Ange Postecoglou Tottenham sack truth emerges amid season-defining Premier League fixture run
It feels like a bit of a weird time to be a Tottenham Hotspur supporter. But Spurs fans are used to that being something of a regular occurrence.
After the excitement of a new brand of attacking football under Ange Postecoglou last season, things have stagnated somewhat this year. This is no more evident than before dreaded international breaks, where Spurs have conspired each time this season to lose right before a two-week break.
The most recent occurrence of that was last Sunday's 2-1 home defeat to Ipswich Town. It was the Tractor Boys' first Premier League win of the season. And cast your mind back a few weeks previously when Spurs conspired to hand Crystal Palace their first league win of the season too.
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Tottenham are 10th in the Premier League table, 12 points off the top, but just three points off fourth place. Had they won against Ipswich last weekend, they would have been third in the table - that's how tight it is.
And it's for that reason that, despite a disappointing-looking start to the season, things should not be all doom and gloom in N17.
Look at the basic facts and Spurs have the best attacking record in the league so far this season - 23 goals scored - and the sixth-best defensive record - 13 goals conceded. You could legitimately expect the Lilywhites to be much higher than 10th in the table with those figures.
Going off expected goals and expected points, Tottenham should be fourth. So why does it feel so solemn in the white half of north London?
Five wins and five defeats in 11 games almost feels like Spurs of years gone by. And the win, lose, win, lose inconsistent nature of matches does little to inspire optimism. Spurs have the fifth-worst away record in the Premier League and losing at home to Ipswich before the international break will have set alarm bells off over the home record faltering too.
For the first time in his tenure after the Tractor Boys' defeat, there were murmurs of real discontent amongst the fanbase at Postecoglou. And the Australian now faces a critical run of fixtures that could really determine his position at the club moving forward.
Tottenham go to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City on Saturday evening. And while City have stuttered in recent weeks, going to the home of the champions is one of, if not the, most difficult away day assignments.
Roma, with new manager Claudio Ranieri in situ, follow in the Europa League, before a home game with Fulham. A Fulham side who have the sixth-best away record in the league.
Bournemouth away follows that - the Cherries having the seventh-best home record in the competition so far this season - before a grudge match with Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Blues have started the season well, sitting third in the table, and boast the third-best away record in the league under Enzo Maresca.
A trip north of the border to play Rangers away in the Europa League comes next, before the easiest-looking - on paper at least - fixture with Southampton away. But let's not forget what happened against Palace and Ipswich.
A big Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United follows, with United potentially in the midst of a new manager bounce following Ruben Amorim's appointment. League leaders Liverpool then come to north London, before a Boxing Day trip to surprise side Nottingham Forest and a December 29 date with Wolves at home to end the year.
It's 11 games in 38 days - the busiest time of the year. Time well tell if it becomes the most wonderful time of the year for Postecoglou, or if he's left waiting on the trigger to be pulled by chairman Daniel Levy. It could be the most important and potentially most defining spell of Postecoglou's Tottenham career.