The imminent appointment of Ange Postecoglou as Celtic manager has come as a shock to the club support, who were expecting former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe. The 55-year-old Yokohama F Marinos boss is a relative unknown to Celtic supporters but the club are said to have been monitoring him for some time as an alternative to Howe. Following the Englishman’s decision to withdraw from the process, Celtic moved for the Australian. This has been well received in Australia and Japan given Postecoglou’s reputation there and an Aussie-Celt, Scott Carney, gave us the lowdown on what to expect from Ange, his reputation and the kind of football that he plays. Enjoy…
“Ange Postecog…WHO?” That might be the reaction from Celtic fans to the news that Australian Ange Postecoglou is firming as favourite to replace Neil Lennon in what might be the hardest job in football right now. The response is not surprising: Postegoglou is an absolute unknown to 99% of the fanbase.
But as an Aussie Celtic tragic, and as somebody who has watched this brilliant manager hone his craft and develop a distinctive style over the last two decades, I am here to assure The Hoops faithful: I believe Postegoglou is the greatest coach Australia has ever produced and there isn’t a more idolised coach in Asian football right now.
Postecoglou learnt his craft under one of the all-time greats: Ferenc Puskas at South Melbourne, Australia’s most successful club. He then took the role of assistant to Frank Arok– whose no-nonsense ethos he cites as a key influence – but was soon thrust into the top role after Arok’s dismissal. The young manager led “Hellas” to consecutive League titles as well as winning the 1999 Oceania Club Championship, which led to their participation in the 2000 Club World Championship.
The fast- paced possession style football Postecoglou “Hellas” played was feared by rivals and it is a trait that has followed him wherever he has coached.
When the then-44-year-old Postegoglou took the Brisbane Roar job after a short nine month stint in the Greek 3rd Division, he asked critics that he be judged a year from the time he took over. He would prove the critics wrong, playing a truly breath-taking and entertaining brand of football, but more importantly, winning. Postecoglou’s style of play earned his squad the nickname “Roarcelona” , losing just one game all season and breaking a national record by winning 36 consecutive games This is a phenomenal achievement in any competition, but in a salary-capped league it is absolutely outrageous . As a side note, his first actions as Roar coach was to release ex-Rangers men Craig Moore, Bob Malcolm & Charlie Miller which sits well with me!
Postecoglou has always instilled a mantra in his players of ‘fear nobody’. While Socceroos’ coach, he always wanted his players to go toe-to-toe with the best and never back down. Tim Cahill said in 2017: “His leadership and beliefs are infectious and I’m proud that I had the chance to share his journey with him and witness his love for our country. The most important part was the belief he instilled in us to play a style of football that could test any team we came up against. This for me sets Ange apart as someone that stayed strong to his values of changing the game in Australia. His saying that will stay with me forever is never take a backwards step.”
His international success as Socceroos boss culminated in Asian Cup glory in 2015. Australia’s thrilling extra-time win against South Korea – a side that featured Tottenham Star Son Heung-mi – typified the near-say-die, fearless and attacking brand of football that has followed Postegoglou wherever he has coached. He doesn’t want his sides to just deliver scares to heavyweights, he wants his teams to reach a level where they consistently beat the big guns. Now at Yokohama F.Marinos, his teams have maintained that all-or-nothing, style of play. He has delivered a first league title in 15 years, while only having the 10thhighest budget in the league.
Postegoglou’s teams usually line up in a 4-3-3 with the strong use of fullbacks in attack, but has shown to be very fluid and innovative in his formations, having also used a 3-4-2-1 with the national team. An extremely aggressive high press, and passing, attacking football is the norm for a Postecoglou side.
He loves using the full dimensions of the pitch to stretch a compact defending unit, something he had to do a lot of as national team coach against sides that were prepared to dig-in and defend for their lives. Expect to see his fullback sitting high, allowing his wide men to take up more advanced positions. Sometimes his fullbacks act as an extra another midfielder to keep the pressure on. An explosive wing like James Forrest will thrive under a possible Postecoglou approach, where the space created will allow him to skip on the outside of his marker and get to the by-line for a cutback into the box. Another who will benefit from Ange’s coaching will be Tom Rogic, a key player in 2018 World Cup Qualifying. Rogic recently knocked back national team duty to get a minor ankle injury right and fight for his place in the Celtic team.
To summarise, Postecoglou is regarded in Asia and Australia as one of the great tactical minds getting around the continent. Fears over him being a ‘yes man’ are completely off the mark. Stubborn as an ex-wife, he refuses to back down from his principles and beliefs which led to his resignation from the national team back in 2017.
Pep Guardiola told the media after a pre-season friendly victory against a Postecoglou coached F.Marinos, “Yokohama played some incredible football and they were an incredible test for us. I knew how good they were and it was tough for us.” Following on Guardiola’s comments, Raheem Sterling mentioned, “They’re probably one of the best teams I’ve seen play out from the back and they played some great football so it was a great test for us.” High praise indeed, for somebody who is an “unknown.”
Postecoglou is very highly regarded by many within the City Football Group with his approach to the game, so much so that the main sticking point for them releasing him is whether or not they can find a suitable replacement. As an Aussie Celtic fan this is an appointment that genuinely excites me as I believe he is the right man to take us back where we belong: contending for the title. We have lacked professionalism and desire since Brendan Rodgers left and I believe Ange’s mentality and his hard-nosed approach is perfect for a club and fan-base who demand nothing but the absolute best.
Scott Carney.
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