The public criticism of Ange Postecoglou by an English journalist is creating a stir.
The Australian coach received a lot of praise on Monday morning (AEDT) for his strategic decisions during Tottenham’s exciting 3-3 draw with Manchester City.
The manager of Spurs also received a public pat on the back from Pep Guardiola, the manager of City, and was praised by Sky Sports commentators despite the London club having just suffered three straight losses.
The blokey Australian became a romantic figure in certain quarters following Spurs’ early-season explosion.
However, one English reporter is making multiple public jabs at the former Socceroos coach in an attempt to be the ultimate Grinch.
Jonathan Liew of The Guardian recently went on an odd tirade against the former Brisbane Roar manager, accusing the 58-year-old of telling “bulls***.”
Liew stated last month on The Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast, “I’m just not having Ange.”
“Ange Postecoglou is not having me. I can’t stand him as a coach.”
Liew said, “He comes across as a lovely man,” in response to host Max Rushden’s statement that Postecoglou is a “lovely man.” Everyone praising him and calling him a terrific guy doesn’t actually know him.
“The brief 45-second videos from his press conferences or the weekly appearances on your Twitter feed are all you know about him.”
Facing the media, Ange Postecoglou shakes his head.
Facing the media, Ange Postecoglou shakes his head.
After that, Liew made fun of Postecoglou’s Australian accent and usage of the term “mate.”
Liew remarked, “Honestly, it’s just such bulls***.”
Postecoglou, according to the seasoned football writer, is a “unbelievable salesman” who is out of step with his team’s output.
He remarked, “He talks like an amazing person.”
“Things have been going well on the field, but their squad is strong.” There was a strong desire among the players to play a high line. Not that he hasn’t done a good job coaching them. Simply put, he hasn’t given them outstanding coaching. He just made a few statements.
gave them self-confidence, and his talented players have been filled with positive energy.
“The Spurs are going to regress, as we can see now and as we will see in the medium and long terms. They are in no way competitive for the title. They lack both a coach and a team capable of leading them to even the championship game.
“They’ll probably fall to sixth or seventh because there are teams out there with better coaching and funding.”
The charming outsider image of Postecoglou, he claimed, “doesn’t ring true” in reference to the English football hegemony. Since joining the Spurs, Postecoglou has engaged in a number of provocative, lighthearted interactions with media.
That’s the item. He can sell sincerity,” Liew remarked.
“I have no doubt that his story contains a kernel of something genuinely endearing and whatever. However, given the way he’s commercialized it, the process might be entirely thoughtless. However, the way he’s managed to commercialize it—in this big bad league, it’s marketed as authenticity.
Johnny Liew, you’ve charmed me pic.twitter.com/3FwUEcUCtB
— Shuttsmas 🎄 (@Shuttsapalooza) November 23, 2023
Does anyone else find the @jonathanliew stuff on Ange really uncomfortable? Granted most of it is the ramblings of an attention seeking contrarian but find the tone of the anti Australia stuff proper strange. Weird little bloke
— Billie (@Billie_T) December 5, 2023
That is its main thrust. I don’t believe it to be even slightly sustainable, so it doesn’t resonate with me. It’s the result of the Premier League simply needing content and discouraged Spurs fans wanting something fresh.
This week, a video of the nasty remarks began to circulate among Australian football fans, and Liew is losing supporters with his portrayal of the One Twitter user wrote: “Imagine this was a person of any other nationality, the way he mocks his accent is disgusting! Very odd to be so bothered by someone talking about their own life experiences”.
Another Twitter user wrote: “He’s not a good coach because he doesn’t play games with the media and tells it how it is? And what does his upbringing and nationality have to do with anything? This logic means you’d hate most Aussies then. Just sad and pathetic”.
Twitter user Dean Rosario wrote: “Just heard Jonathan Liew’s disparaging comments about Ange’s coaching & even lampooning Ange’s personal life stories. Reminded me of a drunk fan in a pub, who thinks he’s amusing”.
It is far from the first time football commentators have taken swipes at Postecoglou in recent weeks after a run of three-straight losses.
He was called stubborn for his refusal to change his attacking philosophy when the team was struggling to deal with a series of injuries.
Jermaine Jenas, former Tottenham midfielder, said after the third loss to Aston Villa that there has been a “naivety to some of Postecoglou’s decisions”.
“At the moment there is a feeling they are able to lose games but still feel good about it — but that won’t last forever,” he wrote for Yahoo Sport.
After two red cards were shown, Spurs were reduced to nine men, but Postecoglou did not budge from his high defensive line.
On talkSPORT, former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy stated: “He gave Chelsea the chance to get in behind.” It seemed like it was only a matter of time before we fell behind schedule. It’s true that there was a hint of haughtiness in the decision to leave it alone.
This week, before Tottenham’s game against City, Liew again poked fun at Ange by probing the Australian’s friendship with Guardiola.
When writing for The Guardian, the writer questioned once more if Postecoglou’s public image truly reflected the coach he is at heart.
Little is known about Postecoglou’s ruthless personal ambition, the drive to keep growing and challenging himself, despite all the attention paid to his rustic manner and inherent charm, according to Liew.
Postecoglou assembles his teams with the ferocity of a family, but he’s not above splitting them up suddenly. Since the 1990s, he has never stayed at a club for longer than three years. Just before the 2018 World Cup, he left the Australian national team because he believed the national federation’s goals did not coincide with his own.
He continued, “It is both authentic and an act, in that a great deal of coaching is fundamentally an act—the process of persuading players and supporters of a vision.
“Postecoglou’s high level of media visibility since moving to England—constantly giving interviews, providing explanations, and evangelizing—is no coincidence.”
