- Ange Postecoglou’s coaching resume speaks for itself
- He silenced his detractors in football after sustained success
- He feels like he was “not appreciated” when he was in Australia
As the first Australian to coach a Premier League club, Ange Postecoglou has surely silenced the critics, but the Tottenham boss remains puzzled as to why he is not a revered figure on home soil.
Postecoglou, 58, has a coaching resume that many can only dream of, not to mention titles he won in Australia, Japan and Scotland.
Born in Greece, ‘Big Ange’ moved with his family to Melbourne as a young man in 1970.
He represented South Melbourne in the defunct National Soccer League (NSL) before turning his attention to coaching at the age of 27 due to a knee injury that forced him to retire as a player.
Two titles quickly followed and Postecoglou was on his way, or so he thought.
A now infamous interview with Craig Foster on SBS The world game Australia’s failure to qualify for the 2007 Under-20 World Cup turned Postecoglou into a football leper in their own eyes.
He turned to coaching at Greek third division and Melbourne state league side Whittlesea Zebras before A-League club Brisbane Roar finally came calling in 2009.
Two and a half years later, Postecoglou left the Roar, during which time he led the club to two consecutive A-League championships, a first-place finish, an impressive 36-match unbeaten run and consecutive qualification for the Asian Champions League.
As the first Australian to coach a Premier League club, Ange Postecoglou has silenced his critics but the Tottenham boss remains puzzled as to why he is not a revered figure on home soil.
Ange Postecoglou also coached Australia at the 2014 World Cup and ensured the Socceroos qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia (pictured, with Tim Cahill)
His next move was Melbourne Victory before taking over as coach of the Socceroos ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Postecoglou went on to win the Asian Cup in 2015 and hoped the code would make greater inroads at local level than it ultimately did.
So after qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, Postecoglou resigned and began focusing on management at club level.
His reasoning had nothing to do with ego: Postecoglou genuinely felt he was wasting his time.
“I wasn’t respected in my own country for what I was trying to do… I felt like I hadn’t had any impact, that I had failed,” he said. The Sydney Morning Herald When asked why he retired before the World Cup in Russia.
This followed constant criticism of Postecoglou’s attacking football, which has ironically made him a global star in recent years as he refuses to alter his bold coaching philosophies.
Just days before Christmas in 2017, Postecoglou took over at Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan.
Some Australian football fans felt Postecoglou would fade into obscurity but two years later he won the J-League title, securing an eventual move to Scottish giants Celtic in June 2021.
‘Aussie Ange’ became a popular figure among Celtic fans after winning the title in his first season in Scotland.
Once again the detractors lined up, but ate their words as Postecoglou won the Scottish League Cup and league title in his first season in charge.
When he left for Spurs in June 2023, Postecoglou was once again the subject of ridicule.
He was thought to be in trouble and possibly sacked within months after losing striker Harry Kane to Bayern Munich but finished fifth, much to the delight of long-suffering Tottenham supporters.
Having signed a four-year contract, Postecoglou has no plans to leave London any time soon, and after strengthening his squad in pre-season, he is confident of a top-four finish in May, which would give them automatic qualification for the UEFA Champions League.
It’s also safe to assume that Postecoglou won’t be returning to the A-League any time soon and why would he considering the competition is in dire straits?
“I’ve had a strange relationship with Australia in terms of football because in many ways, I felt resentful of what made me want to leave in the end,” he said.
‘But at the same time, I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am today without it.
“If people watch Tottenham games for me, that’s great… I love that aspect. But part of me says that when I was there, I didn’t feel appreciated.”