Source : ABC NEWS
Sacking coach Ange Postecoglou soon after he delivered Tottenham Hotspur’s first major trophy in 17 years was “emotionally difficult”, but the club needed a change after a poor Premier League season, according to chairman Daniel Levy.
Postecoglou was dismissed earlier this month, just over two weeks after leading Tottenham to a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Europa League final, securing the club’s first silverware since 2008 and earning it a place in next season’s Champions League.
Levy noted that while the decision divided supporters, the Australian manager ultimately paid the price for a dreadful league campaign that saw his side finish 17th on the table — its worst finish since it was relegated in the 1976-77 campaign.
“I don’t regret appointing Ange, I’m very grateful to Ange. In his first season we finished fifth and in his second we were over the moon to win a trophy,” Levy said in an interview released by the club on Tuesday.
“But we need to compete in all competitions, and we felt that we needed a change. Emotionally it was difficult but we feel that we’ve made the right decision for the club.
Tottenham last week named former Brentford boss Thomas Frank as its fifth full-time manager in six years and the 13th since Levy became chairman more than 25 years ago.
“Failure is not an option, the desire [is] to succeed. And because it’s so difficult, I want to succeed even more,” Levy added.
“Whenever you have a new coach, it’s always a fresh start. [There are] always different ideas, but we want to build on the success of winning a trophy last season.
“One of the things that stood out to me with Thomas was that he is clearly highly intelligent, a great communicator, super human being plus all the technical aspects which are obviously important.”
Reuters
