BILBAO, Spain : Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou dismissed questions about his job in a bullish press conference performance on Tuesday ahead of the Europa League final, angrily refuting a suggestion that he was a clown.
The Spurs boss insisted that his job was not a concern ahead of Wednesday’s game against Manchester United and that the focus was on winning Tottenham’s first European silverware in 41 years and their first trophy since 2008.
“My future is assured, mate,” Postecoglou, whose side have suffered their worst domestic season for nearly 50 years, told reporters.
“I wouldn’t be the first person who changes jobs. I’ve got a beautiful family. I’ve got a great life. Don’t waste a minute of sleep thinking about it.”
Spurs’ last European trophy was the UEFA Cup in 1984, while their last domestic trophy came when they lifted the League Cup in 2008.
The coach, who spoke passionately about his parents’ journey from Greece to Australia, stressed that his primary concern was to seize the opportunity to provide something special for Tottenham and their supporters.
“Whatever happens beyond tomorrow is kind of irrelevant if you think about the opportunity that is presented for us right now,” Postecoglou said.
“There’s so many years without winning a trophy. If I was worried about my tenure with this club, it’s fair to say that we wouldn’t be in this position because I would have been too distracted with unimportant things.”
Postecoglou insisted he had not discussed his future with his players and reacted angrily at one stage, in response to a newspaper article that suggested he would be seen as either a hero or a clown.
“I’m not a clown,” he said. “I’ll keep on winning trophies till I finish, whenever that is.”
He also suggested that winning the Europa League final, which provides a path into next season’s Champions League, could cement his role at Spurs.
“I don’t think my job is done here. I really feel like we were building something here and what a trophy does is hopefully accelerate this,” Postecoglou said.
“I still think there’s a lot of work to be done that’s quite obvious with what sort of the challenges we’ve had this year, which I think are well chronicled. But also there’s been some growth that I’d like to see continue.
“So don’t worry about my future, mate. I’ll be okay.”
