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Ange Wins in Europe — So Why Are Spurs Fans Still Complaining?

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Ange Postecoglou looks serious in front of a bold headline asking why Spurs fans are still complaining despite his Europa League triumph.
Ange delivered Tottenham’s first European trophy in over 40 years — yet some fans remain unconvinced. Why?

Silverware Secured, Yet Still They Moan: Why Postecoglou’s Europa League Triumph Has Exposed the Real Mentality Problem at Spurs

Welcome back to Tottenham Hotspur Blog News - the blog that's been right on point.

This blog doesn’t just talk about the issue.

It talks about the arguments behind the issue.

While everyone else shouts over each other with recycled opinion, I look for context.

I look for reasons, not excuses and I challenge every viewpoint by asking how it fits into the bigger picture.

That’s the only way to form an informed opinion.

Most fans don’t realise how easily their views are manipulated.

They hear the first thing someone says about a topic and that becomes their truth.

That's a scientific fact.

From then on, they consume content that reinforces it and reject anything that contradicts it.

It’s subconscious.

It’s tribal.

And it’s why so many of them are still criticising Ange Postecoglou… even after he’s just delivered the one thing they’ve been screaming about for years.

I don’t operate like that.

I ignore the noise and analyse the pattern.

And I’m not interested in the monetised, regurgitated YouTube content that has flooded Spurs fan circles.

Take Sean Butler.

Probably the most measured of the lot, perhaps due to his business background in finance, I believe.

He talks a lot of sense.

If I were to recommend listening to any channel, it would be his.


But even he bends his message to match the market sometimes.

One moment he’s telling us Spurs have spoken to Ryan Cherki.

The next, he’s claiming Manchester City are moving and Spurs aren’t.

Well, hang on.

If I already know Spurs have had those conversations, made their pitch, and the player is waiting on City… what more are Spurs supposed to do?

We don't know it's a fact, but we don't know it's not a fact so doesn't that angle have to be considered, given his bio says he looks at all angles?

This isn’t a TV show.

Just because something isn’t on screen doesn’t mean nothing is happening.

Spurs operate silently.

Always have.

Agents are often told not to leak.

So I don’t need a flurry of headlines to believe something’s moving behind the scenes.

Look at Paratici.

First he’s “unofficially advising Levy.”

Then I’m told nothing is happening because he’s not officially back until June 14th.

You can’t have it both ways.

But people will bend any logic necessary to fit the narrative they’ve already bought into.

And that’s the story of the Postecoglou backlash.

Ange Has Delivered — But the Fans Are Still Complaining


Ange said in a media interview that he always wins a trophy in his second season.

He told Sky Sports: "I'll correct myself - I don't usually win things, I always win things in my second year. Nothing's changed.

"I've said it now. I don't say things unless I believe them."

And he has.

UEFA Europa League Champions.

First European silverware since 1984.

Champions League qualification secured.

Clear playing style intact.

So why are people still calling for his head?

Because they’ve backed themselves into a corner.

They spent so long wanting this project to fail, not because of Ange, but because of Daniel Levy.

Admitting success now would mean admitting they were wrong.

And that’s something too many fans can’t stomach.

They Said It Was About Trophies — But It Never Was


I remember when the consensus was that finishing eighth with a trophy was better than finishing fourth without one.

"All I want is silverware," they spout on social media all season long.

"League position means nothing if there’s nothing to show for it."

Well, now there is something to show for it.

But suddenly it’s not enough.

Now it’s,

“Yeah but we finished seventeenth.”

“Yeah but we lost to Fulham, Ipswich Town etc.”

“Yeah but…”

So was it about silverware… or was it about feelings?

Because this proves it was never about winning a trophy.

It was about needing emotional validation.

About a reason to throw another manager under the bus and tear down Levy again.

And now that the trophy has arrived, that narrative is in ruins.

So the target shifts.

The complaints mutate.

Because the goal was never honesty - it was ego.

They Don't Understand What a Winning Mentality Really Is


Let me be blunt.

Most fans claim they have a winning mentality.

But when they see one in action, they don't even recognise it.

I have spent the last 2 years explaining it to you.

Whoosh, straight over heads.

Because they think they can tell a mother what it's like to give birth.

