Source : ABC NEWS
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has dismissed questions about his job during a bullish press conference performance ahead of the Europa League final, angrily refuting a suggestion that he is a clown.
The Spurs boss insisted his job was not a concern ahead of Thursday morning’s (AEST) game against Manchester United and that his focus was on winning Tottenham’s first European silverware in 41 years and its first trophy since 2008.
“My future is assured, mate,” Postecoglou, whose side has suffered its worst domestic season in nearly 50 years, said.
“I wouldn’t be the first person who changes jobs. I’ve got a beautiful family. I’ve got a great life. Don’t waste a minute of sleep thinking about it.”
Loading Twitter content
Spurs’ last European trophy was the UEFA Cup in 1984, while their last domestic trophy came when they lifted the League Cup in 2008.
The coach, who spoke passionately about his parents’ journey from Greece to Australia, stressed that his primary concern was seizing the opportunity to provide something special for Tottenham and their supporters.
“Whatever happens beyond tomorrow is kind of irrelevant if you think about the opportunity that is presented for us right now,” Postecoglou said.
“There’s so many years without winning a trophy. If I was worried about my tenure with this club, it’s fair to say that we wouldn’t be in this position because I would have been too distracted with unimportant things.”
Postecoglou insisted he had not discussed his future with his players and he reacted angrily at one stage in response to a newspaper article that suggested he would be seen as either a hero or a clown.
“I’m not a clown,” he said.
“I’ll keep on winning trophies until I finish, whenever that is.”
He also suggested that winning the Europa League final, which provides a path into next season’s Champions League, could cement his role at Spurs.
“I don’t think my job is done here. I really feel like we were building something here and what a trophy does is hopefully accelerate this,” Postecoglou said.
“I still think there’s a lot of work to be done. That’s quite obvious with what sort of the challenges we’ve had this year, which I think are well chronicled. But also there’s been some growth that I’d like to see continue.
“So don’t worry about my future, mate. I’ll be OK.”
Tottenham will play Manchester United in the Europa League final on Thursday, May 22, at 5am (AEST). Join ABC Sport’s Simon Smale as he live blogs all the action.
Reuters
