Ange Postecoglou was left fielding uncomfortable questions and accusations of disconnect with Tottenham supporters on Thursday night after his side slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Chelsea.
The Australian was involved in a frosty post-match interview with Sky Sports and attempted to downplay a moment during the second half when he appeared to cup his ear in the direction of the away end at Stamford Bridge.
The gesture came in the immediate aftermath of Pape Matar Sarr’s long-range strike in the 69th minute, which looked to have brought Spurs level until a lengthy VAR review ruled it out for a foul by Sarr on Moises Caicedo in the build-up.
Just moments before that, Postecoglou had substituted Sarr on for Lucas Bergvall – a decision that was met with boos from the travelling fans, some of whom also chanted: ‘You don’t know what you’re doing.’
Seemingly in response, Postecoglou turned toward the away section and cupped his ear. But when questioned about the gesture by Sky Sports’ Patrick Davison, he insisted it had been misinterpreted.
‘Yeah, I wanted them to be happy, mate,’ Postecoglou said. ‘We’d just scored a cracking goal. So I wanted them to cheer – because they haven’t had a lot to cheer about.’
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou pictured during Thursday’s 1-0 defeat away at Chelsea
Spurs had a goal disallowed during the second half for a foul by sub Pape Matar Sarr (right)
Asked whether the gesture was a direct reaction to his substitutions being booed, Postecoglou replied: ‘It’s not the first time my substitutions have been booed. If you followed my tenure, it’s not the first time. They’re allowed to boo. But I wanted them to cheer – because I thought it was a cracking goal.’
Davison pressed again: ‘You said in the week – in your interview with Mark Schwarzer – that you felt you’d lost a portion of the fans. Is that what we saw tonight?’
Postecoglou bristled: ‘I get it, Pat. You’re trying really hard. That’s fine. You’ve already decided what the outcome is.’
Davison later attempted to keep Postecoglou on side by telling him: ‘There’s no agenda.’
The interview also saw Postecoglou reiterate his distain for VAR.
‘It’s killing the game, mate. It’s not the same game it used to be,’ he said. ‘We all sat on our couches last night and watched TV – I guarantee you, if Jarred Gillett was the VAR last night, we’d have got a different outcome.’
The ‘last night’ Postecoglou referred to was Wednesday’s Merseyside derby at Anfield, where Liverpool beat Everton 1-0. During that match, a dangerous challenge by James Tarkowski on Alexis Mac Allister only resulted in a yellow card, despite VAR briefly checking whether the on-field official had been too lenient.
The lack of VAR intervention shocked pundits and fans alike, while the PGMOL even later admitted that Tarkowski should have been sent off.
Postecoglou appeared to cup his ear towards the away fans after Sarr’s shot had hit the net
After Thursday evening’s defeat, Postecoglou took part in a frosty interview with Sky Sports
‘You just don’t know what you’re going to get,’ Postecoglou continued, still fuming at Sarr’s disallowed goal. ‘We waited for six minutes for something that apparently the VAR thought was clear and obvious. It’s madness, mate.’
Davison asked if he believed the VAR decision to disallow Sarr’s goal was wrong. Postecoglou pushed back: ‘Look, Pat, you can try and force me into a corner.’
Davison: ‘I’m not trying to force you into anything.’
Postecoglou replied: ‘Did you think last night was clear and obvious? How many minutes did it take this referee to figure out whether it was clear and obvious? In your basic knowledge of human vocabulary – “clear and obvious” – what does that suggest to you?’
Davison admitted: ‘No, it’s maybe not clear and obvious. I do think it’s a foul [by Sarr], if I’m honest.’
Postecoglou: ‘OK. Right. Well, there you go. So the referee didn’t see it. He then needs to see it for six minutes, but you get the right outcome so you’re happy – and that’s why the game’s going the way it is. And I guess people like you will continue to be happy sitting on your couches waiting for six minutes for clear and obvious stuff. That’s fine. I don’t agree with that, but that’s fine.’
Davison attempted to finish on a positive by looking forward to next week’s Europa League quarter-final first leg against Frankfurt: ‘You saw enough for Thursday? Because the season hinges on that ultimately, doesn’t it?’
Postecoglou shook his head: ‘No, no. We’ve got to get Sunday first [against Southampton in the Premier League]. We’ve got to go ahead on Sunday. I think it’s important that we continue to play.’
Postecoglou was very critical of VAR as he reiterated his feeling that it was ‘killing the game’
Spurs have now lost 16 of their 30 league games so far this season and they sit in 14th position
Former Spurs captain Jamie Redknapp, working as a pundit for Sky, said here was no doubt the ear-cupping gesture signalled tension between Postecoglou and the club’s fanbase.
‘He made a couple of substitutions and I don’t think it went down too well with the Tottenham fans,’ Redknapp said. ‘And I think when they scored, it looked like he cupped his hands to the Spurs fans as if to say, “Well, listen, I know better.”
On the post-game scenes, Redknapp added: ‘Normally, he’d be over there clapping them. There’s a disconnect between the two at the moment.
‘It’s not ideal for the manager. But he’s got some big games ahead. He’s just got to keep his head up.’
Former Chelsea defender Gary Cahill also sensed serious strain.
‘There’s certainly a frustration with the manager and the fans,’ Cahill said.
‘Honestly, I have to be honest: they were dreadful today. I didn’t see a clear game plan. No shots on target by half-time. He’s got to be disappointed.
‘There’s clear friction there, you can see.’
Spurs have now lost 16 of their 30 Premier League games this season. The most defeats they have ever suffered in a single Premier League campaign is 19.