Ange Postecoglou Must Change Perceptions After Landing Celtic Job

Ange Postecoglou Must Change Perceptions After Landing Celtic Job



The newly announced Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou can be described fairly, and without it being too much of a back-handed compliment, as a left-field appointment. In a summer where the managerial merry-go-round has spun into overdrive in Britain and across Europe, this is one you didn’t see coming.

A Greek-born Australian defender capped four times for the Socceroos back in 1986, Postecoglou worked his way up to the national team job after a knee injury wrecked his on-field career. Starting out at National Soccer League side South Melbourne where he played from his early teens, he later coached the Aussie youth teams and A-League clubs Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory.

Australia finished bottom of their group at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but Postecoglou did mastermind a maiden AFC Asian Cup triumph the following year on home soil. He also guided the Socceroos to the last World Cup in Russia yet didn’tstay on and take them to a second finals, as the opportunity to manage Japanese J-League club Yokohama F. Marinos came up.

In the Land of the Rising Sun, Postecoglou took the team to its first title for 15 years in 2019. They didn’t mount much of a defence of that crown last season, though, and he leaves Yokohama for Glasgow with the Marinos in third place.

To Postecoglou’s credit, he has won some silverware in almost every coaching job he’s had – Melbourne Victory and little-known lower league Greek club Panachaikibeing the only exceptions. This potted biography of the new Bhoys boss doesn’tchange the fact that it almost goes without saying that he wasn’t first choice for the role of reviving fortunes from the Parkhead dugout.

Biggest gamble since Deila?



Celtic are no strangers to seeing Australian footballers donning the Hoops jersey. Mark Viduka, Scott McDonald and currently Tom Rogic have all played for the club and lifted trophies. Being big in Japan and Down Under is all well and good, but Postecoglou is completely unproven outside of the Pacific.

Neil Lennon has found his permanent successors picked from obscurity not once but twice. Postecoglou is perhaps not quite so out there as Ronny Deila, although the Norwegian at least had working knowledge of European football, and that may be a stick that is used to beat the new manager with if all does not go well early on in Glasgow.

This definitely qualifies as a big gamble from the Bhoys board, but Eddie Howe reportedly turned the job down first. Postecoglou instilled a possession-based style that took Brisbane from second bottom of the A-League to top of the table in consecutive seasons and a Premiership title via an undefeated streak that is lauded as a record across all Australian team sports. The question is whether Celtic currently possess the players on their roster to match his tactics.

In four years in charge of Australia, there was definite progress. The Soccerooslanguished outside of the top 100 in the FIFA World Rankings a year into Postecoglou's reign in 2014. As dubious a metric as those official ratings are, when he left for the job in Japan, the Aussies were on the cusp of being a top 40 nation.

Daunting tasks nothing new



Postecoglou didn’t shy away from making major changes while in the national job. It was necessary by then as the Socceroos’ golden generation of 2006 was largely well past its prime when he came in. A major trophy within 15 months of taking on Australia and the turnarounds in Brisbane and Yokohama hint at plenty of coaching ability. This is not exactly a free hit for the Hoops, however.

They will not want to lose any further ground on Old Firm rivals Rangers, who can laud a Scottish Premiership title over their Glasgow neighbours for the first time in a decade. No longer ruling the roost and seeing the prospect of “10 in a row” disappear so tamely has been hard for Celtic supporters to swallow. A good indicator of the predicted response under Postecoglou is their odds for regaining the crown. The Bhoys are 5/4 second-favourites in the outright soccer betting with Betway as of 10 June to win back the title.

If it emerges that doesn’t look like being on the cards, then Postecoglou’s first taste of a top job in Europe may be short. While managers with good track records in Scottish football like national coach Steve Clarke and former Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes are around, the sword of Damocles may hang over Parkhead and the Aussie occupying the hotseat.

Postecoglou may yet prove his critics wrong and show the misgivings many Celtic fans have about his appointment to be unfounded – his pedigree in world football is impressive. It is on the training ground and through results on the pitch where he must win hearts and minds.