Chris Sutton tells Gary Neville and Roy Keane they ‘don’t understand or have not looked into’ Ange Postecoglou, on Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off show, as Tottenham’s new boss wins a host of new admirers

Chris Sutton has jumped to the defense of new Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou, believing he has been underestimated by high-profile media contemporaries Roy Keane and Gary Neville – despite his impressive start.

The Australian’s arrival was met with some trepidation, but he has made an immediate impact in North London, guiding the club to an impressive 2-0 home win over Manchester United, as well as grabbing four points from a possible six in visits to Brentford and Bournemouth.

Unbeaten Tottenham are third in the Premier League with seven points, just two points clear of champions Manchester City, the only side still holding a 100 per cent record.

Spurs mirror their results with an impressive style of football, something Postecoglou is known for, endearing himself to the club’s fanbase.

Neville and Keane had previously expressed concerns about Postecoglou’s tactics, but Sutton believes the 58-year-old deserves more respect, as he shared Mailsport football editor Ian Ladyman on the brand new podcast ‘It all starts’.

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Former Premier League winner and co-presenter Sutton insists some critics of the 58-year-old have not analyzed his impressive record at other clubs deeply enough before passing judgement.

“I think the media in general has disrespected Postecoglou, but wasn’t there a ‘No to Postecoglou’ campaign from Spurs fans?” Sutton said.

“I think something similar happened at Celtic when Ange Postecoglou came to Celtic because I think that was in large part because he’s Australian and people regard Australia with the utmost respect as not a football country, and people didn’t. really scratching the surface.

“If you look at every club he’s been to, he’s had 25 successful years as a coach and changing clubs. He did well with Brisbane in Australia, he went to Yokohama, who were struggling in the J-League, and made them J-League champions. He came to Celtic, took over a huge mess and turned them around: he won five trophies out of six and two league titles,” he added.

“But that wasn’t the only thing, it was the style of play, the kind of football and then going to Tottenham, that was the most important thing for me. He would tick that box amply.

‘It is interesting. Pundits I respect, Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Glenn Hoddle, are all somewhat critical of him in the way Tottenham play,” said Sutton.

Ladyman then questioned whether former professionals’ harsh views of the Tottenham boss could be classified as ‘snobbery’.

Sutton added, “I don’t know if it’s snobbery. They (have) great football brains, they have their opinion.

“What I do think is that they don’t understand Postecoglou or haven’t looked deeply enough into his coaching career and the kind of football he plays. I have often talked to him and read a lot about him. .

“He wants to play this attacking football and it has worked for him for 25 years. So he’s come to Tottenham and says, “Why am I going to change? It’s been successful for me”. And I actually thought Tottenham would be a bit slower, if I’m being honest. Maybe around October, November they really hit the belts.

“I think in many ways we might be getting a little over-enthusiastic because I’m still pretty confident they’re going to have some tough weeks and they’re going to conced some goals the way they’re playing and counter-attacking. to get. Then we get “Postecoglou’s naive with the way he plays”.

“But with a man with a good management record, and perhaps not in such a fashionable league as many England fans would like, I think he’s going to do some good things. Remember when Arsène Wenger came to these shores and everyone wrote him off. What happened next?’

Tottenham hope to continue their inspiring start to the new season as they take on Fulham in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday before traveling to Vincent Kompany’s Burnley on Saturday.