Ange confronts angry fan in latest row with Spurs faithful after shock loss to PL battlers

Things are always rosy in Ange Postecoglou’s second year in charge for a football team but Tottenham are proving to be the exception to the rule after a shocking 2-1 defeat at home to newly promoted, and already relegation-threatened, Ipswich Town.

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Sunday’s Premier League encounter was billed as a reunion to warm the hearts of Australian football fans between the former Socceroos boss and Ipswich midfielder Massimo Luongo – who was nominated for the Ballon d’Or for his heroics in the 2015 Asian Cup triumph under Postecoglou – but things quickly turned sour.

First half goals to Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap left Spurs with too great of a mountain to climb and the home supporters expressed their fury as they arrived to the ground confident of a win that would put them into the top four, but watched in horror as their team slid down to 10th.

Tottenham showed signs of life in the second half with a Dominic Solanke goal ruled out by VAR – replays showed the ball touched his wrist – before a Rodrigo Bentancur header in the 69th minute gave them hope of snatching a point.

But Ipswich held firm as the home fans engulfed the stadium in the dying minutes – when Luongo was brought off the bench – and at the full-time whistle with boos.

Already fuming because of his side’s poor showing, Postecoglou even showed his displeasure with one particular fan.

As the Australian walked down the tunnel, he clearly took offence to something that was yelled out at him.

He stopped, eye-balled the perpetrator and then continued walking.

It was the latest incident in what has been a testing relationship with the Spurs faithful.

This time last year everyone had ‘I’m loving big Ange instead’ stuck in their heads, but now the relationship is out of its honeymoon period.

Tensions had been simmering away since Postecoglou slammed the fan base for celebrating their 2-0 loss at home to Manchester City in the penultimate game of last Premier League season because it ensured rivals Arsenal could not win the title.

The 59-year-old said at the time that the club’s “foundations are really fragile” and that flimsiness has been replicated on the pitch in a rollercoaster ride so far this season.

Postecoglou’s hopes of keep his streak of winning a trophy in his second season are still alive with Tottenham in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup and they have won three of their four Europa League games, while they are yet to play an FA Cup match.

But their Premier League campaign has been underwhelming so far.

As well as Ipswich, they also lost to relegation battlers Crystal Palace but they have teased their potential with a 3-0 thumping of Manchester United at Old Trafford and a 4-1 home demolition of Aston Villa.

They have scored more goals than any than other team in the league but have won five matches, lost five and drawn one.

When they win, they are heaped with praise for their attacking football but when they lose, fans and the UK press pack are quick to grow tired of the inconsistent results.

Former Tottenham midfielder turned pundit Jamie O’Hara told Sky Sports that the tipping point in the relationship between Postecoglou and the Spurs supporter is drawing near as the loss mount up.

“Spurs are all the place at the back. Defenders running all over the place, crossing over, not tracking runners, getting in behind,” O’Hara said.

“You watch it and go, so easy, so easy. That can’t carry on. Eventually the fans will turn. Okay, we like exciting football, but we don’t want to come back from 2-0 down every week.”

Sunday was the 13th time in 15 Premier League home matches this year that Tottenham have conceded the first goal of the game.

It has created some thrilling comebacks but as Sunday showed, it is often too hard to always be chasing the game.

Football writer for the UK Telegraph, Thom Gibbs, described the loss to Ipswich as a ‘mood-killing muddle’ after wins against Manchester City (in the Carabao Cup) and Aston Villa last week.

Gibbs insisted however that the defeat ‘to an improving side was no disaster’ but that the warning signs are there.

“Often (trailing) seems to spur Spurs into life, like a complacent student who needs more carrot than stick. Replace detentions with being booed off at half-time,” he wrote.

“But you cannot rely on creating peril to rescue yourself forever. Great sides have that ability; the best do not routinely play themselves into trouble.”

Spurs have conceded 13 goals in 11 games – the same amount as second place City and third place Chelsea but seven more than league leaders Liverpool.

When they have been exposed at the back it has simply been more costly, and Postecoglou’s high line has come under fire as a result.

Lightning fast centre back Micky Van de Ven is out injured, and Radu Dragusin – who is not blessed with the same speed – partnered Christian Romero in the heart of defence against Ipswich as a result.

Football journalist Henry Winter blasted Postecoglou for not adjusting his tactics saying on TalkSport that “it’s madness to play that way when they haven’t got someone was as quick as him (Van de Ven) to get them out of trouble”.

Perhaps it is stubbornness, but Postecoglou sticks to his ways because everywhere he has been, he has stayed true to his system.

Australian football fans will recall the three-at-the-back saga which engulfed his World Cup qualifying campaign as Socceroos boss as a perfect example of how he will not relent to the doubters.

He has an inherent belief in his attacking style of football.

He will stay true to that when the Premier League returns in two weeks from an international break.

He knows that the blame lies with him, so there will be slight tweaks within his system, but do not expect Spurs to start parking the bus.

“That’s down to me. That’s my responsibility. The inconsistency we’re having this year, ultimately it comes down to me and my approach and something I need to try and fix and see if I can help the players in that area,” Postecoglou said post-match.

He has put his neck on the line, which means he will be held accountable and this rollercoaster ride has many more twists, turns, and ups-and-downs left in it.