Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Aidan Smith

Chris Sutton hits back at negative Spurs fans with passionate Postecoglou defence

Chris Sutton has urged Tottenham supporters to get behind Ange Postecoglou insisting he is the perfect appointment for the Premier League outfit.

The Aussie is set to be confirmed as Spurs' new manager today just days after securing the treble with Celtic at Hampden on Saturday.

Postecoglou has agreed terms with his new club and Celtic are already putting plans in place for a new boss heading into the summer.

Sutton has been a huge fan of Postecoglou's work since he arrived in Glasgow, and he fully expects the 57-year-old to be a hit down south too.

He told the Daily Mail: "He’s fearless, he believes in himself and he’s built a record to back it up. He won’t take a backwards step. He’ll take the game to anyone and everyone and is that not what Tottenham have been crying out for?

"His style is similar to Manchester City’s. It includes inverted full backs and, if I was a Spurs fan, I’d be excited about that after the turgid mess I’ve been seeing.

"Another characteristic is his ruthless nature. For example, at the turn of the year, two of Celtic’s most important players, Josip Juranovic and Giorgos Giakoumakis, had their heads turned. Both were excellent under Postecoglou but the bigger picture was more important and they were replaced well by Alistair Johnston and Oh Hyeon-gyu.

"Postecoglou is all about hard work, intensity, bravery on the ball and trusting the process — his process.

"We all know the arrogant view on Scottish football from down south but to manage one of the Glasgow giants you have to have a strong character and personality and skin as thick as a rhino. Postecoglou has all these traits in abundance.

"He joined Celtic, a club in a bit of a pickle after Eddie Howe had kept them waiting for months, only to then turn down the job. Within a couple of months, after some shrewd recruitment and the players starting to understand what he wants, Celtic started to fly under Postecoglou. 

"The belief he instilled in the team and brand of football was frightening and fearless. It was slick, sharp, blood and thunder football and that is what he can bring to Tottenham.

"Winning trophies at Spurs has been a problem and it will be difficult with the strength of Premier League teams, but their supporters should strap themselves in for an enjoyable ride because they will love watching their team play an exhilarating brand of football under Big Ange. I’m absolutely certain of that."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.