Ange Postecoglou: The Dominant Force in English Premier League Management
Postecoglou, a rising star in English Premier League management, is redefining the game with his innovative strategies and remarkable achievements. Learn more about his story from Australia to Europe.
Derogatory words like 'sheilas,' 'wogs,' and 'poofters' have significantly influenced the perception of football in Australia for over 50 years.
The game’s history in Australia, where the public deemed it suitable for women, the LGBTQ+ community and immigrants, hasn't received the same recognition as rugby, cricket, and AFL.
Despite these challenges, Tottenham Hotspur manager, Ange Postecoglou has excelled in every managerial position he has held in Australia, Japan, Scotland, and now England.
Let's dive into some of the Australian manager’s successes.
Early years
Postecoglou, who comes from a Greek-immigrant background, began his journey when he joined South Melbourne at the age of nine.
The Australian manager, who would go to the club frequently with his father, explained it was a hub for Greek-Australian migrants.1
“It almost became our church and it is significant that it was a Sunday because it was a place where we found community.
“It was a unique atmosphere, a sense of community, a passionate vocal crowd, and it made a strong impression on me as a young kid,” Postecoglou said.
The Australian Spurs manager, would eventually play for the South Melbourne side’s senior team, playing 193 games and scoring 27 goals, from 1984-93 as a left-back. He would also play for the national team between 1986–88.
Postecoglou’s manager at South Melbourne in ‘89 was former Real Madrid star Ferenc Puskás. The Hungarian manager scored 156 goals in 180 games for Los Blancos between 1958–66. Puskás won the National League Tournament during the 1989-90 season with South Melbourne too.
The Spurs manager explained he would translate for Puskás, as the Hungarian manager didn’t speak English, but Greek which he had learnt at Panathinaikos and AEK.2
Postecoglou claimed the Hungarian manager played a 4-3-3, with rigid fullbacks and attacking wingers. The Australian-Greek manager built on this strategy however using attacking fullbacks in a non-traditional inverted position.
“I would sometimes give him a ride in my car and take him to the stadium. We talked a lot; some say I am an attacking-minded coach. The coexistence with Puskas was the seed,” Postecoglou said.
South Melbourne
When he retired from playing the professional game, he would take up an assistant managerial role with the South Melbourne side, which eventually led to him becoming head coach in 1996.
He would continue winning trophies, winning titles with South Melbourne in 1998-99.
Postecoglou is the only person who has won trophies at the club as a player and coach. The Greek-Australian manager left the club in 2000 to pursue opportunities with Australia’s youth teams.
Postecoglou managed the U-17 Australian team, winning three Oceania U-17 Championships, but after failing to qualify for the World Cup qualifiers in 2007, he was replaced.3
Brisbane Roar
He would have a brief stint in Greece, with third-division side Panachaiki for around nine months, before taking up the head role of manager at Brisbane Roar in October 2009, replacing former Brisbane Roar manager Frank Farina.
Postecoglou rebuilt the team, releasing players such as Liam Reddy, Craig Moore, Bob Malcolm, and Charlie Miller. While other teams such as Dutch club FC Utrecht bought Tommy Oar, Michael Zullo, and Adam Sarota and striker Sergio van Dijk went to Adelaide United.
Former Brisbane Roar captain Matt Smith said Postecoglou could be ruthless if a player didn’t fit his style. The former Roar skipper said Postecoglou’s management style was zero tolerance for players who didn’t want to follow the journey.
“We were never made to feel comfortable, we were always pushing to be better, always developing, always working harder than any group I've experienced before,” Smith said.
Postecoglou won back-to-back titles, a premiership, and consecutive qualifications for the AFC Champions League with Brisbane Roar.
After his two-year and a half-year tenure in Brisbane, he would move to Melbourne Victory taking them to a preliminary final, where the team lost (2-0).
“We were never made to feel comfortable, we were always pushing to be better, always developing, always working harder than any group I've experienced before,” Smith said.
