Why so serious, Ange?: Weary of questions about Harry Kane, Spurs boss in no mood to mess about

With arms crossed and a serious look on his face, new Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou didn’t look like he was in the mood for any tomfoolery at the National Stadium media centre on Tuesday (July 25). 

Even from the off, as young England midfielder Oliver Skipp enthusiastically answered questions about his success with the national team at the recent European Under-21 Championships, Postecoglou offered nary a smile. 

When Skipp was done and left the press conference, the 57-year-old Australian tucked his chair in and said: “Right, can we get any show-and-tell out of the way, nice and early?” – much to the surprise, and amusement, of everyone in the room. 

Postecoglou was referring to an incident in Bangkok last week when an overzealous German reporter asked about Harry Kane’s possible transfer to Bayern Munich, before  brandishing a Bayern jersey with Kane’s name on the back and saying, “It looks quite good, no?”

Postecoglou, whose disciplinarian approach to work has been well-noted across Australia, Japan and Scotland where he has worked, was visibly unimpressed.   

“Did you get a good laugh for it? Got what you came to get? Very good. You came a long way for that, thank you,” he shot back.

The show-and-tell gag wasn’t the only incident that annoyed Postecoglou, who took over the reins at Tottenham last month. Torrential rain and a waterlogged pitch meant that the friendly match with Leicester City at the Rajamangala Stadium on Sunday had to be called off at the 11th hour. 

Spurs were originally slated to face Roma at the National Stadium on Wednesday (July 26), but after the Italian club withdrew from the Singapore Festival Of Football, local side Lion City Sailors stepped in as emergency replacements. 

Postecoglou is simply glad his charges have a game to play.  

“The gods weren’t on our side that night,” he said, referring to the downpour in Bangkok. “It’s tough for the players because they’ve trained and trained but haven’t had a game. But, these are the things in life you just have to find solutions for.”

Postecoglou is likely to field “two XIs” for Wednesday’s friendly, in the hopes of giving everyone a run-out. 

“I wouldn’t read too much into any starting XI right now; it’s more about the players’ physical condition than anything else.”

Postecoglou, who led Australia to the Asian Cup in 2015, won the Scottish Premiership in both his seasons at Celtic (2021-2023), also guiding the club to a domestic treble last season before he became Spurs manager.

Since his arrival, he’s had to fend off questions surrounding club captain Kane, who many predict will leave the club for Germany either this season, or the next – when his contract is up.

It was the same script for Postecoglou on Tuesday when asked about the talismanic striker. “There’s been no change (to the situation),” he stoically replied. 

With or without him, Postecoglou is keen to improve the fortunes of the underperforming London side, who finished eighth in last season’s EPL.

His reputation for rebuilding teams and getting them to play in an adventurous, attacking style was evidenced during his time in the A-League, and underpinned by his success in Scotland. 

“We’re very much still in the embryonic stages,” he said about his team’s preparations for the upcoming season. 

“Right now we have to balance game plans with physical conditioning… In terms of how we’re going to play (once the season begins), we have a long way to go.”