Why Tottenham board must hold their nerve - and back Ange Postecoglou.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Talking Tottenham, a show all about Tottenham Hotspur here for
00:16National World and local TV. I'm your host Daniel Wales and soon I'll be joined by Spurs
00:22fan and reporter James Trembath from National World where we'll be talking all things Spurs
00:28in 2024. Of course we're starting this show right at the end of the calendar year, midway
00:33through a season where Spurs are having some issues on the pitch in terms of injuries and
00:38results and form and consistency. And so it's a good time to talk about Spurs in terms of
00:45what's happened in 2024, be it the back end of last season into the start of this as well
00:50as the summer transfer window and then going into 2025 and what needs to change in the
00:56new calendar year. We'll be looking at Ange Postakoglu, is he nuanced in his ideas or
01:01is he a bit naive and does he need to adapt given the injuries that Spurs currently have.
01:06We'll also be looking at his future at the club if things don't improve or if they do
01:10and whether he still is the man to take the club forward. We'll also be looking at whether
01:16frustrations for Tottenham supporters lie, whether it's with Ange or whether it's with
01:21the board and those higher up in the club. And then we'll be looking at what should happen
01:26in 2025 before finishing with some awards for the calendar year of 2024, including Best
01:32Player, Best Goal and Best Match. We hope you enjoy. We'll be doing this show from now
01:37on in for the rest of the season and beyond, looking at all things Tottenham Hotspur. It
01:43should be a great time to discuss the club and what is going on. So we do hope that you
01:50can join us from now on in as we discuss Tottenham Hotspur on the Talking Tottenham
01:56podcast and show here on Daily Motion for National, World and Local TV and wherever
02:01you get your podcast streaming services. Thank you for watching and enjoy this opening show.
02:08Well, James, it is the Spurs 2024 calendar year in review. It's fair to say it's been
02:19an interesting year from a Tottenham point of view. I mean, obviously, looking at the
02:23back end of last season, qualifying for Europe, that's positive. And Prostokoglou perhaps,
02:29you know, fulfilling some sort of an achievement there by getting Spurs back into Europe after
02:33what was a very poor season in 2022-23. And then perhaps a poor summer. And now we're
02:42coming into the back end of 2024, going into 2025 and it's, well, obviously all the injuries,
02:48everyone knows about that at the moment. Some fantastic results of Leip beating Manchester
02:51City 4-0 at the Etihad, but then also some really poor results, you know, for example,
02:56Leip's switch at home springs to mind. And it's just been a, Spurs are just sort of living
03:00into their stereotype of being very Spurs-y, very up, very down. Some fantastic results,
03:06some dreadful results, lots of injuries. And, you know, unfortunately, they just can't seem
03:12to find any consistency. I think that's what's really missing for Spurs. So if we go back
03:17to the start of the year, when 2024, Spurs came in, Spurs were, of course, embroiled
03:21in a battle for European places and they ended up getting them towards the end of the season.
03:26And so things seemed, I presume, positive enough at the start of this year. Yeah, I
03:31mean, I think if we look at the back end of last season, we obviously started off so well.
03:35The start of the Prostokoglou era started with such a big bang. You know, we were top
03:39of the league. We were absolutely flying, playing some scintillating football, you know,
03:43players in really, really good form. Then came the fateful night against Chelsea when
03:48it all fell apart. That was the sort of start of the injury and suspension disaster, really.
03:54We then wobbled, mixed results, pretty much like this year, to be honest with you, through
03:58that period, and ultimately sort of fell over the line to get into Europe at the back end
04:03of last season. And, you know, most Spurs fans undertaken that. So I think, you know,
04:07really solid starts in the Prostokoglou era. The football was a lot better from the likes
04:10of the Conte and the Mourinho eras. And everybody was in such a positive frame of mind going
04:15into the summer, you know, let's kick on. Always, you know, Ange does better in his
04:20second season. He's gone on record as saying that. And then, you know, the summer transfer
04:27window and, you know, great in terms of buying Archie Gray for the future and Lucas Bergweil,
04:32you know, two really, really promising teenagers. But I think we've been left woefully short
04:37in terms of recruitment by only bringing in Solanke as a first-team striker and a first-team player.
04:43I mean, he's been very good, Solanke, a really, really good solid signing. And, you know,
04:46we put a little bit of money on the line for him, ÂŁ65 million, a bit of a slow start with
04:51the injury, but he's really, really come good. And, you know, he leads that line really,
04:55really positively for Spurs. But, you know, we knew we were going into a potential 60-game
05:00plus season and he was the only real first-team ready player that we brought in. And, you
05:06know, what's happened has happened. You know, the injuries have kicked in. You know, you've
05:11got to look at all sides, I think, there. You've got to look at the recruitment failures.
