Ange Postecoglou says Tottenham critics diminish achievements by ‘turning gold into c***’

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Ange Postecoglou has accused people of putting a negative spin on Tottenham Hotspur’s achievements and “turning gold into c***”.

In second-half stoppage time of Sunday’s 3-1 win over Southampton, Brennan Johnson, who had scored Spurs’ opening two goals, earned a penalty, which Mathys Tel converted. Johnson looked disappointed on the pitch and had to be consoled by Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro and Archie Gray. The Wales international admitted afterwards that he wanted to take the penalty to complete his hat-trick.

Postecoglou was asked about the incident before the first leg of Spurs’ Europa League quarter-final tie against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday and said “we’re in that position that the good stuff we may do is going to be turned into a glass half full rhetoric”

“It’s incredible, it’s just literally turning gold into c*** when it’s Tottenham,” the Australian added. “If we’re 2-1 up tomorrow night and get a penalty in the last minute, I want the best penalty taker to take it.

“I mean the one slight against this club is apparently it hasn’t been a winner. Well the winner’s mentality in the last minute of the game is to score a goal. We scored a goal and yet somehow, in this ultimate universe where everything Tottenham does is wrong, that’s come out as a negative.

“From my point of view, I was delighted because as I said if that’s tomorrow night and we get a penalty in the last minute and get a third goal which could be really decisive, I’m really pleased with the way the players handled it.”

Tel scored Tottenham’s third against Southampton (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Johnson was also asked about the penalty during Wednesday’s press conference and said as an attacking player he naturally wanted to take it, but once the decision was made he backed Tel to score.

“All of us attacking players, if there’s a chance to score from 12 yards without it being contested, all of us would want to take it,” Johnson said. “Once the decision had been made it’s not really my nature to argue or have a fight about who takes a penalty.

“I’ve been in that situation before, where people are really reluctant to let someone else have a penalty and it can put you off. So once the ball was with Mathys I just wanted to get on the edge of the box and support him. He put it away and he’s a quality player as well so it’s not like I’m doubting his quality. As soon as the ball was put in his hands I backed him to score.”

Spurs have struggled in the Premier League this season and have lost more than half of their games, leaving them 14th in the Premier League.

Postecoglou was in a fiery mood in his press conference on Wednesday. He directly referenced an article published by tabloid newspaper the Mirror about his future and said that “the general sentiment of people” is that “even if we win (the Europa League), I’m gone anyway.”

The 59-year-old then said that he remains focused on delivering success to Spurs “irrespective of whatever noise there is or what there may or may not be in the future.”

“I don’t see that that should diminish my burning ambition, my desire and my determination to make that happen,” Postecoglou said. “Anything you achieve in life usually comes with a struggle. Certainly everything I have achieved in my life has come with a struggle from a professional perspective. This is just another struggle, but never through this struggle have I lost the will to fight for what I think is the right thing to do and I’ll continue to do that.”

Spurs reached the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup but were knocked out by Liverpool after being beaten 4-0 in the second leg at Anfield. They were eliminated by Aston Villa in the fourth round of the FA Cup which means their only chance of winning silverware this season, and qualifying for the Champions League, is by winning the Europa League.

They face Eintracht Frankfurt at home in the first leg before a trip to Germany next Thursday (April 17). In between the two European fixtures, Postecoglou’s side play Wolverhampton Wanderers in the league.

(Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

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