Postecoglou to win Manager of the Year award for rescuing Tottenham, who ‘fell off a cliff’ under Conte
Jamie O’Hara thinks a top-three finish in the Premier League should be enough for Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou to be named Manager of the Year.
Postecoglou joined the Londoners from Celtic in the summer and his debut season is going better than many expected.
Inspired by the form of James Maddison, Heung-min Son and Guglielmo Vicario, Tottenham are currently fifth in the Premier League, joint on points with fourth-placed Arsenal, who have played a game fewer.
The results have not been the only thing to improve under Postecoglou, but the performances are a lot easier on the eye than they were with Antonio Conte at the helm.
The quick transformation under the Aussie has impressed former Spurs midfielder O’Hara, who is backing Postecoglou to be named Manager of the Year if he guides the north Londoners to a third-place finish.
“How good is Ange Postecoglou, by the way?” he said Si Ferry’s from Open Goal podcast. “I think he’s got a great chance of winning Manager of the Year.
“If Manchester City win the league again, does Pep Guardiola really deserve it with all the players that he’s got? Why do you have to win the Premier League to get the award, when you’ve got the biggest budget and the best players?
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“I think if Tottenham finish third in the league and continue playing the way they’re playing, he should win it.
“Tottenham have been a joy to watch this season – they’re on TV every week because people want to watch them, even if they’re not Spurs fans!
“I think Postecoglou deserves to be in with a shout of winning Manager of the Year, because Tottenham fell off the side of a cliff last season, they were absolutely terrible. It was honestly so bad to watch – the football was diabolical.
“This season, I can’t wait to watch Tottenham every time they’re on, and I think everyone feels like that a little bit.
“It’s early in the season, but Ange deserves the award – he’s done an unbelievable job.”
O’Hara also praised Big Ange for showing a different side to his management against Manchester United, deciding to bring on a defender with the score level.
“The other day against Manchester United when Postecoglou brought on Radu Dragusin was the first time he made a defensive substitution when drawing a game,” he added.
“He’s obviously now got that option because he’s signed a couple of centre-halves, but it’s the first time I’ve seen him go, ‘You know what, away from home at Old Trafford with five minutes left, a point is a good point’.
“That’s the first time I’ve seen him do that – I think he’s started to realise that sometimes, away from home in the Premier League, a point isn’t a bad result.”
O’Hara continued: “He’s so good with the press too, like when he responded to the journalist asking if he imagines winning trophies in the future.
“He’s not afraid to mug people off a little bit, and I like that because some of the questions managers get asked sometimes are utter nonsense. He’s a relatable person and that’s the main thing.
“The players all love him – Heung-min Son put him down as his manager of the year, and Harry Kane, who left and went to Bayern Munich, put him down as his number three!
“His recruitment has all been spot on too. If Spurs bring in more signings like they’ve done in the past two transfer windows then they won’t be far off the top – it’s injuries which is the main issue for them.”
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