Postecoglou makes bold trophy claim ahead of Carabao Cup campaign

Ange Postecoglou believes there is no reason why Tottenham Hotspur cannot get their hands on silverware this season, insisting that everything is in place for the North London side to win trophies.

Spurs start their Carabao Cup campaign this evening

The Carabao Cup is undoubtedly the easiest of the four competitions to win and many Spurs fans will feel that the competition has not been treated with enough seriousness by previous Tottenham managers.

Postecoglou himself can be accused of doing the same last season, with the Australian being knocked out by Fulham in the early stages of last year’s competition after naming a weakened side.

Spurs have what looks like a straightforward game on paper against Coventry City in the third round and ahead of the game, Postecoglou has made it clear that the Lilywhites are entering the competition to win it.

Spurs are in it to win it this season

Postecoglou told Football.London: “I came here to try to win things for the club. I think that should be our measure and if we fall short of that then we’ve fallen short and we need to be better and improve.

“That’s up to me, under my tenure, to try to achieve that, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with embracing that. Again, I’d be surprised if anyone could dig up something I’ve said where I’ve tried to downplay anything, even when we started well last year I said ‘look mate, if people want to dream about us winning things, let them go for it’.

“It’s just the way I’m wired, I think it’s the way forward and you need to embrace that if you want to become a successful club and not shy away from it. It’s easy to…not easy but if I said ‘this is going to take three or four years’, then yeah it would relieve pressure, but I don’t want to wait three or four years.

“This year’s an opportunity and then if we do well this year, next year’s an opportunity. So that’s the way I think about it.

“I just think there are plenty of reasons why we can’t be successful, so there’s no point focusing on those. There are countless reasons why you can say this club won’t win something.

“I think I’ve always tried to focus on the way I see it, which is there are no impediments for us winning anything if we’re prepared to plan for it and be really bold in our approach to try and achieve that. I don’t think there’s anything limiting this club having success. I really don’t believe that. That’s why I’m here, but that doesn’t mean we’re ready for it now. It just means it’s what we should be striving for.”

The 2008 Carling Cup was Spurs’ last trophy

The last time Tottenham won a trophy was all the way back in 2008 under the stewardship of Juande Ramos.

When asked if 16 years is too long for a club of Spurs’ stature to go without silverware, Postecoglou responded: “In isolation yes, because with the fanbase we have, and we’ve seen clubs of similar stature win trophies in that time, it’s a long time, but in context, there was also a period of time when we got very close.

“Sometimes there are fine margins between success and failure, so when you’ve been at the doorstep of success it hasn’t been a total waste of 16 years. We’ve built a stadium in that time, and it’s not just the money involved. It’s disruptive, and other clubs who have been through a similar process found it doesn’t gear you up to win trophies, so there is context to those 16 years.

“But if you are a supporter of this club, I would think you would look at it and say, ‘Yes, it’s time’. That’s my responsibility and that’s why I’m in the chair – to try and change that and to change that we need to try and change the way we approach things as well because, ultimately, if you keep doing the same thing, you’re going to get the same outcome.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Ange has backed himself into a corner by making it clear that the season would be a failure if Spurs do not get their hands on silverware. So one would expect the Australian to treat the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and the Europe League very seriously.

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