Despite confidently thumping his chest just before the season kicked off and declaring that the second season is usually where he gets real results, big Aussie Ange Postecoglou had to eat a slice of humble pie as he expressed frustration after Tottenham came away from Newcastle point-less despite dominating for the major part at St James’ Park.
“Yeah, obviously we should have got something from the game,’ the Australian said. ‘It’s very similar to our first away game (at Leicester) where we controlled it for the most part. We just needed to kill it off and we didn’t.
“The second goal was disappointing. We switched off but it should have been well over by then.
“So it’s another sore one unfortunately, where we haven’t got the rewards for our play. But it’s three strong performances from our first three games. The results don’t reflect that.”
Spurs have only have four points to show going into the international break but Postecoglou insisted that the rewards would come, with bitter rivals Arsenal next up on September 15.
“The positives are that our football is good and has been in the past three games. We just need to get our rewards,” the Spurs gaffer added. “If we continue to play like that, I know we will get them.”
The tune may be different but oddly the lyrics parallel those of another song sung often by another manager in the league in the Old Trafford side of Manchester when the odds are stacked up against him and his house of cards invariably come a-falling down.
Battle hymns and disgruntled managers aside, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe struck up a refreshing rhythm, stressing that despite his side maintaining their unbeaten start to the season, there is still plenty to improve on.
“It was a tough game, the second half in particular,” he said. “But it was a great response to find a way to win the game, so those are great signs, but we know that longer term we have to improve our performances.
“We’re not playing as we’d like — we don’t have enough control and composure — but we are showing our defensive qualities. On the ball, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
And Howe admitted his relief that a ‘challenging’ transfer window was over, with the club failing to strengthen their squad despite being linked with several high-profile players.
“This transfer window has been tough for us,” he said.
“But it gives us stability now that a lot of the off-field stuff will disappear, so we can focus on the pitch and the players that matter and get better as the season goes on.”