Ange Postecoglou has admitted that he owes Daniel Levy an obligation since he was the man who brought him to Tottenham and insisted that the trust between him and the chairman will improve as they get to know each other better.
Levy has a reputation for not always being the easiest chairman to work with and Postecoglou will hope to have more success in forging a strong working relationship with the Spurs supremo than some of his predecessors have had.
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 25: Tottenham Hotspur Chairman Daniel Levy during the FA Cup Fourth Round match between Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur at St. Mary’s Stadium on January 25, 2020 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images)
The Australian insisted that the experiences he has had working with various kinds of owners will hold him in good stead for what lies ahead.
When asked about the importance of forging a good relationship with Levy, Postecoglou told Football.London: “I guess whenever you go into a role like this you always know that relationships are going to help you as a manager to get the things you need to work the way you want.
“There is always one or two, wherever I have been, key decision makers – and Daniel is no different to all the other ones I have worked with. They are very passionate about their football club. That’s the one common dominator.
“They are all different sorts of personalities, but they are all very passionate about their football club and they want their football club to be successful. So you understand that and then, for me, it’s about saying, what’s that relationship going to look like? Again, I think what he wants to do is support me.
“I think that will be easy as he gets to know me a little bit better, which is only understandable, but I also understand that him being the key decision maker, he is the one that made the decision to bring me in. So, for me, there’s an obligation I have now to make sure I repay that faith.”
The 57-year-old insisted that so far, he has received all the support he needs from Levy and the Tottenham hierarchy.
He continued: “He (Levy) gave me this responsibility. Beyond that, like I said, just try and get him to understand me and what I am about, because I think all these things are a matter of trust. The more you end up trusting each other as sort of key people, the more things happen a lot more naturally.
“It’s only natural at the start you are always going to be a bit wary with any sort of new manager coming in, about how they are going to work, how they are going to behave, all those kind of things, but so far I have had all the support I’ve needed in terms of the staff I’ve brought in, the transfers we made and it’s just got to continue like that.”
Postecoglou’s first meeting with Daniel Levy
Postecoglou explained that he did not try to sell himself in a big way when he was first approached by Levy about the Tottenham job, adding that he allows his work to speak for him.
When asked about the conversations he had with the Tottenham chairman before taking on the job, the former Celtic boss said: “We didn’t have a massive discussion around it. I mean I am not that kind of person anyway, to kind of sell myself.
“I have always said, it’s a weird thing when you are sort of talking to people about what you are going to do and who you are and all those kinds of things.
“I’ve been managing for 26 years, if you want to know how my team is going to play there is plenty of evidence there.
“Whatever I say doesn’t really matter, because I can say we are going to play like this but if you’ve seen my teams play and you go ‘I have never seen that before. What’s going to be different?’ That’s a different question.
“It was just trying to get him to understand me as a person more than anything else. Not so much me as a manager. Everything he needs to know about me as a manager, you’ve got 26 years of evidence of that – in terms of the way my teams play, the way I manage, the way I deal with people.
“And in terms of the club, again, I am pretty well versed in what the club is about, what the club has gone through in recent times and what the history of the club is. From that perspective, he didn’t really need to sort of sell me anything about that.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Postecoglou would not have had the success he has across various different footballing cultures around the world if he is not skilled at managing upwards.
So, I have no doubt that he will be able to deal with Levy much better than some of the managers who have come before him.
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