It was reported this month that Celtic's manager, Ange Postecoglou, could be on his way to the Premiership side Tottenham Hotspur. Many fans of the North London club have expressed varying opinions on Postecoglou's impending arrival.
When the news broke that the 57-year-old former J1-League coach could possibly be the next Spurs boss, it was met with cautious optimism from supporters of a club that has been starved of any meaningful success for decades.
Ange Postecoglou Image: Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)Celtic supporters will remember when Neil Lennon left Celtic, and the Greek/Australian native was appointed in the summer of 2021. His arrival in Glasgow was met with jeers and contempt because nobody in Scotland had ever heard of him.
Nick D’Urbano of KeepUp said: "I was there when he first got appointed (at Celtic), I was doing some interviews with the BBC at the time and I said to them, 'The hardest thing you're going to have to do with Ange Postecoglou is to keep a hold of him in two or three years.' They were all laughing at me and asking, 'Who's Ange Postecoglou?' and so on."
The likes of former Scotland player Alan Brazil was quoted on Talksport radio at the time by saying: “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.”
After initially struggling to find his feet, Celtic finally started to develop an attractive style of play under their new boss. A number of signings from the J1 League, including Reo Hatate (€1.62 million), Daizen Maeda (€1.86 million), Kyogo (€5.34 million), and others, allowed the Australian coach to implement his style of play.
Celtic quickly started to play a high-octane style of football and reclaimed their position as the best team in Scotland, reclaiming the Scottish League title from Rangers.
Fast foward to 2023, people look very differently at the current Celtic boss. Postecoglou has won five of a possible six domestic trophies in his two seasons at Celtic.
Yes, you can say winning trophies in Scotland is easier than in England, but the style of football and to where he has led Celtic too has been a remarkable turnaround.
After winning the Scottish Cup and his first treble with the club on Sunday, the Celtic boss, speaking after the game, said, ". “I have appreciated the support I’ve had from day one because of the way I came into the football club. “Without beating about the bush I was ‘a joke’. A lot of people made fun of me.
“But the supporters, for their own reasons, put their collective arm around me and said: ‘No he’s one of ours’. It was up to me to repay that faith."
It looks like that the Australian will make the move to England to become the next Tottenham boss and this week, fans of Spurs have questioned Postecoglou's impending hire, while others have mocked the club for attempting to appoint someone from Scotland. It seems like history is repeating itself, but in a new context.
English snobbery towards Scottish football will never go away, but Postecoglou's time at Celtic should give Spurs fans some hope of optimism, if they choose to take it.
Although his achievements have been in leagues where the competition level is lower, he has still managed to be successful wherever he has gone. He led the Australian National Team to win the AFC Asian Cup in 2015 and Brisbane Roar to multiple A-League titles. In 2019, he secured the J1 League title with Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan. His achievements demonstrate success at both the national and club levels.
He also has a knack for picking up bargains in the transfer market, further enhancing his reputation as a football manager.
Spurs have gone down the route of the tried-and-tested serial winner and come up short every time. They are a club that needs a progressive new manager with new ideas. That man could very well be Postecoglou.
Spurs have nothing to lose and could be onto a winner here, but it depends on the club and how ambitious they want to be. Postecoglou, in the right environment, could be an excellent hire, but only time will tell if Spurs will revert back to their usual patterns.
They laughed. Mocked. Wrote him off.
‘’He’ll be sacked by Christmas’’.
And yet he’s just secured a 12 point lead at the top of the table with 7 games remaining and is on track for his second league title.
I simply cannot put into words how much I adore Ange Postecoglou 💚 pic.twitter.com/8w4ZqdKPni— Megan (@heyitsmegx) April 9, 2023
