There is a popular meme on the Internet – the ‘never give up’ cartoon, it’s called – which shows two men mining underground for diamonds. The first one is eagerly digging away. The second one has made more progress but is exhausted. He’s done. He’s walking away dejected, unaware at how close he had come to breaking through and reaching his goal. The point is about perseverance.
That meme, often used both earnestly and ironically by football fans on social media, sums up Tottenham Hotspur right now. Except, in this case, after all his hard work, the miner actually got to the diamonds, looked at them, thought long and hard about it – and still chose to give up.
Ange Postecoglou smiles towards the fans after Tottenham Hotspur’s victory in the UEFA Europa League Final 2025.Credit: Getty Images
Having endured the requisite pain of the Ange Postecoglou experience for two years – the “suffering” that he predicted, in one of his very first press conferences, would eventually lead to joy, like it always does with the teams he coaches – Tottenham Hotspur had finally broken through to the treasure and figured … nah, not for us.
Sixteen days after Postecoglou delivered Spurs’ first trophy in 17 years in the Europa League, an achievement that could have served as the foundation for even greater glory, chairman Daniel Levy has given him his marching orders.
It is a cold-hearted decision he and his board – who were “unanimous”, according to a club statement – will almost certainly live to regret, regardless of whether his replacement is a success or not.
There will now always be an unanswerable ‘what if’ about the possibilities that lied within a third season at Spurs for Postecoglou. And there appears to be no hope that whoever comes in next will get what he needs to satisfy Levy, who seems to be prioritising higher finishes on the Premier League table than the idea of actually winning things, and couldn’t see how doing the latter could help bring about the former.
Ange Postecoglou and Daniel Levy.Credit: Getty Images
Spurs finished 17th this past season, but it was explainable. And even the club acknowledged that in its statement, fittingly unattributed to a single human entity.
“At times there were extenuating circumstances – injuries and then a decision to prioritise our European campaign,” it reads. “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. It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond.”
If that was so crucial, how to explain the cards that Postecoglou was asked to play? Why was he given such a thin squad to take into this season, its lack of depth brutally exposed by those injuries? Why was it that Spurs did not support him with another centre-back in the January transfer window until after their third-choice option in that position went down with a season-ending ACL injury, adding to a crisis which had already ripped the heart out of their domestic campaign? Why was their policy of pursuing talented young players – which, no doubt, will hold them in good stead for the coming years – not also supported with experience that could have enabled them to compete on multiple fronts, when they absolutely have the financial capacity to do both?
Postecoglou knew it wasn’t possible this season, so after January, as he explained in his post-Europa League final press conference, he selected one front and focused on it. His staff and playing group backed him in. He made the calculation that ending the club’s trophy drought was the only way of breaking their psychological chains. He said that not everybody at the club agreed with that decision; we can now safely assume that Levy was one of those people. Levy now has the nerve to talk about “emotions” when there was clear logic at play.
Tottenham’s motto is Audere est Facere: To Dare is To Do. Postecoglou dared, and he did. “The game is about glory,” the legendary Spurs manager Danny Blanchflower once said. He brought them glory, and his reward was the sack.
He deserved the right to have another crack, but that has been taken away from him.
This is the first time Postecoglou has been fired mid-contract. Sure, he was let go by Football Federation Australia at the end of his six-year tenure as Australia’s national youth coach, but that was a little different – his contract was up, and he probably wasn’t going to seek an extension anyway. He has always tried to be the master of his own destiny, but not this time.
He will land on his feet. Tottenham’s loss will be another club’s gain. Postecoglou’s reputation has only been enhanced by his time there, his triumph in the Europa League and the way he has handled himself throughout. Another team will come for him, and he will win with them. Inter Milan, the beaten UEFA Champions League finalists, could do much worse after their manager Simone Inzaghi decided to take the riches in Saudi Arabia. So could other clubs in Italy, Germany, Spain … anywhere, really, where they like success.
Equally, Postecoglou will feel he has unfinished business in England, and will want to defy the critics who say his brand of football is unsustainable in the Premier League.
As for Spurs? The hot favourite to take over is Thomas Frank, the Danish manager currently in charge of Brentford. He may prove an excellent fit. Postecoglou has left him an excellent platform to build upon.
But Frank has also never won a major trophy in his career. He has never managed a club which has competed in European competitions, or one as big as Tottenham Hotspur. Last season, his team finished 16th in the Premier League, largely due to injuries. He will also have to deal with a playing group that was utterly in Postecoglou’s thrall and reportedly angry with how the club has handled his exit. And a board which has made it clear that winning trophies is not enough for them.
Tasking him with untying the Gordian knot that is Tottenham Hotspur is a bigger risk than sticking with Postecoglou for a little longer – but that is their call.
Good luck with that.
If Levy thinks waving a magic wand with another manager can make them competitive on multiple fronts – rather than spending more on transfers and wages for players – then he will wind up back here in another two years, having sacked the next bloke.
