Ange Postecoglou, Antonio Conte, and Jose Mourinho (Photos by Justin Setterfield, Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Ange Postecoglou took a dig at his former club Tottenham when speaking on an episode of The Overlap today, and he’s not the first to make similar claims about the north London side.
The Australian coach was sacked by Spurs at the end of last season despite winning the Europa League final and giving them their first trophy in almost 20 years.
Fast forward eight months later and Thomas Frank has also been sacked after failing to make it with Tottenham, who have gone through a really tough time since Mauricio Pochettino’s reign.
Spurs don’t seem to have a problem recruiting top managers, with the likes of Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho also among the coaches to stay at the club in the past few years, but it’s clear that all of these managers continue to experience the same problems with the club’s culture.
Ange Postecoglou: Tottenham are not a big club
Speaking on The Overlap, Postecoglou made it clear how he was frustrated at Tottenham, insisting that they are not living up to their ‘dare it’ motto and that they need to learn to take more risks.
“If you look at their expenses, especially the structure of their salaries, they are not a big club,” he said.
“They are not a big club!” ?
Ange Postecoglou gives his verdict on the current state of Spurs after the sacking of Thomas Frank! ? pic.twitter.com/5SpXGhAKpI
– The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) February 12, 2026
“I think they didn’t realize that, in order to actually win, you have to take risks.
“I felt like Tottenham as a club were saying, ‘we’re one of the big boys’, and the truth is I don’t think they are.”
Postecoglou’s frustration sounds exactly like Conte’s rant just before he left the job.
Antonio Conte on the “story” of Tottenham under “this owner”
In an unusual outburst in March 2023, Conte expressed his frustration at THFC and their lack of success under Daniel Levy.
As quoted by BBC Sport, the Italian expert said: “The story of Tottenham is this – 20 years with this owner and they have never won anything.
“The fault is only with the team, or with all the managers who live here? I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench. You are in danger of interfering with the number of the manager and defending another situation all the time.
“Until now, I’m trying to hide the situation but not now because I don’t want to see what I saw today because this is not acceptable and it’s also not acceptable to the fans.
“If they want to continue in this way, they can change the manager and a lot of managers, but the situation will not change, I believe.
“Perhaps in the past in other games something can change. But here we have been used to it for a long time. The team has the responsibility of selling players, every coach who stays here has a responsibility. And the players? The players? Where are the players?
“From my experience, I can tell you that if you want to compete, if you want to fight, you have to improve this aspect. And this aspect, I can tell you, at the moment, is really low.”
Jose Mourinho had no connection with Tottenham
Although Mourinho did not elaborate like Postecoglou and Conte, it is clear that he also had big problems with Spurs.
The Portuguese tactician is not one to mince his words, but if there was one thing he got it right when he admitted he has a special connection with all his former clubs – expect Tottenham.
It may have been tempting for the Special One to twist the knife here, but credit to him for showing some restraint on this occasion.
“I hope that the Tottenham fans will not treat me badly, but the only club in my career where I still do not have a deep feeling for Tottenham. Maybe because the stadium was empty, the time of Covid. Maybe because Mr. Levy did not allow me to win the last game and win the cup,” said Mourinho, as quoted by the Guardian.
“That’s the only one – all the clubs I feel connected to, maybe people [will say] you can’t love every club. Yes, I love all the clubs! With Roma, we will be linked forever, like all my previous clubs – except Mr Levy’s club. “
Mauricio Pochettino praised Daniel Levy’s work at Tottenham
The recent exception to all this is Pochettino, who had a much better working relationship with Levy than his successors.
The Argentinian may have ended up being sacked as they did, but when asked about it a few years later, he seems to have no positive feelings towards Spurs and Levy.
“I can’t say whether it was right for us to be sent off or not – that’s football and we have to accept the rules of football,” Pochettino said, as quoted by BBC Sport.
“Daniel is really smart, smart enough to understand that emotions are emotions, but that doesn’t mean people don’t see your work.
“He was amazing, the work he did for Tottenham, for the team.
“You see Tottenham 20 years ago and now, how it happened [the club] it has changed, how it has progressed and I think you need to see his work. “
