7 managers who infamously goaded their own fans: Postecoglou, Mourinho…

Ange Postecoglou courted controversy after cupping his ear towards Tottenham supporters – and he joins former Chelsea and Manchester United managers in having goaded their own fans.

It’s not the wisest decision, but it is perhaps understandable given the pressure heaped on bosses and can happen for a variety of reasons.

We’ve trawled through the archives and found seven managers who took a pop at those in their own corner.

Ange Postecoglou

Oh, Ange.

After hearing his substitutions booed by the Tottenham supporters at Chelsea in April 2025, Postecoglou cupped his ear towards the away end after Pape Sarr scored an equaliser.

The reaction when Sarr’s effort was disallowed by VAR was biblical, with the Spurs boss only allowing himself a brief glance towards the section he’d just goaded.

“Jeez mate, it’s incredible how things get interpreted,” the Australian said after Spurs’ 1-0 defeat.

“We’d just scored, I just wanted to hear them cheer. Because we’d been through a tough time, and I thought it was a cracking goal.

“I wanted them to get really excited. I felt at that point we could potentially go on and win the game. I just felt momentum was on our [side]. It doesn’t bother me. It’s not the first time they’ve booed my substitutions or my decisions. That’s fine, they’re allowed to do that.

“But we’d just scored a goal, just scored an equaliser, I was just hoping we could get some excitement. If people want to read into that that somehow I’m trying to make a point about something, like I said, we’d been through a tough time, but I just felt there was a bit of a momentum shift there.”

We think he protested just a tad too much here.

Sam Allardyce

Like Postecoglou, Allardyce cupped his ear to his own supporters after West Ham beat Hull in March 2024.

Unlike the aforementioned Spurs boss, Big Sam did so after a win. Levels.

The marriage of Allardyce (probably the most stereotypical Northern manager in Premier League history) and West Ham (arguably the most Southern team in English football) was always likely to produce friction.

“I’ve never been in a place where I’ve won and got booed,” the manager said at the time, but he saved his loudest criticism for a few months after leaving east London.

“I once called the supporters deluded and I stand by that. I don’t know who invented the West Ham way phrase, but it’s a millstone around the club’s neck,” he said in October 2015.

A few months later, the Hammers finished seventh with 20 more points and 15 more goals than they managed in any of Allardyce’s three top-flight campaigns at Upton Park.

Jose Mourinho

Mourinho has never been one to shy away from conflict – and that’s an understatement – and there were plenty of examples we could have picked out across his managerial career.

But we’ve plumped for a doozy from his time at Manchester United

“The fans, they can do what they want,” Mourinho said in March 2018 after supporters turned on Scott McTominay, before going on to explain he didn’t believe the fans should be able to do what they want.

What’s more, the comments came after a win for his United team. At least he would be proven right about McTominay.

Rafa Benitez

Benitez hit out after Chelsea fans chanted their opposition to him during a 2-0 FA Cup win at Middlesbrough in 2013.

“What they have to do is concentrate on supporting the team,” Benitez said.

“It’s a team in transition – they don’t realise. In the past, we had [Didier] Drogba, [Michael] Essien, [Salomon] Kalou. These players, it was a very strong squad, players with experience in the Premier League.

“Now we have a group of players with talent, really good players with talent, but they need time. It’s a time of transition.

“But they don’t realise it was a time of transition when I came here. It doesn’t matter what they say. I am a professional, I have experience and I will do my best.

“But if they carry on in the same way, they have to take responsibility because they are damaging the image of the club and the rest of the fans because people think all the fans are the same.

“The Chelsea fans are really good, they support the team, but if they continue with their agenda, I don’t think they do any favours to the team.”

You tell them, Rafa.

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Brian Clough

When we talk about managers clashing with fans, we’re normally talking about verbal altercations.

It comes as little surprise that Clough saw things differently.

The brilliant and cantankerous manager of Nottingham Forest clipped two supporters round the ear after their League Cup victory over QPR in 1989.

Mark Wheeler, one of the Forest fans on the receiving end, later revealed he had not taken issue with his treatment from Clough, saying: “Imagine being known as the lads who had done the dirty on Brian Clough.

“We’d never have been able to go to Forest again. We’d have been hated. Even now, it would have been impossible.”

Clough apologised to fans and gave them cup final tickets – but was hit with a touchline ban and a fine.

Pep Guardiola

Around 38,000 Manchester City supporters watched the 6-3 victory over RB Leipzig in 2021 despite the Etihad Stadium holding a capacity of 55,000.

“I would like more people to come to the next game on Saturday,” Guardiola said after the Champions League match. “We will need the people next Saturday, please, because we will be tired.

“I invite all our people to come next Saturday, 3pm, and watch the game.”

In response, the general secretary of City’s official supporters’ club Kevin Parker said: “People refer to the Etihad as the ‘Emptyhad’.

“It’s a little bit of fun by the opposition supporters but there’s no justification for it. It’s not factual. Our attendances are generally excellent.

“He’s absolutely the best coach in the world but, in the nicest possible way, I think maybe he should stick to that.”

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Nigel Pearson

There are a number of ways in which you can respond to fan criticism, and Pearson’s approach as Leicester City manager was certainly, well, different.

Never a slave to convention, he alleged to have told a fan of his own club to ‘f*ck off and die’. To be fair, you probably would if it was Pearson telling you to do so.

Then, in addressing the situation, he clarified that “there won’t be any apology”.

“If people were offended by what happened in some ways that is regrettable but there’s no need for me to apologise to someone of that ilk,” added Pearson, in an act of doubling if not tripling down.

And yes, before you ask, this was the same year in which he called a member of the media an ostrich.