Ange Postecoglou knew he was destined for the exit door at Tottenham despite winning the Europa League in what proved to be his final game for the club
Ange Postecoglou left his mark in the corridors of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – now he wants to do the same at the City Ground.
The Aussie breezed into his new job as Nuno Espirito Santo’s replacement not only talking big but also about returning the glory days to the club.
Postecoglou referenced ‘bringing joy to the people’ on the back of his last public appearance as he paraded the Europa League trophy to hundreds of thousands of delirious Spurs supporters three months ago. And he plans to do the same in the East Midlands.
He said: “I want to win trophies. That’s what I’ve done my whole career – and that’s what I want to try and do at Nottingham Forest. From that point of view, looking at the opportunity that exists here what I’ve seen over the last few years since the president (Evangelos Marinakis) took over, those ambitions are backed up with actions.
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“So I was keen to go to a club that would give me that platform to continue the career I’ve had so far. That is: To continue winning things. That was important to me.
“Not that they’re in a position to do that – but they have that ambition. And I love creating things that last. Every club I’ve been to I’d like to think I’d be welcomed back because I think I’ve left a mark. That’s what I want to do here.
“That’s what inspires and motivates me. Can I create a moment that will outlast my presence in any sort of organisation. And that’s going to drive me every single day.
“The joy for me in coming to this club is to win a trophy – not because it’s going to help me keep my job – but because I know how it’s going to make people feel.
“That’s why, when I finish my tenure here that I can come back and somewhere there’s something on the walls that says I was here.”
Postecoglou’s unveiling was the first time he had spoken in public following Spurs’s final game of the campaign – a defeat to Brighton on the final day of last season. He claimed he knew the sack was coming long before the club’s glory night in Bilbao.
He closed the chapter on that, saying: “Look I know it was coming – and I knew it was coming a long way out. Long before most people knew it was going to happen. But I didn’t want to tarnish the night, tarnish the parade or anything like that.
“I wasn’t going to let that happen because it wouldn’t have been fair on everyone else. I wanted my family to enjoy it and I enjoyed it, too. When you win something, you cherish it and celebrate it – and that’s what I did.
“I wanted everyone to look around and say there are moments that will stay with me forever. Special moments.”
Postecoglou was, however, repeatedly hit with the accusation that ‘Angeball’ had fallen flat as, despite Spurs’s Euro success, they hit the buffers in the Premier League finishing one place outside the drop zone.
Asked about the approach he was taking at his new club, Postecoglou said: “I do like my teams to play exciting football and score goals.
“I’m making no apologies for that. That’s just the way I am and the way I want to see my teams play. I want to dominate the ball, I want to put pressure on the opposition when I score goals.
“But all of it with the end goal of winning football games. Because that’s what excites me more than anything else. If you win football games, you can win trophies.”
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