Joe Hart sends message to Ange Postecoglou after ‘agenda-driven’ claim

Former Tottenham goalkeeper Joe Hart believes Ange Postecoglou can come through a ‘difficult’ period at the club with support from above.

Spurs were knocked out of the FA Cup on Sunday after a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa.

It came following a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Thursday, which saw the club bow out of the Carabao Cup.

Those defeats have piled the pressure on Postecoglou, who is 18 months into his three-year deal at the club.

The Australian came out fighting on Sunday night, accusing his critics of being ‘agenda-driven’ in their analysis of his side’s recent troubles and failing to take into account the team’s injury problems.

‘What I’m saying is you can’t be critical of our players’ performances at this time,’ said Postecoglou.

‘If you want to measure anything on what they’re doing at the moment, other than the extreme situation they’re dealing with, then I think your analysis is skewed and it’s not objective.

‘If it’s to get rid of me that’s fine. Good on you. Go for it a million times. But in terms of this group of players, what they’ve given over the past two and a half months has been outstanding.’

Hart, who was part of the BBC’s punditry team for Sunday’s game, was part of Postecoglou’s former Celtic side when the Australian was north of the border.

And the former Tottenham goalkeeper believes Postecoglou can come through this period, provided he has backing from the club.

‘Stay strong – it’s a real tough moment. You can see that he feels it, his heart is on his sleeve,’ Hart told the BBC.

‘At this moment in time he is really being tested. He is being tested in his beliefs. He is asking questions of himself – we all do in difficult moments in time.

‘That’s when you need support, the club behind you and the team behind you and at this moment that is what they really need.’

MORE: Crystal Palace set price for Jean-Philippe Mateta amid Premier League interest

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.