05:15You've got to look at the medical department. I mean, bringing Romero and van de Ven back
05:18for the Chelsea game and losing them both, you know, is just criminal. And you've maybe
05:23got to look at Postacoglu as well in terms of the way he trains because players are just
05:26getting consistently injured all the time. So, yeah, it's been a very, very up and down
05:33year, I think it's fair to say.
05:34Yeah, I think that's, you've summarised sort of what happened towards the end of the last
05:40season and coming into this season with the summer quite well there. It must be frustrating.
05:45I think that's the main point of view because, of course, you know, on the surface at least,
05:48you have a really good first team and when they're firing and all clicking, it's so good
05:53to watch. They're so exciting, so attacking football. You saw what we did to Man City,
05:58for example, albeit they've had their own problems, but scratch below the surface a
06:03little bit and that's when the issues start to come in. And the problem is that's happening
06:06too often because, as you say there, the players are getting injured far too often.
06:24And so, perhaps we look at Ange Postacoglu and his methods, his coaching, his tactics.
06:33As I say there, great to watch, easy on the eye and so entertaining, but are they a bit
06:38naive at times, do you think?
06:40Yeah, I think without a shadow of a doubt, we're very, very naive. I mean, we don't manage
06:45games properly. You know, you only have to look at the positive side where, you know,
06:50we go to the Etihad, we win 4-0, we go to Old Trafford, we win 3-0. You know, I just
06:55mentioned off-air there, a little stat that someone had pulled out on X, that when Postacoglu
06:59has been able to call on the first-choice back five in 25 games, we've only lost six
07:05games, you know, 1-14. So, it's an unbelievable record when we've got the first-choice 11.
07:11And I think that's the thing, first-choice 1-11, we can go toe-to-toe with anybody. You
07:15know, we've taken Aston Villa to the cleaners. As I say, we've been to Old Trafford, we've
07:19beaten Manchester City twice, you know, we demolished West Ham as well, Everton. You
07:24know, we've had some really, really big wins and some really, really good performances.
07:28But then when plan A doesn't work, we don't seem to have that ability to grind out a result.
07:34You know, we lose at home to Ipswich, we lose away at Bournemouth, you know, we lose away
07:37at Crystal Palace, which was an absolutely turgid performance. You know, when teams go
07:41into that low block and really get in our faces and try and bully us, we just haven't
07:47got a solution to that. You know, similar on Boxing Day against Nottingham Forest, another
07:501-0 defeat. But only Liverpool have really taken us apart, you know, with all the injuries.
07:55You know, we've been really plugging on, we've been battling, but we're just not getting
07:58the results. And, you know, I think we have to look at all sides there. And Posa Koglu,
08:04I think the one for me was the Carabao Cup game against Manchester United. You know,
08:09we're 3-0 up, we're absolutely cruising. Now, Posa Koglu can't account for Fraser Foster
08:14pretty much throwing two goals in. You know, the narrative around Spurs not being able
08:17to manage a game, you know, that's complete nonsense. You know, the game swung on those
08:20two individual errors. But at 3-2, we were still trying to play at 1,000 miles an hour.
08:25And you're just crying out for somebody, a leader on the pitch to just slow things down,
08:30just to tell everybody, you know, you stay in your position, stay in shape. You know,
08:34you do the dirty work for five minutes, you regroup. And we never do that as a team, you
08:40know, and that is what is proving costly. And it's game, it is in-game management. And I think
08:45the one thing that we don't have on the pitch is leaders. You know, I think Son's a fantastic
08:50captain, he does a lot of great work off the pitch, albeit his own form has been patchy this
08:54season at best. But we really lack that on-the-pitch leadership. You know, dare I say it,
08:59somebody like a Hoiberg who comes on and does the, you know, rolling around for a couple of
09:03minutes, feigning an injury, stopping the ball, kicking the ball away, you know, just stopping
09:08the momentum of the opponent. And that is something that we lack, that is a naivety,
09:12perhaps that'll come with more experience. You know, we've got a lot of young, exciting talents,
09:16but, you know, these guys might not be ready for, you know, one year, two year, three years,
09:20you know, we need to be winning and we need to be winning now. So I think that is a huge part.
