very long time and the most influential person at the club for the last 20 years is also going.
‘So if you’re going to do such a major pivot, then you’ve got to understand there’s going to be some instability there. Did Thomas Frank know that he was walking into that? I don’t know. It’s a fair departure for me. Anyone who studies the game will know that it wasn’t like there was progression.
‘I built that squad to play a certain way over the last couple of years and he’s coming in and [trying to do it his way]. So it’s a curious club, Tottenham.’
Following Frank’s departure, which came after Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat by Newcastle on Tuesday, Spurs sit 16th in the Premier League on just 29 points, with seven wins, eight draws and 11 losses from 26 games.
Under Postecoglou last campaign, Tottenham finished the season in 17th place and with their lowest points tally in Premier League history (38), before winning the Europa League to secure Champions League football.
The Dane also enjoyed better success in Europe prior to his dismissal on Wednesday, with Spurs qualifying for the Champions League knockouts by finishing fourth in the group phase.
Postecoglou, who was replaced by Frank at Spurs last summer, has questioned whether the Dane knew what he was in for when he arrived as he hit out at the unstable nature of the club
Postecoglou, who was appointed manager of Nottingham Forest in September but was sacked just 39 days afterwards following an eight-game winless run, clarified what he meant by Tottenham being a ‘curious club’.
Addressing how high-profile managers such as Antonio Conte, Jose Mourinho and Mauricio Pochettino have been hired and fired at Spurs over the last few years, he said: ‘If you look at the list of names, there isn’t really a common theme there in what they are trying to do.
‘I do think part of Tottenham’s DNA – for the lack of a better word – is that they do like their teams to play a certain way.
‘It’s fair to say with Mauricio [Pochettino] they were going down that path, but at the same time, I think people have been too dismissive of Harry’s [Kane’s] influence through that period.
‘If I had had Harry in that first year, I’m convinced we would have finished in that Champions League spot. Even him leaving, you cannot plug that hole. It’s impossible.’
