Ange Postecoglou opens up on refusing to meet Daniel Levy ahead of Tottenham firing
· Yahoo Sports
Former Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has spoken candidly about his refusal to meet with then-chairman Daniel Levy. The Australian was dismissed last summer following a 17th-place finish in the Premier League.
The axe fell despite him having guided Spurs to UEFA Europa League glory, with the manager having prioritized the European competition over league fixtures in the closing weeks of the campaign.
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Yet it's a call he believes ultimately worked against him, notwithstanding the landmark continental triumph.
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Appearing on The Howie Games podcast, he said, via football.london: "I felt like I was dodging the bullet all the way through that second year, the league form wasn't great, but I make no apologies for that. I went all in on winning the Europa because I thought that was just too important for the football club.
"It wasn't just about winning a trophy, which was the most important thing, but it gets you into the Champions League, which means Champions League money.
"That made a lot of people uncomfortable, it made a lot of people uncomfortable outside of the club, it certainly made a lot of people uncomfortable inside the club, I don't think they agreed with that strategy, they made it clear they didn't agree. Unfortunately for them, unless they removed me, that was going to be the strategy because I just felt it was the best way forward.
"I kind of knew ever when we won it, I told my wife 'this will be the last game,' I was convinced they were going to get rid of me now.
"I didn't get the sense from people around the club who were going to be part of the decision making process, a lot of them are still there, I never got the sense that they were sort of all in on me and what I was trying to do. It was bizarre, that night in Bilbao, they were all in that room, and there was a little part of me that was like, 'I should really go and have a crack at them now.'
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"I felt like, 'You're enjoying this, but I know what you're going to do next."
He then disclosed what transpired when he was summoned to meet with Levy.
"My agent Frank said Daniel Levy wants you to come back (from holiday) and have a meeting; he wants to have a chat with you," he said.
"I was in Greece, and I said, 'Look, I'll get on a flight and come back,' and he said, 'Daniel wants to see you,' and I said, 'I don't really want to see him; what's he going to say to me? I know what he's delivering,' if it was good news, I would've just got on with my holiday.
"So I said, 'Don't worry, just finish it off, and we're done,' and that's how it ended.
-Credit:-, AFP via Getty Images"It wasn't a shock, it was disappointing because I felt like I'd done the hard yards, what they wanted and what everyone wanted, and I felt we could build from that."
Circumstances haven't improved for Spurs over the past 12 months. The club found themselves battling relegation under Thomas Frank before Roberto De Zerbi took over in March, with Tottenham securing their top-flight status on the season's final day.
Despite significant summer investment, Spurs have dropped both of their Premier League fixtures so far this campaign. They head to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Postecoglou subsequently endured a brief and unsuccessful spell in charge of Forest, remaining for only 39 days. He currently manages Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.