09:25And I think, you know, the point that you made, we are very naive at times and it's proving
09:28ultimately costly. And that's the thing I think that disperse it, it's very much pedal to the
09:33metal constantly or nothing. Essentially it's, as you say there, a thousand miles an hour or
09:38that sort of it, that is their way of playing. And as you say there, when you've got a lead and
09:44there's, let's be honest, what, 10 minutes to go, it's, yes, I can understand going for a fourth
09:48goal because that would kill the game off. But at times when, because let's be honest,
09:52that would be more the case of if you had a lot of the ball and you were really pressing
09:55the opposition. Man United were the ones pressing you at the time and you just need someone,
09:59as you say there, just to slow it down and just compose and like, you know, get the ball back
10:05because you weren't really seeing any ball, you were getting the ball, giving it straight back
10:08to Man United. That's the problem because you were trying so hard to get up the pitch that
10:13they were just getting the ball back so easily. You were just kicking it long or just trying to
10:17play silly Hollywood balls that were realistically never going to come off. And, and that's an issue
10:22for sports at times. You just need to keep it simple in those situations. And that's something
10:25that they have struggled with. And I don't know, is it, I know, obviously the way Arnold
10:30Postacoglou has his tactics is very much to, to, to attack teams, but
10:38surely he can see from the sidelines, what's going on. Does he not then issue instructions?
10:42Do you think, I don't know, is it, is it, is it maybe it's on his behalf or is it just the fact
10:46that he will not deviate from, from his, the way he wants to play, even if it means conceding goals,
10:53because surely that's not what you want. I, I, from a, from a neutral point of view,
10:56I find it very difficult to comprehend. Yeah. And I think that's what some of the Spurs fans
11:01grapple with. And, but I think ultimately we're not a team that's ever been able to sit back.
11:05You know, we've never been a team that can so pressure up, you know, and hang on to those
11:09one no wins. And I think from Postacoglou's point of view, you know, the fact we squeeze the pitch,
11:13we play so high, we want to play in the opposition half, essentially that keeps the ball away from
11:18the goal at the, at the other end. The problem is at the moment that we're trying to do that
11:22with players who, you know, we're going to the well, 12, 13 players that have been fit for the
11:27last three months. And we've been playing twice a week and we can't sustain that. You know,
11:30the squad is not built or deep enough to maintain the relentless press. And in that case, you know,
11:37do we need to look at being slightly more pragmatic? But it's just not his way. And,
11:42and, you know, he'll live or die on the side once he, in that regard,
11:46should anything happen with his future.
11:52And that brings me on to my next question, actually, what, what is, I'm just Postacoglou's
12:04future with Tottenham, because I know Twitter X is an echo chamber. It's an interesting place. And
12:10certainly with other clubs, you get people criticizing a lot on there, but then perhaps
12:14you can be in the stadium and be completely different. So from your point of view, James,
12:19what is his future? Does he need to adapt or lose his job or is he as secure as perhaps
12:24other managers are in the Premier League? Well, I think, yeah, if we, if we, if we sort of step up,
12:29take a step back and we look at where we are in terms of the season, you know, we're top,
12:33albeit top of the bottom half just. So we're not, we're not a million miles off in terms of the
12:39league. You know, we are light years away, obviously, at the moment from being in the top
12:44two or three, but actually we get a few players back, we put a run together, you know, we get
12:50support from, from the board in the transfer window, which is another matter. And we get
12:54players in quickly, things could turn. And, you know, I don't know if you remember at the start
12:58of the season, I did always say things would be a slow burn this year. I did think we'd be,
13:02we'd be better in the second half of the season. We're in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup,
13:07of course, albeit very, very tough game against Liverpool to come. And that's going to be a
13:11really tough game and a tough ask with the squad depth that we have at the moment. And, you know,
13:16we're in a decent position in Europe. So I think that's probably the sort of saving graces at the
13:22moment. And I think the other thing is the lack of available alternatives. You know, we, Spurs fans
13:28signed up for a painful rebuild. Now it's extremely painful at the moment. And the question is, have we,
13:33have we as a fan base got the nerve to see this through? Has the board and Daniel Levy got the
13:38nerve to see it through? I'm not sure. I think if we keep dropping points to, you know, the likes of
13:44Wolves, Ipswich, Crystal Palace, greatest respect to those teams, it won't keep him in a job for very
13:49much longer. But whether we need to just see it through to the summer and see where we're at,
13:53you know, I think he deserves the time. As I say, we've changed the squad dramatically.
