Ange Postecoglou is on course to etch his name into Tottenham Hotspur’s history books for all the wrong reasons, as he edges closer to becoming the club’s worst-ever Premier League manager.
Ange Postecoglou will be hoping for a much smoother finish to his second Premier League campaign, but Spurs’ collapse has left plenty to be desired.
As things stand, Tottenham sit 14th after 29 games—miles off the European spots and a staggering 17 points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City, who have played one game more.
For context, Spurs had 53 points at this stage last season and were just three points off the top four. This time around, with only 34 points on the board, Postecoglou’s side has regressed significantly, and the numbers make for grim reading.
| # | Club | Short Name | Matches | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal FC | Arsenal | 29 | 51 | 67 |
| 2 | Manchester City | Man City | 29 | 39 | 66 |
| 3 | Liverpool FC | Liverpool | 29 | 37 | 64 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | Aston Villa | 29 | 18 | 56 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | Tottenham | 29 | 15 | 53 |
Postecoglou tumbling towards an unwanted Spurs record
For a club of Tottenham’s stature, these numbers are rather poor, but what’s worse is that Postecoglou is now within touching distance of a truly unwanted record. The Australian is on track to officially become Spurs’ worst-ever Premier League boss, according to TalkSPORT.
With 15 league defeats already, Spurs have lost more games this season than Arsenal have across their last three campaigns combined (14).
In fact, Tottenham have not suffered this many league defeats in a single campaign since 2008/09 when they also recorded 15 losses—yet still managed to finish eighth with 51 points.
Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, Spurs have only endured more losses in six seasons: 1993/94, 1996/97, 1997/98, 2001/02, 2002/03, and 2003/04. Their worst-ever return came in 1993/94 and 2003/04, both campaigns ending with 19 defeats.
The 1993/94 season was a 42-game campaign that saw Spurs finish 15th with 45 points, while in 2003/04, they ended 14th with the same tally.
| Season | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points | Rank | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993/94 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 45 | 15 | Osvaldo Ardiles |
| 1996/97 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 46 | 10 | Gerry Francis |
| 1997/98 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 44 | 14 | Christian Gross |
| 2001/02 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 50 | 9 | Glenn Hoddle |
| 2002/03 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 50 | 10 | Glenn Hoddle |
| 2003/04 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 45 | 14 | David Pleat |
More unwanted history beckons for Postecoglou
If the Lilywhites’ slump continues, Tottenham could also be on course to record their lowest-ever Premier League points tally.
Their worst return in the Premier League era came in 1997/98, when Christian Gross’ side limped to just 44 points after suffering 16 defeats, finishing 14th.
In more recent times, their lowest tallies came in 2003/04 [45 points] and 2007/08 [46 points]. Ironically, the latter campaign ended in silverware, as Spurs lifted the League Cup—their last major trophy to date.
Postecoglou will be desperate to avoid a similar fate and ensure this season doesn’t go down as one of the worst in Tottenham’s modern history.
More importantly, he’ll want to make good on his second-season trophy promise and finally end Spurs’ 17-year-long trophy drought.