Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou believes life of a football manager is harder than being Prime Minister | OneFootball

Spurs boss reflects on the sackings of Gary O’Neil and Russell Martin

Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou believes he has a harder job than the prime minister, describing his profession as the toughest "in any walk of life" after colleagues Gary O'Neill and Russell Martin were sacked this week.

O'Neill was dismissed by Wolves after a run of five straight defeats left them second-bottom, four points from 17th, while basement club Southampton dimissed Martin two hours after Sunday's night's 5-0 defeat to Postecoglou's Spurs at St. Mary's. Saints have one win in 16 games since returning to the top-flight.

Postecoglou was dismayed by the timing of Martin's sacking, which was announced shortly after he had completed his post-match duties, and says the job has never been more precarious.

"I think that's a fact," Postecoglou said ahead of Thursday's visit of Manchester United in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.

"You don't even get sacked in the morning now, you've got to change your song. It's crazy.

"I don't get it...This notion that clubs want to bring managers in and build stuff doesn't exist because we all understand...is that the moment there is a bit of a wobble there will be [pressure] coming from all areas.

"We have lost all sort of modes of respect in our society where guys are in jobs and they are putting up names of who is going to replace them while they are still working. We have crossed that line now and it is pretty much open season. You can do what you like and no-one is going to say anything.

"As a society, we are so quick to just throw people in the trash and move on really quickly with no thought or any care around it.

"I don’t know if there is a good way or a best way of handling it.

"It is why I have left [previous clubs] before it has ever happened to me, jump out before that comes my way.

"I get [when] people who say, 'Managers have always been sacked'. I just think now it has gone beyond that now where we forget there is a human being involved. This job is the hardest job now in any walk of life. You can say politics but this is harder than any job.

"The tenure and longevity of this role now means that you go in to it and very few are going to come out of it without any scars."

Asked if his job was harder than Keir Starmer's role as PM, Postecoglou added: "Oh yeah, how many times does he have an election? I have one every weekend mate. We have an election every weekend and either get voted in or out."

Russell Martin was sacked after Southampton’s heavy defeat to Tottenham

Action Images via Reuters

Postecoglou believes O'Neill, 41, and Martin, 38, will "bounce back" but suspects young managers today will change clubs more frequently than previous generations.

"Gary and Russell are both outstanding young managers who have long careers ahead of them," Postecoglou, 59, added.

"Unfortunately I think for them at the beginning of their careers that's what a manager's career is going to look like. I think you'll find that from now on managers are going to have about 20 clubs on their CV, even the successful ones, because the ability for clubs to just stick with one person just doesn't seem like it's feasible anymore.

"I've no doubt both those guys will bounce back, they will have learnt from their experience and hopefully in the not too distant future they are back doing what they love."

Postecoglou is not thought to be under pressure from the Spurs board in spite of a difficult run of results and he believes every manager needs time to build sustainable success in the modern game.

"I still believe in the things I enjoy," the Australian said. "The stuff that lasts.

"No one has found a way yet to do that in a quick manner. No one. No one has in one year or two years built something that is sustainable.

“They’ve had success but then it usually falls apart pretty quickly after. I’m not going to change who I am at this stage of my career.

“If I was starting out, I have no doubt I would have a different mindset. I would go in as a firefighter, you’d get some results, get the club up and running and think it’s not going to last more than two years and see what my next move is going to be.”