13:59We're still in that sort of facelift period. We need to let new players bed in, the youngsters
14:04come good. But we do need big support in January. And I think that will be pretty telling. But I,
14:10you know, I think the other thing that's pretty telling as well is that the players seem to be
14:14behind the manager, which is always a good sign, you know, and the fans seem to be behind him
14:19largely. I think there is, of course, like you say, on X and social media, there is a proportion
14:24who want him out. But I think inside the stadium, I was at one of the games recently, Ipswich,
14:29and, you know, the sense of feeling was still, we were still with Anjan, you know,
14:33the recent defeat against Liverpool, the crowd was singing his name. There was a few boos against
14:37Wolves. I think that was for the club in general. So it will be interesting. I think the big
14:43question is, you know, will Daniel Levy hold his nerve? And, you know, I hope he does. And I hope
14:47he backs Anjan in the transfer window. Because, you know, at the end of the day, we recycle another
14:52manager and we just go back to square one, which is no good for anyone.
14:59But yeah, and so is it fair to say that, yes, there is frustration with Anjan Kosticoglu because
15:11of some of the things we mentioned there, the naivety in game management, for example, because
15:15that is on him, no doubt. And perhaps the injuries as well, if the training methods and medical staff
15:20aren't, you know, living up to what they need to be doing. But overall, you weren't backed in the
15:26summer or he wasn't backed in the summer. And to be honest, it's the board who make the decisions
15:33at a higher level. Daniel Levy, obviously, many fans have their own personal issues with
15:39the way he's around the club. So is that perhaps where the frustration is more directed at?
15:46Yeah, I think so, 100%. I think there is now an overriding strength of feeling. I think that,
15:51you know, look, as a Spurs fan for nearly 30 years, I mean, Daniel Levy's taken us from,
15:56literally, mid-table mediocrity year after year after year to a relatively top five club. And we
16:03have a challenge for the title in a couple of those years. But the facts remain, we haven't
16:07won a trophy since that league cup win in 2008. And, you know, there is a feeling now that football
16:14is not Daniel Levy's priority. Now, this transfer window will be very interesting because even if
16:20you're a businessman and you're not interested in football, you need the team to be performing
16:24better. Otherwise, it's not very good for a business sense. So it will be interesting to see
16:29if this year he does get his hand in his pocket and spend some money in the transfer window. And,
16:34you know, you think back to the last time we were in this sort of mess when one day Ramos was in
16:38charge. He was sacked and Harry Redknapp came in. We were in a very similar position,
16:43slightly worse than we are now. But, you know, we got backed in the transfer window and Harry
16:48Redknapp got two or three players in. And we've proven in previous January windows,
16:53we've signed Bensinkir and Kulosevsky. You don't need to break the bank. There is shrewd business
16:58to be done in January, but we need to do it early. We need to do it quickly. And we need
17:02to get the right players in ASAP because we're crying out for reinforcements in key areas.
17:07So looking at 2025, obviously we reviewed sort of what's happened in 2024. They're very up and
17:14down, lots of highs, lots of lows. What needs to be at Spurs? What needs to change? What needs to
17:20stay the same? And if we're having the same conversation in 12 months time, James,
17:26how do you think we're going to do it? And how do you think we're going to do it in the
17:30What needs to stay the same? And if we're having the same conversation in 12 months time, James,
17:37how would you want Spurs to be? How do you want them to look? Who's in charge? Who's doing what?
17:41Who's playing where? What would you like Spurs to be in 12 months? I just think I'd love Spurs to be
17:48the best version of the Postacoglou team consistently. I think every Spurs fan can
17:52see those green shoes. You know, when we're on it, we are on it and we are an absolute joy to
17:57watch. And if you're a season ticket holder, watching the best version of Spurs when we're
18:03in free flow, it's scintillating, isn't it? It's the best watch in the Premier League, no doubt.
18:09What I want to see, though, I think is some key investment. It's about time now. I know we've got
18:15a stadium that we're paying for, but we have got cash. We need to start spending that cash on the
18:20pitch, ready-made players to supplement the likes of Archie Gray, Bergvall, Mikey Moore.
18:26We've got so many exciting gems, potentially generational talents coming through at Spurs,
18:31which is fantastic, but it needs to be for the here and now because otherwise the players around
18:36him, those players just won't be good enough or they'll be looking to leave. So it needs to be
18:42win now and get the players in, back the manager and let's have a real, real go because, as I said
18:48to you before, we're talking about, at the moment, Udoge going off with a hamstring injury.
18:53Postacoglu blames that on injuries and fatigue. The fact of the matter is we went into the season
18:58with one recognised left back and that tells you everything you need to know. So he gets injured,
19:02we're always going to be struggling. So the squad needs to continue to be rebuilt and I appreciate
19:09Rome's not built in a day, it takes time. We have definitely cleared out a lot of the deadwood.
