Ange Postecoglou promised on Friday that Tottenham will shake the 'Spursy' label if they rely on his proven process despite letting a 1-0 lead slip in their last five Premier League games.
Thursday's 2-1 defeat to West Ham set a new record for consecutive failures, prompting mocking comments from rivals who say they are still showing their soft side. Tottenham will hope to end their winless run when Newcastle, another club in the midst of an injury crisis, visit on Sunday.
“That's schoolyard stuff,” Postecoglou said of the “Spursy” accusations. 'All I need to know is that this club hasn't won anything for 15 years (since the 2008 League Cup). Why that is so, and why others might think that is so, and whatever label, that is the reality.
'There's no way around that. There's no point in me trying to hide that. If you want to be successful, like most organizations, you must learn from the mistakes of the past.
'You have to come up with a plan. You have to stick to it. Whatever tags other people want to put on it, that can't be your motivation, that can't be what drives you.
Ange Postecoglou called 'Spursy' tag 'schoolyard stuff' as he urged his players to trust him
Tottenham lost 2-1 at home to West Ham on Thursday, losing their fifth 1-0 lead in a row
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“It (the 'Spursy' tag) should not burden the new players because they have no history. Whether it outweighs those who have been here is difficult for me to estimate.
“All you can do is chart your way forward. If you want to change perceptions, there is only one way to do it. People aren't going to change their opinion of you because you want them to. You have to give them a reason for that. We're just at the beginning.'
Postecoglou is confident he knows where their current path will take them because he has been there, done that and won the trophies.
Son Heung-min said his teammates were 'soft' and called the full-time result 'unacceptable'
“I have the benefit of experience,” the Spurs boss continued. 'I've experienced this many times. So I know unequivocally what we have to do. But for many of these guys it's the first time.
'I always take that into account, wherever I have been. Always in the first season there are challenges. Players have to go through that and come out the other side and see, “Okay, we survived that. It didn't kill us, we're still going on, we're still alive, we're still ready for It.” In any case, it can make us stronger in the future.
'My whole career has been about winning things. That's why I want us to play like we are. That's where you can sometimes fall into a trap and that's happened at every club I've been to, where the players sometimes think playing football is enough. It's not.'
Son Heung-min described his teammates as 'soft' after the defeat to West Ham and Tottenham will hope the striker will be fit for Newcastle after suffering a knock on Thursday.