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Opinion
There have been some contrasting reactions between Australia and England to the news that Ange Postecoglou has signed on as manager of Premier League giants Tottenham.
Postecoglou ended his time in the east end of Glasgow the same way he started – with a trophy.
Having collected the Scottish title and League Cup in his first season in charge of Old Firm giants Celtic, the former Socceroos manager went one better and claimed a deserved treble when Celtic added the Scottish Cup to a clean sweep of domestic trophies this time around.
As expected, Celtic eased to a 3-1 win over second-tier Highland outfit Inverness Caledonian Thistle last weekend, with Japanese star Kyogo Furuhashi bagging his 34th goal in all competitions to open the scoring and send the Hoops on their way to another title.
Postecoglou made the former Vissel Kobe star his key signing in Glasgow, and the fleet-footed front man has responded by scoring 54 goals in just 83 appearances so far.
Then, just as quickly as Postecoglou arrived at Parkhead, he was off.
The rumour mill had already lurched into overdrive even before Celtic lifted the Scottish Cup, with Postecoglou playing a typically Aussie straight bat to the pre-game suggestion he was set to join Tottenham.
But to anyone who knows anything about him, it was no huge surprise when he did.
Postecoglou has spent his whole life working towards an opportunity like this – and it’s not like the chance to manage a club like Spurs comes along every day.
After multiple trophies in Glasgow, Ange has a new challenge (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
And with former Melbourne Heart and long-time City Football Group executive Scott Munn starting in a new chief football officer role on July 1, Postecoglou will know at least one familiar face around Hotspur Way.
Munn once tried to lure Postecoglou to AAMI Park during his tenure at Melbourne Heart, and more recently he’s been running the City Football Group’s operations in China.
The English press has predictably honed in on the fact that both men are Aussies, and just as when he signed for Celtic, Postecoglou will once again have to win over a sceptical fan-base.
For a certain type of supporter, winning two Scottish premierships isn’t enough – let alone the J. League, the A-League, the National Soccer League, and an Asian Cup in charge of Australia.
It’s one of the most tiresome elements of modern football – this ‘always on’, forever complaining class of digital addicts who seem to spend 24 hours a day bemoaning every single decision a club makes.
One fan on Twitter even started a ‘No To Postecoglou’ social media campaign – presumably because the erstwhile Celtic manager isn’t as big a celebrity as the likes of German coach Julian Nagelsmann and Spanish tactician Luis Enrique.
But that won’t bother Ange. In an era when so many spend all their time talking, Postecoglou has simply gone about the business of winning trophies.
And in the process, he’s shattered the notion that Australians don’t belong at the elite level.
He’s done so while remaining true to his philosophy of playing attacking, entertaining football.
And as the Athens-born son of a Greek migrant in Melbourne, he knows all about what it means to be an outsider.
None of which is to suggest that Postecoglou will find things straightforward in North London. There are no easy games in the Premier League, and Spurs fans are some of the most passionate around.
With star striker Harry Kane in Real Madrid’s sights, it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see Postecoglou convince Kyogo to join him on a new adventure down south.
And in a week in which Australian football lost a legend with the passing of former Socceroos manager Rale Rasic, it’s humbling to see one of our own carry the torch.
If anyone understands the ups and downs of Australian football, it’s Ange Postecoglou.
Perhaps the reason we’re so proud to see him named Tottenham manager is simply because he’s one of us.