Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou echoes Antonio Conte with call for vocal support from senior figures | OneFootball

Chairman Daniel Levy, chief financial officer Scott Munn, and technical director Johan Lange rarely speak publicly

Ange Postecoglou has echoed his predecessor Antonio Conte by saying Tottenham need to change "a lot of things" to be successful and called for more influential voices inside and out of the club to speak out in defence of Spurs.

The Australian was again critical of the use of the VAR, saying the technology was causing him to "fall out of love" with the game, but insisted he would not allow "internal and external pressure" to derail the club's chances of success in the Europa League this season.

There’s never any sort of defending of the club or the club defending itself, which makes it even more difficult

Ange Postecoglou

"So from that perspective it is different to other clubs I’ve been at for sure. A lot of it is also how the club is viewed externally. It seems like every fight ends up being an internal fight at this club.

"There’s never any sort of defending of the club or the club defending itself, it seems like to me, which makes it even more difficult because every club goes through tough moments and it’s how you react to them. That’s a unique challenge, but I accepted that challenge so I’ve got to try to find a way to overcome it."

Asked how the club could defend itself, Postecoglou said: "By being more vocal. I hope not [just from the manager].

"I think you hear enough from me, you probably hear too much from me to be honest, I think.

"It doesn’t have to be just from people at the club. I hear plenty of people talking and defending other clubs, but it seems with Tottenham wherever there’s a sore there’s a real pile on to sort of stick a finger in that sort and then we kind of accept our fate.

"Again, it’s my interaction with the fans and how I’ve made things more difficult. You kind of go, ‘Ok, well that’s the challenge we face.”

Protests against Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy have become a regular fixture

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Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is unwilling to speak publicly, while Scott Munn, the club's chief football officer, and technical director Johan Lange have also remained largely in the shadows, leaving Postecoglou as the sole spokesperson for the club.

Conte criticised the lack of communication from Levy and the board, while Jose Mourinho also expressed similar frustrations during his time at Spurs.

Postecoglou, though, also believes Spurs also lack strong supporters in the pundit class, with ex-pros regularly setting the narrative around other big clubs.

"I think in the time I’ve been here, we’ve had two decisions that have gone for us against Liverpool and there has been a national campaign, almost," he said.

"I never switch it on and hear any sort of strong voice [for Spurs]. The only voice you hear is me.

"When we’re talking about the bigger clubs, there seems to be a lot more voices. And not always defending. You need scrutiny and constructive criticism as well. We definitely get enough of that! But we never get any of the other stuff."

A 16th defeat of the season at Stamford Bridge has left Postecoglou under intense pressure ahead of Sunday's visit of rock-bottom Southampton.

In a parting rant before he was sacked, Conte predicted that Spurs could hire "a lot of managers" but the "situation cannot change" until the club itself adapted.

It was pointed out to Postecoglou that a succession of managers, including Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Conte, have been successful before and after Spurs but struggled in north London.

Ange Postecoglou is under mounting pressure to salvage the season

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"I just don’t think it’s about the managers themselves," Postecoglou replied. "I’ve almost lasted two years, it’s pretty good for Tottenham!

"At some point, I think the club needs to stick to something. If I say it now it sounds self-serving and defeats the purpose, so maybe not now…But I think if that if you want to change the course of your events, you need to change materially a lot of things in terms of your outlook as a club.

"From my perspective, while I’m in this chair, it is to see if I can find a way to navigate it that others have struggled to do that. But, as you rightly point out, there’s life after this for everybody, including Tottenham and including me.”

"We finished fifth last year," he added. "In another year, that would have been a Champions League spot. With people it just doesn’t register.

"If you have five years at a club and you have maybe one or two disappointing years but you have three really strong years you’d say: ‘I’ll take that.’

"But here you can’t have one good year … and last year was a good year, I don’t care what anybody says. We lost Harry [Kane]. I know everyone talks about our start.

"We changed the way we played. But it seems like, well, you have one good year, you have one poor year and then that’s it. Let’s move on to the next. But that’s what I accepted so I can’t sit here and say: ‘Ah, woe is me.’ That’s the challenge I accepted.

"Fair to say at the moment I’m not doing a good job of turning that mind-shift around. But as I said earlier, I am a fighter. I will continue fighting until told otherwise."