LONDON: Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has urged his side to shed their reputation for inconsistency by proving they can be "relentless" in their pursuit of success.
The north Londoners' habit of failing to fulfil their potential and wasting promising positions, both in matches and throughout seasons, has been dubbed "Spursy" by frustrated fans.
Tottenham, trophyless since 2008, have stuck stubbornly to that script in the first two seasons of Postecoglou's reign.
They blew a golden opportunity to qualify for the Champions League last season and have made an erratic start to the current campaign.
Postecoglou's men squandered a 2-0 advantage in a 3-2 loss at Brighton in their last game before the international break.
It was the 10th time Tottenham had taken a lead of two goals or more and subsequently lost in the Premier League era.
Saturday's London derby against West Ham will bring painful memories of the team blowing a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 in 2020.
But while Postecoglou described the criticism as "irrelevant", he acknowledged the only way to change it is with success.
"You say it's 10 times but it hasn't been 10 times with me so give me a break. Let me get to 10 and then start putting tags on, but you have to accept that, right?" the Australian told reporters on Friday.
"People will always find easy ways, if you've got a wound, to stick their finger in that wound and if you're not prepared to accept that when things haven't gone well, make sure things go well.
"There is one way to change that. If we want to change the perception of ourselves, it will not come because of, 'please don't call us those names', it will come because we're proving we're a team that can be relentless in our approach and be successful."
Postecoglou jokingly said he was ready to "explode" when Tottenham's players returned from international duty for his debrief about the Brighton debacle.
But the film session would have made for uncomfortable viewing for Postecoglou's team, judging by his frustrated summary of ninth-placed Tottenham's third defeat in seven league games this season.
"The second half was more around we just didn't look anything like ourselves. We were really passive with and without the ball. We lacked real conviction and courage in everything we did," he said.
"I hadn't seen that before in us and it's a good lesson for the whole group that you need to make sure, irrespective of how a game is going, you stick to the core principles of your football."