Postecoglou won back-to-back titles, a premiership and consecutive qualifications for the AFC Champions League with Brisbane Roar.
After his two-year and a half year tenure in Brisbane, he would move to Melbourne Victory taking them to a preliminary final, where the team lost (2-0).
Australian national team
Postecoglou was appointed head coach of Australia in 2013 on a five-year contract.
His role was to try and rebuild a team, which many pundits believed was still relying on the class of 2006; which had managed to get out of the group stage of the World Cup. The team had players such as Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka and Mark Schwarzer who had passed their prime days playing in the Premier League.
Australia’s 2014 World Cup group was difficult, placed with sides such as Spain, Chile and the Netherlands. His team was unable to win a game and was kicked out of the tournament.
Postecoglou would eventually have another chance to win silverware for his country in the Asian Cup in 2015. The national team beat Kuwait (4–1), Oman (4–0), but lost to South Korea (0–1) in the group stage.
Australia advanced to the quarter-finals beating China (2-0), eventually playing the United Arab Emirates, beating the country (2–0) in the semi-final. Finally, Australia beat South Korea (2–1) after extra time in the final to win its first AFC Asian Cup.
Postecoglou's Masterful Moments in Japan
After his resignation from the national team, Japanese-side Yokohama F. Marinos appointed Postecoglou as its head coach in 2017. The Australian-Greek manager’s first game was against Cerezo Osaka at Yanmar Stadium which ended (1-1).
The team had a difficult season, which nearly saw Yokohama facing relegation. However, Postecoglou managed to guide the team to the final of the J-League Cup and a 12th-placed finish in the league.
Japanese Times sports journalist, Dan Orlowitz said despite the difficult season, the Yokohama fans believed in the manager.4
Orlowitz explained his style of football was refreshing for Japanese viewers. The sports journalist explained:
“Over the next year, he let go of players who weren't a good fit for the system and brought in players who were a great fit.”
Yokohama's belief in Postecoglou was rewarded during the 2019 season when he guided the club to their first J-League title in 15 years. He also became the first Australian manager to win a league title in Japan.
Ange-mania: Revolutionising Celtic
After losing their title, in more than a decade to cross-town rivals Rangers, Celtic needed a refresh. Celtic had missed out on signing English manager Eddie Howe. Howe admitted being unable to put together his preferred backroom team led to him turning down the Celtic job.5
So in June 2021, Postecoglou was appointed as head coach for the historic club on a 12-month rolling contract. Pundits and fans believed the signing was wrong for the club because he didn’t have the right-experience.
Broadcaster Alan Brazil was one of the many doubters who believed the Australian-Greek manager was the wrong person for the job.6
"Celtic have applied for exemption with UEFA for Yokohama Marinos boss, what is it, Postecooglou? (sic), to manage in Europe. He does not hold the required licence – oh, this has got to be a wind-up,” he said.
The rebuild
Postecoglou’s time in the J-League gave him an advantage over other managers in the Scottish League.7 The Australian-Greek manager during his tenure with Celtic brought in: Japanese player Tomoki Iwata on loan from Yokohama, and the club spent £2m for Daizen Maeda, also from Yokohama. Celtic also bought forward Kyogo Furuhashi from Vissel Kobe for £4.6m.
Signings such as Kyogo were a breath of fresh air for Celtic. He scored his first goal for the club on his debut against Jablonec in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round on 5 August 2021.8 Three days later, Furuhashi scored his first Scottish Premiership goals, netting a 67-minute hat-trick in a (6–0 ) win against Dundee.9
Postecoglou also managed to get veteran English goalkeeper, Joe Hart, with Celtic paying £1m for the English shot-stopper.
The 75-cap former England goalkeeper came in at the start of Ange Postecoglou’s reign and said the manager’s demands and quest for improvement made him “feel alive”.10
“I’m an old dog in this game and the fact that I am having to do that and stay on my toes and still want more and trying to improve is a great feeling,” Hart said.
