TO BOO or not to boo, that is the question for Spurs fans on Monday on Mauricio Pochettino’s return – while Ange Postecoglou has been getting tips from Shakespeare icon Sir Kenneth Branagh!
Poch heads back to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this evening in charge of arch-rivals Chelsea so could well be the villain of the piece for the home supporters.
It is set to be a night of high drama – six days after current Spurs chief Postecoglou enjoyed a trip to the theatre to see Sir Kenneth play King Lear.
The Aussie revealed: “Sir Kenneth is a big Spurs fan and was kind enough to invite my wife and I to the theatre the other night.
“We don’t get too many nights away from the kids and adult time so we enjoyed it.
“I did have to swot up on King Lear. It wasn’t part of the curriculum at Prahran High (in Melbourne) where I grew up! I had to do some research.
“You always learn from life and the appreciation of seeing people excel at what they do is inspiring. You walk out of there thinking, ‘I don’t know how they do it’.
“He was good after it. I caught up with him briefly, he was very kind with his time.
“He was all over how it’s going and gave me some little bits of advice, which I’ll ignore like he’ll ignore my advice on acting!”
Canonic play King Lear tells the tragic tale of an aged ruler driven mad thanks to an almighty bust-up with his daughters over inheritance.
Lear, played by Sir Kenneth who also directs the production currently on at Wyndham’s Theatre in London’s West End, ends up insane, penniless and ultimately, in the ground.
Asked by SunSport if he was hoping for a happier ending on Monday when his own side take to the stage against the Blues, Postecoglou replied: “There was a fair bit going on in that play, mate.
“I definitely want a better ending than Sir Kenneth had, for sure!”
Spurs have had plenty of satisfying conclusions this season, with last-gasp winners against Sheffield United and Liverpool.
They have won eight of an unbeaten ten opening league games to the campaign, which has put them top of the league.
Key to the success has been their smart recruitment which has seen the likes of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, defender Micky van de Ven and midfielder James Maddison all shine instantly.
It is in stark contrast to the slap-dash approach opponents Chelsea have taken in the transfer market in the Todd Boehly era, which has seen them splash more than a billion quid.
Pochettino himself admitted last month mistakes had been made in bringing in too many new players in the summer, giving him a tall order to make it all gel.
Asked about Spurs’ impressive hit rate so far with new signings, Postecoglou replied: “You know what they say, success has a million fathers, and failure is a bit of an orphan. So, when things go well…
“Wherever I’ve been, I’ve made sure that I have the biggest say over recruitment. I don’t do all the work but I really think it’s an important part of my function and particularly when I first go into clubs.
“When you first go into a club, there are two measures that people will always put up against you. One is the results, that tells its own tale. But as a manager, and I’ve certainly had that experience, you can’t always guarantee the results early on because you’re trying to build something and there’s going to be some ups and downs.
“The other thing you get measured on is the people you bring in. Not necessarily the ones you inherited, because people will say they weren’t his choices if they’re not working out.
“Everywhere I’ve been, the players I’ve recruited whether it was here, Celtic, Yokohama or my jobs in Australia, those first few players I’ve always put a lot of stock in that they have to be players who come in and have an impact straight away.
“Because at least if the results aren’t there, then people will say OK, there’s something building here.
“We needed a goalkeeper. I was so keen on getting Vic in after I spoke to him because I knew he would be the right type. It was the same with Van de Ven, it took a bit longer, but there was no one else.
“The beauty of it is that the club worked hard to put a list of people together but I didn’t give them three choices, I gave them one because I knew they would work.
“Madders was probably an easy one because he was already a fantastic player but I also saw that he could come in and make an impact for us straight away.”
Monday night will be the first time Postecoglou has met Pochettino, who ran Spurs close twice in the title race and took the club to the Champions League final during his tenure between 2014-19.
The Argentine risked his reputation with the Tottenham faithful when taking charge at Stamford Bridge in the summer, having won Ligue Un with Paris Saint-Germain in the interim.
Potecoglou added: “The impact he had at Southampton and at Spurs is unquestionable. He has taken on some pretty big challenges post Spurs as well which I’m all for.
“I like managers who take on big challenges so (I have) great admiration and respect for his work.”
