Ange Postecoglou explains his controversial hand gesture to Tottenham fans
Ange Postecoglou has risked facing the wrath of the Tottenham Hotspur travelling supporters after something he did when it looked like his team had equalised against Chelsea.
Ange Postecoglou is no stranger when it comes to confronting Tottenham supporters at away matches. There have been countless incidents where the Spurs manager has reacted to vocal criticism from the stands, which often comes in the form of verbal abuse.
Recently, Djed Spence had to pull Postecoglou away from an argument with a fan after the 2-0 defeat to Fulham.
It is not surprising that this has continued to be the case as Spurs have been abysmal on the road this season, with a 1-0 defeat being quite a common result. This was once again the scoreline tonight, in what was Tottenham’s fourth defeat in a row against Chelsea.
Spurs have now lost nine matches away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, whilst recording only five victories. This has been a key reason they are 14th in the Premier League table, level on points with West Ham who are in 16th.
Postecoglou’s controversial gesture and response
Ange Postecoglou has got himself on the wrong side of Tottenham’s away supporters yet again. According to Jack Pitt-Brooke, the Aussie cupped his hand to his ear and waved to the Spurs fans when Pape Matar Sarr scored a long-range effort, which was later disallowed for a foul in the build-up.
https://x.com/JackPittBrooke/status/1907893559048523783?t=Y-isKdqzG4KnsxP3u59AGA&s=08This was in response to the supporters booing his decision to bring on Sarr as a replacement for Lucas Bergvall, who looked bright on the ball, despite his lack of involvement in the game.
Ryan Taylor reported cries of ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ were also sounded due to his decision. This is the same chant Spurs fans chanted at Nuno Espirito Santo when he replaced Lucas Moura with Steven Bergwijn in a game shortly before his sacking.
https://x.com/RyanTaylorSport/status/1907894503194976679Postecoglou has since claimed he was not cupping an ear to the fans. In a post-match interview, he said he simply wanted the celebrations to be louder for Sarr’s goal.
https://x.com/MiguelDelaney/status/1907909049099891009Does Ange Postecoglou have a future at Tottenham Hotspur?
Ange Postecoglou’s response to the Tottenham supporters buying tickets and following the club has caused a storm on social media. It seems there are very few fans left who are still backing the head coach, who is accused of being stubborn and short on new ideas.
Even with his claim that supporters misunderstood his gesture, he will still have caused frustration. No fans want to be lectured on how to support their team, particularly when the goal would not have been all that significant even if it had counted.
An unlikely success in the Europa League could potentially be enough to save Postecoglou, but with his inability to ignore criticism, he may have turned Tottenham’s supporters against him for good.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is not winning any popularity contests, but perhaps pulling the plug on Postecoglou’s tenure would help take some heat off his back.
Ultimately, it is hard to see how the 59-year-old will be able to recover his relationship with the fans. His reaction, coupled with the fact his team lost yet another London derby, is a really bad look.
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