Ange Postecoglou often cuts a frustrated figure when he’s dealing with the mainstream media ahead of just about any game.
After all, with over 25 years’ experience as a football manager you would expect the press to be interested in his thoughts on the opposition, Celtic’s tactical approach, or where Scottish football could learn some lessons, rather than being asked the same question four different ways, simply because journalists are incapable of listening to other hacks questions, or are too unintelligent to think on their feet when a question as already been asked.
And there’s only so long being asked to comment on David Martindale’s thoughts about your budget and why having less money actually makes him the best boss in Scotland.
Thankfully Ange Postecoglou as reported in Daily Record has a virtual safe room he can escape to at least once a month, where fellow Aussie elite coaches from across different sports – including Rugby’s legendary coach Eddie Jones – join him in an across the Australian sporting spectrum Zoom call, and can help the Celtic boss with letting it all out, or to perhaps simply offer some answers as to why the Livingston boss is just so good!
“Growing up in Australia, the disadvantages of loving football is it isn’t the number one sport, but the advantage of loving sport is you are surrounded by it. So I was lucky enough to be exposed to multitudes of team and individual sports all on my doorstep and I’ve kind of used those networks throughout my whole career, whether that was as a player or now that I’m coaching.
“I’ve always had networks of people. Eddie and three or four other guys, Australian coaches from different codes, we catch up once a month on Zoom.
“It’s more cathartic than anything else, we just complain for half an hour about our sort of burden, unburden ourselves and move on. But you always get stuff because, even though it is different sports, we are all dealing with similar things, particularly in the team dynamics and dealing with young men and young athletes.
“Particularly as you get older, you want to make sure that you are constantly understanding the way they communicate so your message gets across. So, I’ve always tapped in.
“I’ve had quite a few coaches from other sports come through Celtic and spend the week with us. They get a bit out of it, I get a bit out of it and the staff get a bit out of it because we can pick each other’s brains.
“There’s always stuff you can take away with. The way they deal with issues, whether it’s player issues or welfare issues. Even if the sports are different and there isn’t a tactical exchange of ideas, there certainly is in terms of methodology.
“How you convey your ideas to players, whether that’s technology or other sources. There’s always stuff you can pick up. How to handle the media’s a good one!”
When you read what Ange Postecoglou has said it makes you realise how lucky we are to have such a wealth of knowledge at Celtic, and in Scottish football. However, it also makes you realise most of the Scottish media don’t even realise what they have at their disposal in the build-up to games. There is a great deal to be learned from simply listening to Ange Postecoglou if the questions are engaging enough for him to open up, which usually only happens when he is answering well thought through questions from the Celtic fan media.
Aside them those questions from sites like The Celtic Star, sadly, we don’t get to hear too much of it in the pre-match pressers, however Ange himself does get to pick up some clues on how to outsmart wee Davie Martindale.
Niall J
How to outsmart David Martindale: ask him to add 1 to 1.