Ange’s first season
Postecoglou’s first season with Celtic in Europe wasn’t a great start. His debut was in a UEFA Champions League qualifier on 20 July, drawing (1–1) against Danish Superliga club FC Midtjylland. The second leg of the match resulted in a (2-1) loss for the Scottish team eliminating them from the tournament. Domestic success for Ange was difficult too, managing to lose (2-1 away) to Heart of Midlothian.
However, success would happen for the Australian manager. In December 2021 Celtic won the Scottish League Cup after defeating Hibernian (2–1) at Hampden Park in the final. In the following February; Celtic managed to beat cross-town rivals Rangers (3 - 0). Celtic’s win against their rivals would place them on top of the league for the first time in the season, ending a 13-unbeaten game streak for opposition manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Having not let their lead slip, the league title was sealed on May 11 with a game remaining, after a 1–1 draw at Dundee United. Postecoglou became the first Australian to win a league title in Europe.
Tottenham Hotspur
The following season Postecoglou would also win the league title and two domestic cups with Celtic. He would be appointed Spurs manager on June 2023, where he currently sits undefeated. Spurs currently sit second in the Premier League on September 19 with 4 wins, 1 draw and 0 losses.
His never-give-up style could easily be seen in Spurs’ recent game against Sheffield United, where managed to win the game in the dying minutes of the game (2-1).
Tottenham Hotspur’s future
Postecoglou could easily be described as ruthless and demanding by critics. Throughout his career, he has chopped and changed players, something which many Premier League fans would be happy to see. However, his strong man-management abilities may have helped him in one of the best leagues in the world.
An example of this is when Brazilian forward Richarlison, who has been struggling to find form this and last season has recently shared his problems dealing with mental health issues. Postecoglou has protected him giving praise to how hard the Brazilian has trained. Richarlison was vital in Spurs win (2-1) against Sheffield scoring and setting up the play for Kulusevski to score in the dying minutes of the game. The Spurs manager in an interview after the game praised the Brazilian and said:
“Richy was great. I guess it was the point I was trying to make yesterday; is that for him to understand you try to maintain a balance in life.
“But sometimes when you struggle with certain parts of your life, you let it go into other areas.
“Football is one thing which he can control, and he managed to get his rewards today,” Postecoglou said.
With Spurs’ current record, Postecoglou’s history of rebuilding teams, winning trophies, and shutting up critics. You can only say the London side is set for glory in the future.
Ange Postecoglou: I thought football would die in Australia - https://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jun/12/ange-postecoglou-interview-world-cup-australia
Ange Postecoglou From South Melbourne Hellas to Tottenham Hotspur - https://neoskosmos.com/en/2023/06/09/sport/football/ange-postecoglou-from-south-melbourne-hellas-to-tottenham-hotspur/
Ibid
Ibid
Eddie Howe breaks silence on why he turned down Celtic job - https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/scottish-football/celtic-fc/eddie-howe-breaks-silence-turned-27940025
Alan Brazil SCARED to meet Ange Postecoglou after Celtic manager blast as pundit backtracks 'wind-up' claim - https://www.footballscotland.co.uk/spfl/scottish-premiership/alan-brazil-scared-meet-ange-26477649
All 29 of Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic signings rated ahead of summer transfer window - gallery - https://www.glasgowworld.com/sport/football/celtic/all-29-of-ange-postecoglous-celtic-signings-rated-ahead-of-summer-transfer-window-gallery-4137580?page=7
Celtic "lost their way" but can take belief from the Europa League qualifying win over FK Jablonec, says manager Ange Postecoglou - https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/58007178
Scottish Premiership: Kyogo Furuhashi hits hat-trick as Celtic thrash Dundee - https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/aug/08/scottish-premiership-kyogo-furuhashi-hits-hat-trick-as-celtic-thrash-dundee
Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart feels he is playing for a team with a clear and distinct style for the first time in his career - https://keepup.com.au/news/playing-for-ange-postecoglou-makes-me-feel-alive-says-celtic-keeper-joe-hart/