Tottenham’s home clash against Manchester City last season is what sparked the division between fans and Ange Postecoglou.
That’s the view of former Spurs striker Darren Bent, who is unsure about the head coach’s future following the recent rise in tensions.
Postecoglou was booed by furious fans following their 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Thursday night, a sixth league loss of the season.
“They’re disappointed and I got some pretty direct feedback, which is always healthy mate,” he told talkSPORT in a post-match interview.
Spurs started excellently under Postecoglou at the beginning of last season but the past year has delivered hugely fluctuant form.
This has seen a souring of the relationship between him and the fans, with the visit of City in May a particular instance of this.
Many supporters were controversially keen to see a Spurs defeat as a win could have helped arch-rivals Arsenal to win the Premier League.
Postecoglou said beforehand he ‘will never understand’ fans wanting their own team to lose, and ex-Spurs man Bent believes this is where the relationship started to crack.
“I like ‘Big Ange’, I think the football he plays is entertaining,” he said on talkSPORT Drive. “But we’ve always said he needs a plan B and he’s said he’s not got it, fair play, if that’s the way he wants to go about it, that’s the way he wants to go about it.
“But I almost feel the divide started properly last season, when he couldn’t understand why the Tottenham fans wanted his side to lose against Manchester City, which would have effectively helped Arsenal win the title.
“I don’t think he’s ever recovered from that, I don’t think that the divide between the two has ever recovered to be fair because he had some fans going, ‘What? He doesn’t understand what he means.’
“I can understand both sides to be fair, I understand Spurs fans not wanting Arsenal fans to get that joy, that, ‘Thanks, you won the game so we won the league,’ I understand that, but being a Premier League manager is hard enough as it is.
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“So you can’t pick and choose where you take results so from Ange’s perspective, he’s thinking, ‘Well, it’s not really about what Arsenal do, it’s about us improving and to improve, we have to beat sides like Manchester City.’ So, I could see both sides of it.
“But I always felt like there was never, not no coming back from that, but that was where the divide started to really kind of happen. And he’s questioned his side’s mentality, there’s been so many questions to him about the supporters and what they think.
“Even his answers there, he says, ‘They don’t have to back me, they’ve got to back the team.’ In that, I kind of understand that as well because you want your team to do well… Where this ends, I don’t know because yes, their form’s not great.
“I wouldn’t say it’s horrific like some teams, do you know what I mean? But, realistically as well, where should Tottenham be at this moment in time? That’s the obvious question.”
“I think they’re better than 10th with the players they’ve got, I really do,” said host Andy Goldstein, and Bent replied: “OK.
“So, if you’re looking at realistic situations right, they should be above Bournemouth, [Nottingham] Forest, Fulham and Brighton, right? But unfortunately, names of clubs and names on paper is irrelevant.”
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“Where this ends, I don’t know,” Bent added. “Does he last the end of the season? I’m not sure.
“But I just think he’s been so blunt in some of his answers, when they’ve said about a set-piece coach, ‘Nope.’
“People can poke fun all they want about Arsenal scoring set-plays… And look at the game the other night against Manchester United, hardly anything in it, two set-plays, you win 2-0.
“That’s how important [it is], but the fact that he’s like, ‘Nope, we don’t need them, nope.'”
Spurs have won just three of their last eight Premier League matches and face a tough run of fixtures in the forthcoming weeks.
They first have a huge home clash on Sunday against Chelsea, who ended Postecoglou’s unbeaten league run with a 4-1 win last season.
Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle will present huge tests over the festive period and New Year.
Spurs also face a trip to Rangers in the Europa League and a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against Manchester United.