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How one trophy in 24 years proves that Tottenham’s problems lie much deeper than Ange Postecoglou


Ange Postecoglou’s tenure at Tottenham hangs in the balance after a 4-3 defeat by Chelsea on Sunday.

The club’s regular cycle of appointing new managers every 18 months has repeatedly backfired, so what’s the real problem?

Since ENIC arrived and Daniel Levy took over as chairman from Alan Sugar in 2001, the north London ‘franchise’ has won just one piece of silverware: the 2008 League Cup – or as it was then called, the Carling Cup.

Spurs came close, reached multiple finals and reached the final of the Champions League, but never crossed the line regardless of who was in charge.

Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, all successful managers in their own right, have failed to extract success from their limited squads.

But in Tottenham’s latest chapter under their current Australian boss, there was evidence they can compete.

A 4-0 win over Manchester City, a demolition of Manchester United at Old Trafford and a defeat of Aston Villa served as the highlights of Postecoglou’s reign.

However, those ups and downs are rarely seen and in mid-December 2024, with the club languishing in 11th place, things look as bleak as ever.

Fans have pointed fingers at so many different issues: owner, president, hiring and manager.

The sad reality of the situation at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is that football may no longer be the primary concern of those in charge.

‘ENIC Out’ movement

‘ENIC Out’ and ‘Profit Before Glory’ are two phrases you’ll often see on social media when fans talk about Tottenham ownership.

Joe Lewis was a leading figure in the sports entertainment group before passing his shares to his children in 2022, with The Lewis Family Trust now holding the majority of the club.

But as United fans did with the Glazer family, the Spurs family increasingly criticized those at the very top of the tree in the hope of sparking change.

Protests against lack of investment, poor managerial choices and skyrocketing ticket prices have been organized in the past, but none have ever gained significant traction.

Only a handful of people were spotted outside the stadium holding flags and sporting purple and gold banners, but they ultimately failed to attract the attention of the mainstream media and more importantly, the Lewis family themselves.

There has been talk of outside investment in recent months, raising hopes among fans that a new era may be on the horizon.

Amanda Staveley, a former Newcastle player with several connections in the Middle East, has been touted to inject significant funds into the club, although there has been no official word on whether talks are progressing despite being seen in the stands several times this season.

Spurs fans’ desire to change owners may have stemmed from jealousy after seeing the success of other clubs in the Premier League.

Manchester City, Newcastle and Aston Villa have all seen their fortunes change for the better following ownership changes, with a common theme being more investment on the pitch.

Despite all this, the long-term and short-term management of the club never really fell on the shoulders of ENIC or Joe Lewis, but on the man they appointed to the board 24 years ago.

Levy’s empire

Daniel Levy transformed Tottenham, for better or for worse.

During his eternal mandate, the club became one of the most recognizable and profitable global brands.

He built one of the best training complexes on the planet, which are often used by national teams and the Three Lions themselves during national team breaks.

And the Spurs attract tons of tourists to the spectacle that is their stadium, whether it’s football or NFL games, stadium tours, the Skywalk, concerts or go-karting.

But purists will tell you that’s a problem.

The evidence suggests that these distractions took Levy’s focus away from winning football trophies and there are arguments for and against this.

Over the last 18 months, the focus has been on reducing the wage bill at Tottenham.

Harry Kane, Ivan Perisic, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso are four examples of high earners at the club who have left and their replacements have been significantly less valuable.

Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Min-hyeok Yang are 18 years old and investing in the future.

Dominic Solanke was the only senior starter brought in in the summer, and with Spurs finishing fifth last season, it was never going to be enough to catapult them into contention for major honors or even compete on all four fronts.

Since Levy took over as chairman, the Lilywhites have spent £1.5bn on transfers. For further context, Todd Boehly has splashed out £1bn since buying Chelsea in 2022.

Along the way, Levy raised just under £1billion in player sales by selling some of the club’s biggest players including Kane, Gareth Bale, Kyle Walker, Dimitar Berbatov and Luka Modric.