19:14We've brought in lots of talented players, but there's still a long, long way to go. But we have
19:18to see it through. Otherwise, as I say, we're back to square pegs in round holes. I mean,
19:23you have to look at what's happened at Manchester United. They've got a quality manager in there,
19:27but none of those players in that squad at Manchester United currently are built for
19:31the Ameren system. So I'm just not sure where and how that works out.
19:37Yeah, I completely agree with that. Yes, obviously, they have their own problems.
19:41There's actually a lot of clubs having issues, but there's also a lot of clubs who
19:44are being strong this season who perhaps you wouldn't think it.
19:48I just thought we'd finish by perhaps a couple of little awards for the calendar year of 2024.
20:02So firstly, who would be of this calendar year? So obviously, that's looking at the
20:06back end of last season to the start of this. Who's been your player of the year?
20:13Well, I think just because he's been that good this season, you'd have to give it to
20:16Dejan Krusevski. I think he's been absolutely outstanding, Mr. Consistent. When he first came
20:23to Spurs, played on the wing, lots of assists, probably not enough goals, and now he's added
20:28that to his game. He is a really, really quality player and when you see some Man City fans crying
20:33out for him to be signed and taking him down the road to the Etihad, I think that probably tells
20:37you everything you need to know. He's really kicked on and what a snip. I think we got him in
20:42for ÂŁ21 million from Juventus, so he'd definitely be my player of the year. He's kicked on another
20:48level under Posta Koglu and he's keeping James Madison out of the team, isn't he, at the moment,
20:52playing in that central role. He really is our talisman and actually, you could argue there's
20:57a shout for him to be made captain, but he is a really, really improved player and he'll get my
21:03vote as player of the year. Moving on from that, who's the unsung hero? Who's perhaps gone under
21:08the limelight, but has been consistently putting in those solid performances?
21:13I think you'd have to go with Vicario in goal. He is a bit of an unsung hero.
21:18He's shot-stopping, he's second to none. He is extremely good with his feet, despite what some
21:22people say. A little bit of work to do with his crossing and perhaps his commanding of his box,
21:28but certainly, coming in to fill Hugo Lloris's shoes, who was at the club for over
21:3310 years and was obviously the captain during that period as well. Terrific goalkeeper,
21:37albeit I know he sort of slid away with his form towards the end of his career in the twilight
21:42there, but Vicario's come in and he's a real presence and he's now part of the leadership
21:46group. So I think in terms of unsung hero, you only have to look at the sort of void that's
21:51been left with him being injured. We've got Fraser Foster, who's started well and let's say,
21:57declined quite dramatically in the last few games. We're really missing Vicario,
22:01so he's my unsung hero. Best goal? Any particular goals that you thought
22:06stood out or perhaps even not necessarily the quality of said goal, but even just the
22:11moment for what it was in a match, for example? I think probably the couple of goals at the Etihad
22:17jump out straight away. We weathered that storm for the first 20 minutes and then it was a couple
22:22of sucker punches, two terrific flowing moves and a couple of great finishes. So I think that game
22:30maybe raised a few expectations for a lot of Spurs fans, but the couple of goals that we scored
22:36were among the best I think that I've seen this season. And then just finally, what is the match
22:41of the year? I mean, you might have already mentioned it there, to be honest, James,
22:43what has been the best Spurs match of the year? Yeah, I think I'd have to go with both of the
22:49Man City games. I think there were two very, very different games. I mean, the Etihad, we went there,
22:55let's say weathered the storm, got in front, perhaps slightly against the run of play and
22:58then absolutely blew them away. Man United, similarly, that was an absolutely breathtaking
23:04performance. That has to be up there as well. The second half against Villa this season, we were
23:10absolutely terrific as well. So there's been three or four and also the sort of Carabao Cup game
23:15against City as well. We played really well in that game for large parts and showed a sort of
23:20different side to us as well where we really had to dig in because they came on very, very strong.
23:24So they're my sort of standout matches so far this season. Very good. Well, that does wrap
23:29things up for Spurs in 2024. Of course, the first game of the new year is at home to Newcastle
23:35United on the 4th of January at 12.30 kick-off. That is to come and over the course of the next
23:40year in 2025, we'll be keeping tabs on all what Spurs get up to, the ups, the downs, the ins, the outs,
23:46etc, etc. But until then, we will see you all next time. Thank you for watching.
23:59you