Ange Postecoglou sends Premier League title message to Tottenham fans

28 October 2023 , 07:39

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Ange Postecoglou told Tottenham fans to dream (Image: James Gill/Getty Images)

Wizard of Oz Ange Postecoglou led Tottenham five points clear and told fans fantasising about a title challenge: “Let them dream.”

Postecoglou has now banked 26 points from his first 10 games – more than any manager in the Premier League era ahead of Guus Hiddink (25), Maurizio Sarri, Carlo Ancelotti, John Gregory and Frank Clark (24 each) following Spurs’ 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Friday night.

The last time Spurs were so far clear at the top was in Bill Nicholson's Double-winning season of 1960/61, and Postecoglou was in no mood to calm the supporters' celebrations at Selhurst Park

He said: “Let them dream – this lot have suffered a fair bit, I'm not going to dampen that. We showed real composure once we got ahead. There was a bit of drama right at the end, but I really liked our discipline and the way we went about it.

“It's not just about football – it's about attitude, working as a team, and what makes it special is that we are winning as well. What we try to do on a daily basis is to give them the tools to find solutions. This is a tough place to come and we had to work hard for our victory.

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“It's still a new team but they are handling all these different scenarios really well. You know what it's like when you get a bit of momentum – my role is just to keep pushing them because I think there's so much more growth in this team.”

Son Heung-min scored the winner for Spurs vs Crystal Palace (PA)

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Palace skipper Joel Ward's own goal and Son Heung-min’s ninth goal of the season put Tottenham in charge until Jordan Ayew's volley in stoppage time set up a frantic climax. Son claimed: “Not at all am I thinking about the title. You just want to stay on the ground because it is early in the season.”

Palace boss Roy Hodgsons said: “I thought our first half performance we were doing everything we could to keep them at bay. We kept them under control. But the first goal changes everything – it gives them a boost of confidence.”

Hodgson also criticised the trio of young players he brought off the bench for a lack of impact. Matheus Franca, 19, and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Naouirou Ahamada, both 21, all came on in the second half but didn’t have the desired effect.

“There was no disappointment today. Although, maybe the young substitutes — who we like to think we can believe in and help us to a different level — didn’t show that,” Hodgson said. “They didn’t do anything for us at all, really. We became much weaker when I made the substitutions.”

Mike Walters