Postecoglou changed Spurs narrative but trophy too little too late

LONDON - Ange Postecoglou will walk away from Tottenham Hotspur with his pride and his reputation intact and his place in the clubs heritage assured after a two-year stint in north London.

Ending the clubs 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League made sure of that.

The Australian delivered on his claim of always winning a trophy in his second season at a club, but few could have envisaged the circumstances in which it happened.

From the ruins of a nightmarish Premier League season, Tottenham ground out a backs-to-the-wall victory against one of the worst Manchester United sides in decades with a display at odds with the clubs to dare is to do motto.

Earlier in the season, after Tottenham beat United 4-3 in a rollercoaster League Cup quarter-final, Postecoglou railed against studio pundits who criticised his expansive style.

Are you not entertained?! What do you want? Do you want a scrambly 1-0? The studios probably going into meltdown over my lack of tactics but I love the fact we go out there and take it to opposition, he bristled.

A few months later, Tottenham did just that, beating United 1-0 with a messy goal and a second half display in which they had 19% of the ball and barely crossed the halfway line.

Postecoglou had only to point to the euphoric scenes in the stadium to answer those who sneered at Tottenhams glory night.

In a parallel universe it could have heralded the ignition point for a Postecoglou dynasty at Tottenham, just as Manchester Uniteds 1989 FA Cup win did for Alex Ferguson.

Instead, it just marked the end of another brief chapter in the clubs history, albeit a memorable one, as he became the fifth full-time manager to be sacked in little over five years.

When Postecoglou