At one point this season, Tottenham Hotspur had only one fit centre-back: Ben Davies.

Indeed at one point we didn't even have him.

There were no left-backs.

Archie Gray, a Championship midfielder and right-back, had to play at centre-back.

Kulusevski admitted he was running on 40–50% energy.

That means they all were against teams with 100% energy levels.

Pretty obvious who wins that battle.

There was no rotation, no rest.

When it became clear the league was slipping away, Ange did what I’ve done as a captain:

He focused on what could still be won.

In some games, I practised bowling yorkers.

In others, I focused on slower balls or seam control.

I didn’t need to win those games - I was preparing to win the ones that mattered.

That’s exactly what Postecoglou did.

He targeted the UEFA Europa League.

He tuned the squad for Thursday nights.

He trained in-game.

He adjusted the psychology of the group.

And he won.

That is what a winning mentality looks like.

But instead of recognising it, fans criticised it - because they don’t understand it.

They think “winning mentality” means full throttle in every game, every week, no matter what.

But that’s not winning.

That’s fantasy.

This Isn’t About Ange — It’s About Levy


I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:

This isn’t really about Ange.

It’s about Daniel Levy.

There are fans who’ve spent the last decade making Levy the villain of every story.

They want failure - so they can point and say, “Told you so.”

But this year has disrupted that story.

Tottenham Hotspur are building a serious project now.

A smart, long-term recruitment model.

A sustainable footballing system that doesn’t rely on stars - it creates them.

Just like Manchester City do.

This is what I’ve written about for years — that Spurs must follow this model.

And now that it’s happening, people are too prideful to admit it's working.

So they go after Ange instead.

Because it’s easier than admitting they were wrong about Levy all along.

THBN The Final Word: You Don’t Want What You Say You Want


So here’s the truth.

If you were serious about wanting silverware, you’d be celebrating.

If you were serious about building a club that wins and sustains, you’d be backing Ange.

But if you’re still moaning, still undermining, still calling for another reset…

Then you never wanted silverware.

You just wanted to be proven right.

That’s not a winning mentality.

That’s self-indulgence.

And if that’s how you think — then maybe the real problem isn’t the manager, or the chairman.

Maybe it’s you.

COYS

5 comments

  1. Thanks Clive — another very fine article!
    I think Ange has been an excellent manager for all the reasons you’ve mentioned and Daniel Levy has been outstanding for many years. Now we need the Chairman to hold on to his vision which has brought this club rebuild that Ange has contributed to MASSIVELY.
    Should we be concerned if Paratici ‘rejoins’ Spurs? How compatible would he be to Ange’s vision and what authority will Vinai Venkatesham have? This unnerves me most.
    Kind regards, Andy McCarthy
    • Hi Andy.

      I don't have Clives fuller understanding or connections at/around the club. Nevertheless, I'd like to answer from my own perspective.

      My thoughts, as soon as we heard that Paratici would be facing a ban on working in football, was that it was in everyone's interest for him to continue offering his advice & experience to the club, but sub rosa. Perhaps there could be a gentlemen's agreement that he could get some extra remuneration once the ban was over? Perhaps not?

      TBC.
    • Nevertheless, I suspect that some form of connection has existed all the while and plans were always in place for him to return as soon as the ban ended.

      To that extent, I expect what was done under Ange has all been compatible with his vision and when he rejoins officially I expect to see a completely smooth transition.

      COYS!!
  2. I'm very much with Andy on that it was another fine article. Many, many people have an extremely hard time ever accepting they were wrong. Unfortunately, though the correlation isn't guaranteed 100%, the brighter people are - the less problem they have adjusting their understanding & admitting they had it wrong before. Or, to put it another way, the thicker people are, the more they struggle ever to admit how thick they are.

    It's extremely rare in life for anyone to sail through & be right all the time, so the opportunities to observe people finding themselves wrong are everywhere. Letting go of belief in something fundamental is something I had to do a few years ago when I realised that the noise about Levy actually didn't make the sense I thought it did. It wasn't an easy thing to do, but I'm very pleased now that I did. The mental gymnastics involved in explaining how right I was, was a real effort. Much easier that I'm no longer trying to …
    • Much easier now I'm no longer trying to push the tide back.

      COYS!!