Ange Postecoglou's defiant message to his critics as Tottenham boss fights to save his job - 'irrelevant to me what other people's opinions are'

As the level of criticism increases and the exit door at Tottenham looms ever closer, the more determined Ange Postecoglou seems to ignore the growing clamour and ride out the storm. Spurs' Australian boss barely had time to recover from the panning he and his side had received for their tame League Cup semi-final capitulation at Liverpool when the interrogation about his faltering reign resumed at another uncomfortable press conference.

Former England players Jamie Carragher and Jamie Redknapp, now high-profile pundits for Sky Sports, led the increasing pile of damning verdicts after the 4-0 Anfield thrashing. 'I cannot remember a team in my lifetime go down with less of a fight than Tottenham did today. There have been some lows but that today, looking at that scoreline, is just horrendous,' former Spurs player Redknapp lamented post match.

'And the manager right now, he baffles me with his tactics sometimes. I think he's completely lost in what he's trying to do.'. Yet Postecoglou, too pre-occupied with yet another potentially defining examination in an FA Cup tie at Aston Villa on Sunday, wasn't listening. Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has declared it is 'irrelevant what other people's opinions are' as scrutiny surrounding his future at the club intensifies.

Former Spurs midfielder turned football pundit Jamie Redknapp believes Ange Postecoglou is 'completely lost in what he's trying to do'. 'I get the pile-on at the moment, it's really easy for people to stick their boots in, and question the players and all that kind of stuff,' he said. 'It's irrelevant to me what other people's opinions are. People are on the TV and the radio and in the newspapers to give opinions, and I respect that, they're allowed to do that but I don't have any obligation to listen to any of it.

'To get fuelled by the comments of people I've never even met.....I don't know how you live your life, but I certainly don't live my life that way. That's with all respect that they're there to give an opinion. It's not like I want to be successful here, so I can go to these people 'oh, look, you were wrong'. 'I don't even know them. Why would I care where they think we're at? They're a million miles away from us, but they're allowed to have their opinion.

'We're an easy mark at the moment, and, look, there are times you've just got to take it, keep your counsel and atone for it in the way that only really matters - and that is by playing the football I know we can.'. Asked if he felt there was any more pressure to win this weekend after the Liverpool mauling, Postecoglou shrugged: 'It's still a game you have to win to progress, so the pressure's the same.'.

Defeat against Aston Villa this weekend in the FA Cup would more than likely see Ange Postecoglou sacked by chairman Daniel Levy. As usual, the topic of Spurs' continuing injury woes cropped up, with Postecoglou reiterating just how stretched his squad remains with a catalogue of injury absentees. 'Everyone saw there was a big gap between us and Liverpool, but Vicario, (Cristian) Romero, Destiny (Udogie), (Micky) van de Ven, (Dominic) Solanke, Wilson Odobert (all sidelined), I could go on and on.