Ange Postecoglou promised to bring joy to Spurs supporters.

Ange Postecoglou promised to bring joy to Spurs supporters.

Ange Postecoglou now does not believe he is deserving of the Tottenham fans’ backing, but he has committed to strive to bring them joy after being inspired by Australian singer Nick Cave.

Tottenham’s trophy drought has been stretched, and record striker Harry Kane left on the eve of the new Premier League season, but Postecoglou has received tremendous support.

When the new Tottenham manager listened to a podcast with Louis Theroux and his compatriot Cave this week, he was reminded of the importance of football to fans.

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— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 18, 2023

“It’s not about making the fans happy, it’s about giving them joy, and joy comes from suffering,” Postecoglou said ahead of Saturday’s visit from Manchester United.

“I say this because I listened to a podcast this week that I thought was a great description of what football is all about.”

“I’m in that strange stage where supporters have been extremely supportive, but I don’t expect it and don’t feel worthy of it.”

“I still need to prove myself to our fans and club employees through our actions rather than our words.”

“Hopefully, we’re giving them some faith in what we’re trying to create right now, but we need to back it up on a weekly basis.”

“We need our fans to rally behind us. We want the Tottenham stadium to be a place where the enthusiasm is completely on our side, which we hope will happen tomorrow.”

Postecoglou was serenaded for a number of minutes by the away fans at Brentford last weekend and a tifo display is planned for his first competitive home match in charge.

But he admitted: “It means a lot but I’m not comfortable with it. You love what it means because for the most part it’s blind faith.

“I have yet to deliver anything.” Hopefully, when the time comes for us to deliver as a team, it will mean something new.

“I don’t dismiss it either; that’s people putting their trust in me as an individual, and I appreciate that.” It serves as a nice reminder of my responsibilities.”

While fans will rally behind the team for the 5.30pm kickoff against Erik Ten Hag’s United, a protest organized by Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust over the club’s decision to raise matchday ticket prices will take place hours before.

The THST’s ‘Call to Action’ will push the club to rescind the rise, which they claim will price out loyal supporters, and Postecoglou supported their right to “express their emotions” during Friday’s press conference.

He is also acutely aware of the importance of home form, saying, “It’s a beautiful stadium, without a doubt, but as much as opposition teams enjoy playing in the venue, we have to make sure they don’t enjoy the experience.”

“What makes grounds difficult to play on is the experience you provide teams, whether it’s the atmosphere created by the fans or the football you play against them.”

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— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 18, 2023

“If you want to make it a place where we see it as an advantage, you must ensure that the experience for opposing clubs is unpleasant.”

Sir Alex Ferguson, the former Manchester United manager, made sure teams did not relish visiting Old Trafford, and Postecoglou reflected on his meeting with the managerial legend this week.

In the Club World Championship in 2000, Postecoglou led South Melbourne to a 2-0 loss to Manchester United.

And, more than two decades later, he will seek his first Premier League victory over Ferguson’s former team.

“I don’t think I take elements in my own game, but people like Sir Alex, whether it’s consciously or unconsciously, they have an effect on you,” Postecoglou admitted.

“It’s not just football coaches.” I’m a naturally curious person who learns from all kinds of people and circumstances.

“I’ve always tried to feed the part of my brain that is always curious about things.”

“It was significant for me because we were coming from nowhere to play at one of the world’s most iconic stadiums, the Maracana, against one of football’s greatest teams at the time, against one of football’s greatest managers.”

“I had five or six minutes with him and apart from saying hello, I just listened. That’s the best way to have interaction with people like that. There’s no point me talking for five minutes, he’s not going to learn anything off me.”