Ange Postecoglou hasn't been given enough support at Tottenham – but there's no way back

No manager has had a better ride than . And that is not saying that journalists reporting on have gone soft or gone easy on the Spurs boss. Anything but.

But here we are, with six games left and Tottenham are in 15th place in the Premier League table after 17 defeats and they have shipped 49 goals after Wolves put four past them on Sunday. This is not about the press or his treatment in the media.

Postecoglou has been indulged in a way that has not been afforded to previous Spurs managers. Or indeed the likes of other Premier League managers like Ruben Amorim who, arguably because he is in charge of Manchester United, is getting way more heat and he’s only been there five months.

It is obvious that Postecoglou’s saving grace has been the Europa League because if he wins that then he will have guided the club to their first trophy in 17 years. And, furthermore, that would get them back into the Champions League while also delivering an attacking - some would say foolhardy - brand of football.

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So while Tottenham are still in the Europa League, you can see the logic in keeping him rather than Ryan Mason getting his mop and bucket ready for another stint as caretaker.

But this is the same club that sacked Jose Mourinho six days before a Wembley cup final. The club that pulled the trigger on Mauricio Pochettino at the first sign of trouble. Just five months after Poch led them to the Champions League final. That is still mind-blowing.

Antonio Conte, a serial winner until he rocked up at Spurs, left after just 16 months in charge after voicing his frustrations on numerous occasions. Postecoglou has not been shy on doing that.

Even Postecoglou last week admitted that there was a “general sentiment” that he could win the Europa League - and still get the bullet. And now we have reached a point where a 4-2 thumping at Wolves - who were battling the drop not so long back - is just accepted.

He is gold in press conferences. We’ll miss him when he’s gone. Maybe there’s been some deflection tactics along the way. If that is the case, then that’s cute on his part.

Last Friday, albeit they had drawn with Eintracht Frankfurt the night before, Postecoglou delivered another great talking point: who is, apparently, leaking injury news.

Over who? Wilson Odobert. Apparently, the news was leaked on social media and the use of a medical term gave the game away. “Tightness in his hamstring” was as specific as it got. You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to understand that phrase. Tight hamstring.

After the Wolves game, Postecoglou said: “Mistakes are part of football, I’m not going to be holding anyone to account. The only person who gets held to account is me.”

Well, hardly.

One outlet did a piece last week about his treatment in the media as if he was being given a tough time. Talk about missing the point. They have lost 17 games and even Postecoglou said he understood and did not have a problem with a piece saying he could go even if he wins the Europa League.

Postecoglou is actually good value at pressers. He’s friendlier with the written media than TV and radio. Maybe he thinks we give him the space and opportunity to get his point across. Maybe not. But it’s clear he reads every single word.

Personally, I don’t think Postecoglou has been given enough support by the board in terms of backing, recruitment and opportunity. But I do think the fans have largely turned and, once that happens, there is no way back. Would winning the Europa League change that? I’m really not sure anymore. I think it’s gone too far.

And yet arguably the biggest single reason why Postecoglou has been offered more understanding and the knives have not been sharpened further is that everyone can understand it’s not all his fault.

The fans have been far louder in their criticism of the board than the manager. It is 17 defeats and yet it is also 17 years without a trophy. There has to be a certain symmetry there.

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