Nottingham Forest: Under-fire Ange Postecoglou delivers passionate defence of his legacy

Postecoglou won the Europa League in May – Tottenham’s first trophy for 17 years and their first European silverware for 41 – and he outlined why he felt the perception of him was wrong.

The ex-Celtic boss also promised, if given time, he would continue his record of winning trophies everywhere he has managed.

He continued: “I was in meetings and people who are still at that club were in those meetings, where I was told winning a trophy is everything for this football club. That’s fine.

“We win a trophy. We shed the tag of being ‘Spursy’ [promising but always failing to deliver in the end] but all I’ve heard since I’ve finished at Tottenham is that we finished 17th last year.

“So if you look at it from that prism of we finished 17th, then, yeah, I’m a failed manager who’s lucky to get another opportunity.

“But again, if I have to explain why we finished 17th, it doesn’t have to be too in-depth. Just look at the last five or six team-sheets in the league last year and see what I prioritised – who was on the bench and who was playing.

“Before the last game, against Brighton, the players were out partying for two days, which I sanctioned because I felt they deserved to.

“So yes, we finished 17th. If people think that’s a reflection of me and my coaching, then, again, I think they’re looking at it through the prism of ‘I just don’t fit’.

“So, we get to the current space where there’s a different story to tell, that maybe I’m not a failed manager who was lucky to get this job, but maybe I’m a manager that if you give them time, the story always ends the same.

“At all my previous clubs, it ends the same – with me and a trophy.”