- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Opinion
Celtic’s semi-final win over Rangers on Sunday sets up a Scottish Cup Final against Championship side Inverness Caledonian Thistle. A win in that fixture on June 3rd would see Ange Postecoglou’s all-conquering Hoops secure a rare treble, with the league all but secured and the League Cup already sitting in the foyer at Parkhead.
SPL Manager of the Year in 2021/22, Manager of the Month on seven occasions since his arrival at the start of last season (one wonders why there have not been more) and a win in the upcoming final will see Australia’s greatest ever football coach having claimed five major trophies from a possible six across just two seasons at the helm.
We all knew Postecoglou was a handy manager back in his South Melbourne days, let alone during his time at Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory. He took things to another level at Yokohama F. Marinos and whilst at the helm of the Socceroos, as our national team took possession of the Asian Cup.
However, this Scottish adventure that began amongst some ridicule and plenty of scepticism has been of stratospheric proportions in terms of silverware and sustained success.
Now, the pertinent question is, just what lies ahead for the 57-year-old and how big he is dreaming?
There has always been a coyness about Postecoglou, as well as a little arrogance and an embedded faith in his abilities that make him seemingly disinterested in criticism and uninformed opinion. In a nutshell, Postecoglou has always believed he is a world-class manager, despite what the Alan Brazils and Craig Fosters of the world might think.
His resume now validates that self-confidence in spades and it is best to ignore any commentary around the quality of the players at his disposal in Glasgow and the money that has been spent to strengthen what was a squad well off the pace of Rangers just a few short years ago.
If some people – and there are the odd few – are still unable to see his ability to impose a culture, build a football machine and demand the autonomy, freedom and ultimate responsibility to do so, then they never will.
Perhaps Postecoglou has his sights on a few more Scottish trophies. Maybe the lifestyle up north is suiting him well and there is simply no intention to depart at this stage of the rebuild of Celtic. Most concerning would be a few more seasons in Scotland, retirement from the coaching ranks and a move into the administrative side of the game or technical directing.
(Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Let’s face it, Postecoglou has little financial need beyond the riches that have come his way in recent seasons and is a committed family man.
Yet should the lure of an English Premier League gig keeps him up at night; the final frontier for a coach and one destined to provide ultimate personal validation in professional life, the man affectionately known as ‘Big Ange’ could have one further destination in mind.
There are numerous Premier League clubs in need of change and rejuvenation. The question is, do they have the guts and foresight to do what Yokohama and Celtic did and back in the man whose name many were whispering in their ears?
Jurgen Klopp has become a grumpy man and after climbing the mountain and possessing the fourth most valuable Premier League squad, he is overseeing a Liverpool team that looks stale and flat. There is a lovely connection between the Reds and Australia and the more you think about it, Postecoglou at Anfield might be a cosy fit. West Ham might have similar claims to Celtic’s manager, with many an Australian having ventured through Upton Park in days gone by and David Moyes is simply incapable of getting the best out of a group of perennial and expensive under-achievers.
One wonders what Postecoglou’s reaction would be should a call come through from the head office of Chelsea FC, a team worth plenty and desperately in need of a decent manager, or Tottenham, another team treading water as we speak and well off the pace of Manchester City and Arsenal this season and many others prior.
Sadly, there might just be a little too much arrogance and pride in those old English clubs, to lower themselves to seek the services of Postecoglou to right their ships and potentially prove to the football world once and for all, that he is as good as anyone in the business.
Yokohama and Celtic had the vision and guts required and were rewarded, and Postecoglou is no doubt equipped to take the next step should the opportunity arise.
Whether the England-based clubs have the same fortitude and Postecoglou is even willing to consider an offer is unknown. Yet after reading his coaching resume, how could anyone still be in doubt?