Whenever the club was on the verge of success, they took two steps back.

After the Champions League final, there was not much investment in the team. Jose Mourinho was fired a few days before the cup final.

Antonio Conte was very vocal about broken promises made during his time as manager and left in a blaze of glory – we all remember his explosive interview after the Southampton draw.

So it’s very easy to see why the vast majority of Tottenham fans have such a big problem with their chairman.

The pundits are now weighing in, with Jamie Carragher suggesting that Levy’s methods are not paving the way for success when it comes to football.

He said: “They’ve changed so many managers…

“We talk a lot about Daniel Levy. What Daniel Levy has done here in terms of the training ground and this is the best stadium in the world for me.

“And that was Daniel Levy’s strength in terms of a really stable football club. The stadium he delivered. He delivered the practice field.

“It’s probably a while for someone else to come in because they haven’t won a trophy in that period of time, with the managers they’ve had.

“They’ve never really gone astray in the transfer market, they’ve spent decent money without, you know, blowing other teams away. The wage bill is always one of the smallest. And you will never get the best players.

“So maybe the time has come for Daniel Levy – who I supported because you look at the actual work he does – but now that the work has been done, in terms of the stadium and the training ground, someone else needs to be at the helm of this football club.”

Lack of leaders

Far from off-field politics, there are and always have been problems on it.

There is a weak mentality built into the core of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and it is evident to this day.

Taking a 2-0 lead at home to one of your biggest rivals in Chelsea and then allowing them to score four to win the game is an unforgivable crime in the eyes of Spurs fans.

But the truth is – everyone is used to it.

Of their last five cup finals, only one has ended with them lifting the trophy.

Former captain Hugo Lloris recently spoke of the strange moment when Levy handed them all the engraved watches after the Champions League final and had the words ‘Finalists’ engraved on the back.

And current defender Cristian Romero has now questioned the club’s will to win in a recent interview.

He said: “It’s true, I’d say no comment, but … Manchester City compete every year, you see Liverpool strengthen their team, Chelsea strengthen their team, they’re not doing well, they’re strengthening again, and now they’re seeing results.

“These are things that should be imitated. You have to understand that something is wrong, hopefully they do.

“The last few years have always been the same: first the players change, then the coaching staff, and the same people are always responsible.

“Hopefully they’ll figure out who’s really responsible and we’ll move forward because it’s a wonderful club that could easily compete for the title every year with the structure they have.”

Since the departure of Lloris and Kane, Heung-Min Son has taken over the armband, with Romero and James Maddison as his co-captains.

But again there is a significant lack of combat in the games. Instead of warriors and winners in every position, there are only one or two real leaders at Tottenham.

If they want to win silver, that has to change.

Is Angeball the answer?

Things have been far from perfect for Postecoglou, and he is not immune from blame either.

The facts are that Spurs have lost six of their 15 top-flight games this season, handed Ipswich and Crystal Palace their first wins of the campaign and lost to their two biggest rivals at home.

But the scourge of injuries that has spread across the white half of north London is limiting this side’s potential.

Inconsistency is the word used by the Australian head coach and he has proven that he can coach his team at a very high level, just not as often as the fans would like.

There are problems with its management. Substitutions and a stubbornness when it comes to adjusting his tactics during games to pull out a win are two issues highlighted, but many fans will also tell you they haven’t enjoyed watching Spurs (at their best) as much in years.

Given his attacking philosophy and the way he handles himself in the media, Postecoglou has laid the foundations for success during his short tenure at the helm.

But he needs support, and not only from the perspective of young people.

The January transfer window could be decisive or turning point for the former Celtic manager.

If he can lure some top talent to Tottenham and help them turn the 2025 season around, there will surely be more impressive results than against City on the horizon.

But whether he can turn the odd big win into consistent success and eventually a silver medalist is still unknown.





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