Ange Postecoglou admitted it ‘meant a lot’ to hear fans singing his name in their opening 2-2 draw with Brentford last weekend, but insisted he ‘hadn’t earned’ their affection yet.
Spurs began their season with a thrilling game at the G-Tech Community Stadium, with Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal both finding the net in the first half of a tight game.
James Maddison assisted both goals in an impressive debut, although Richarilson struggled to make much of an impact in the club’s first game without Harry Kane.
Despite being in charge for just one competitive game, Postecoglou appears to have already won over a section of the fan base, who sung his name during their season opener.
‘It means a lot but I’m not comfortable with it’, the manager said of his song. ‘You love what it means. For the most part it’s blind faith. I haven’t earned it yet.
Ange Postecoglou admitted it ‘meant a lot’ to hear Spurs fans singing his name but felt he ‘hadn’t earned’ their affection yet
Tottenham drew 2-2 with Brentford in their first competitive game under the new manager
‘Hopefully when the day comes that we deliver something it will mean even more. I’m not dismissive of it and I’m very appreciative of it but it reminds me of the responsibility that I have to repay that faith.’
Romero was forced off with an injury after just 14 minutes and there were concerns about his availability for Saturday’s clash with Man United, but Postecoglou has now confirmed he will be fit.
Speaking ahead of the game, Postecgolou said of Romero: ‘Cristian is good to go. Obviously he’s been in the hands of the medical team going through all the protocols.
‘He’s ticked all the boxes and felt fine all week. Aside from that, no change from last week.’
Spurs have been linked with a number of players, including Romelu Lukaku, to replace Kane, who departed for Bayern Munich earlier this month, but Postecgolou stressed that some players would need to leave in order to bring in new talent.
Cristian Romero was forced off after 14 minutes in the game, but Postecoglou has confirmed he has recovered in time for the United game
The Brentford game was Spurs’ first since Harry Kane left the club for Bayern Munich
‘That’s the reality of it,’ he said. ‘We can’t just keep acquiring players. That affects training and it affects the players. Our focus right now is to try to trim the squad down and see where that takes us. There’s still a couple of weeks left of the window and I’m sure we’ll see movement.’
On former club captain Hugo Lloris’ exit, he added: ‘I’m not really across it. With the outgoings I have very little control over it. My focus has to be on what’s in front of us and who’s training. I’m assuming that as we get closer to the end of the window everything will accelerate.’
He was also quizzed on the Tottenham Supporters’ Trust complaints about the club’s ‘excessive’ plans to increase match day ticket prices by 20%.
While the manager called for ‘unity’ from the fanbase but insisted he would ‘never tell people how to express their emotions.’