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‘Unacceptable’: Ange Postecoglou booed off field before ugly incident

Ange Postecoglou was turned on by his own fans with a video emerging of an ugly incident following his side’s “unacceptable” loss.

Tottenham's Australian coach Ange Postecoglou. Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP.
Tottenham's Australian coach Ange Postecoglou. Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP.

Ange Postecoglou and his Tottenham players were booed off the field after a disastrous home defeat to Ipswitch on Monday morning.

Postecoglou said it is his responsibility to solve Tottenham’s inconsistency after the sloppy 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium compounded the team’s run of lacklustre performances in front of home fans.

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The team has now lost five games at home this season and pressure is building on the Australian manager.

To make matters worse for the former Socceroos boss, Postecoglou was filmed in an ugly incident with a spectator as he walked off the field.

Video showed Postecoglou reacted to something shouted at him — and the comment clearly hit a nerve.

Victory would have taken Spurs into the top four but instead they slipped to 10th after failing to recover from another slow start at home.

Ipswich celebrated their first Premier League win in 22 years thanks to first-half goals from Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap.

Rodrigo Bentancur pulled a goal back in a second-half rally from Spurs, but it was too little, too late.

Ange Postecoglou reacted to a spectator. Photo: Twitter, @ChrisCowlin.
Ange Postecoglou reacted to a spectator. Photo: Twitter, @ChrisCowlin.

Tottenham have now fallen behind in 13 of their 15 Premier League games at home in 2024.

“It was hugely disappointing and, from my perspective, unacceptable, because we started the game nowhere near the levels we needed to be,” said Postecoglou.

“We gave ourselves a mountain to climb. In the second half, we had the ascendancy and enough opportunities to get the job done, but we didn’t do enough with it.”

Defeat continued a rollercoaster second season in charge for the former Australia manager.

A run of one win from their opening four games was followed by five consecutive victories, including an impressive 3-0 win at Manchester United.

Postecoglou’s men have since scored impressive home wins over West Ham, Manchester City and Aston Villa, but have also lost their past three away games.

“It’s my responsibility, I’ve got to fix it,” added Postecoglou.

“We’ve been inconsistent this year, fair to say, we shouldn’t be that inconsistent, and when you are, that responsibility lies with me to try to help the players overcome that.”

Football commentators were scathing of Postecoglou.

Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones said the “stale” team was easy to play against because of defensive frailties.

Ipswich's players celebrate. Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP.
Ipswich's players celebrate. Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP.

“Yes, Tottenham are great to watch. But days like these just show how far they truly are away from being a contender,” he said.

By contrast, it was an afternoon to remember for Ipswich as they finally got their first win back in the top flight at the 11th time of asking.

Victory lifts Kieran McKenna’s men, who had drawn five of their opening 10 matches, out of the relegation zone.

“So proud. It’s been a long time for the club, 22 years since the supporters saw a win in the Premier League,” said McKenna.

“The journey to get to here has been a big one. It feels a bit special today.

“We believe we’ve been improving. We’ve picked up five out of 10 results but were waiting for the first win to validate the work and improvements. It’s a massive moment, one to cherish.”

— with AFP

Originally published as ‘Unacceptable’: Ange Postecoglou booed off field before ugly incident

Original URL: https://www.ntnews.com.au/sport/football/premier-league/unacceptable-ange-postecoglou-booed-off-field-before-icy-incident/news-story/cd3f2060313fe3298e911be3ea66ecc0