Ange Postecoglou's major bust-up and the surprising claim about his Tottenham future

While there has been speculation aplenty about Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham future with plenty of reports suggesting that his time could be up even with a Europa League trophy to his name, one man from his past has pushed in the opposite direction for him to stay.

It has been a difficult campaign for and Spurs with an injury crisis ripping the squad apart through the winter months meaning the same 11 to 13 players were having to be wheeled out every three to four days to play through the huge schedule of fixtures. Results naturally suffered and are yet to recover despite players coming back with sitting 16th in the Premier League table.

However, the north London club reached the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup and are now in the semi-finals of the Europa League, where they will face Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt over two legs next month with the aim of reaching the showpiece final in Bilbao against either Manchester United or Athletic Club.

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Many have suggested that Postecoglou could still leave Spurs even if the 59-year-old were to bring the club its first trophy in 17 years and first European silverware in 41 years. There is a certain irony that the last time Spurs won in Europe, lifting the UEFA Cup, they finished the season in 16th place under Keith Burkinshaw, scoring plenty of goals but conceding too many and losing 18 times in a 33-game season. It was Burkinshaw's final game for the club following a disagreement with the board.

One face from Postecoglou's past believes that history repeating itself would be a major mistake. Former Australian international Craig Foster had a major bust-up on air with Postecoglou in 2006 when the now Tottenham boss was in charge of the country's youth sides.

Foster had called on him to resign after his U20s missed out on World Cup qualification. The heated exchange went viral and Postecoglou has always felt that much-publicised moment caused him to struggle to work for some time afterwards. Foster has interviewed Postecoglou in the years since and the duo have put the incident behind them. Foster now believes that the problems at Spurs lie within their culture rather than with Postecoglou.

"Whether Ange wins the Europa League or otherwise should not necessarily be the determinant," Foster told Australian media outlet Wide World of Sports. "When injuries are taken into account, the team is operating at a top-five or six position in the Premier League in his second season, similar to his first.

"On that view alone, Ange should certainly be given a third season, irrespective of results in the Europa League, although a semi-final and likely final only adds weight to that view.

"The noise around the club is of course reaching fever pitch because of the Premier League results, however rather than change between coaches and philosophies, at some point the club will need to decide how it wants to approach the game of football, and give trust over more than one or two seasons to someone to create consistency. Otherwise, placing all faith in another saviour is hardly the answer.

"The question is whether Spurs believes that Ange is working in the right way towards a future where the football matches the expectations of club and fans, and is capable of winning the Premier League and competing in the Champions League, as was the case in 2019."

He added: "It is clear that Tottenham is a graveyard for coaches. Some of the world's best and most successful, such as Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, both of whom talked about a club culture of failure and that this should be addressed before another coach is replaced.

"Some, like Nuno Espirito Santo, are proving their quality at other clubs such as Nottingham Forest while Spurs vacillate from one choice to another.

"Spurs are not alone. Manchester United are similar... there is little evidence that constant change of philosophy bears results over time. In order to change this, Spurs will need to avoid the constant cycle of sackings and place trust in someone they believe has the ability to take the club to the next level. As Australians, we would like to believe that is Ange Postecoglou.

"He has certainly earned the right to a third season and to demonstrate what a fully fit squad is able to achieve. He has also worked in the interests of the club, which is not always the case. Many coaches will spend exorbitant amounts of money on short term player solutions that buttress today but do nothing to build the future.

"Ange has mostly invested in young talent which will emerge in coming seasons, rather than to save his job this year. This should be taken into account and respected by the club's fanbase."

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