Ange Postecoglou has a monumental job on his hands if he is to become Tottenham's next head coach. Not only in terms of picking the team up and getting the Lilywhites to compete for the top four and silverware once again, but also in terms of winning over the Spurs fanbase.
Now the hot favourite with the bookies to replace Antonio Conte at the helm amid previous links with Mauricio Pochettino, Julian Nagelsmann and Arne Slot, talk of the Australian taking on the hotseat has not gone down well with many. It is perhaps similar to the reaction that greeted him upon his appointment as Celtic boss two years ago.
'Who?!' was perhaps the most common phrase uttered at the time, with Postecoglou's CV completely picked apart and a source of laughter for those on the other side of Glasgow. Alan Brazil's reaction on talkSPORT to the news he dubbed as a "wind-up" duly went viral but it was Postecoglou who was to have the last laugh.
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An early exit in the Champions League qualifiers to Danish side Midtjylland and three defeats in his first seven league fixtures only seemed to back up some fans' initial fears over the appointment, yet the 57-year-old went on to transform Celtic and lead them to a league and cup double in his first season at Celtic Park. The Bhoys will complete the treble this weekend providing of course that they get the better of Scottish Championship side Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park.
It would be the perfect way to wave goodbye to his time in Glasgow if he is to depart Celtic and head to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Amid all the speculation over Postecoglou making the move to N17, his achievements at Celtic, his age and his CV have all been major talking points amongst Tottenham fans.
Spurs supporters want the best - and why shouldn't they - when it comes to finding Conte's replacement, but many seem to have immediately dismissed Postecoglou as a candidate for the job because of the aforementioned factors, with his CV top of the list.
Not originating from a footballing powerhouse, Postecoglou was never going to be immediately given a top job in one of Europe's best leagues once his playing career had come to an end. Whereas that maybe the case for a number of players in Europe where they start up high rather than working their way up the ladder, the Celtic boss has had to do the hard yards in Australia and Japan and has a number of different clubs on his CV, but he has always left them better off once departing and has, most importantly, achieved success.
Roberto De Zerbi has been mentioned in regards to the Tottenham job since Conte's exit following his wonderful work at Brighton. However, would Tottenham fans have accepted the Italian's CV of Darfo Boario, Foggia, Palmero, Benevento. Saussolo and Shakhtar Dontesk if he was in the running for the Spurs job before his move to the Amex? Probably not.
Thomas Frank's CV of working with Denmark's Under-16, Under-17 and Under-19 teams as well as Brondby certainly isn't the most eye-catching but he has worked wonders at Brentford. The same goes for Graham Potter after Swansea and Brighton gave him a chance following his years in Sweden with Ostersund.
While there may be clamour from some fans to appoint a top name at the helm, those with incredibly impressive CVs haven't achieved success at Tottenham and led them to the silverware that Daniel Levy and the club desperately crave. A different approach this time around could be key to getting Tottenham back on the right path.
Another bone of contention for some is Postecoglou's age. While many want a young, up-and-coming manager to replace Conte and take on the position for years to come, the Celtic boss turns 58 towards the end of August.
The days of a manager keeping his position for 20 years plus, as was the case with Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger at Manchester United and Arsenal respectively, are long gone. with Jurgen Klopp the longest-serving manager in the Premier League as things stand at seven years and 235 days. Mikel Arteta is the fourth longest-serving manager at three years and 160 days and Fulham's Marco Silva in sixth at just shy of two years, which only highlights that managers are very rarely in a position for a long time in the Premier League.
Given both Jose Mourinho and Conte lasted 17 months at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, why is appointing a young manager so important when in reality whoever comes in could potentially be out of a job after a couple of years? The most important factor for Tottenham in their managerial search is that the incoming boss is the right man for the job.
In his programme notes for the last home game of the season against Brentford, chairman Levy outlined that Tottenham "shall spend the period ahead of next season working relentlessly to position our club for on-pitch success and football you will love to come and watch". Having endured football under Conte, Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo that was far from easy on the eye, Tottenham returning to the style of play they are known for is a must for fans and the club this summer.
Postecoglou certainly ticks that box, with Celtic achieving their recent success playing some incredible football at Celtic Park. The head coach knows the importance of playing football the right way and entertaining supporters and that all stems from his upbringing.
Emigrating to Australia by boat in 1970 at the age of five with the rest of his family, South Melbourne Hellas, who were founded by Greek migrants in 1959, was more than just a football club for Postecoglou and his father. It was his father's "coping mechanism for living in a foreign land" as he was at ease surrounded by "like-minded people" and could speak about the week's troubles before going back to work on the Monday.
Postecoglou knows the power of a football club and that they are very much a release for people who have troubles in their life. As a result, he is determined to entertain them and give the what they want by playing free-flowing, entertaining football, which is exactly what Tottenham fans desire.
That was evident after the team's 3-0 triumph over fierce rivals Rangers in February 2022, a win that saw them move top of the league table for the first time since September 2020. Delivering some extremely powerful words during his time at Celtic Park, this was undoubtedly his most telling yet.
“We’re upholding the values of this football club, not just in terms of winning but the way we play our football," he told BBC Radio Scotland, as reported by The Celtic Way. "I want them to be proud of us. I hope they are proud on the journey home tonight. I am sure they will enjoy tonight, I don’t know how work will go tomorrow for most of them.
"As I said to the players, we had 60,000 in tonight and I’m sure a lot of them walked in with some problems in their life. For this 95 minutes we made them forget that and feel good and that’s something special."
Known for his attacking football philosophy, Postecoglou's mantra is "we never stop" and his Celtic players have more than taken that on and success has duly followed. Despite their dominance in the Scottish Premiership over the past decade, Celtic finished an incredible 25 points behind Rangers the previous campaign.
It was very much a rebuild job for Postecoglou and his message in pre-season was "trust the process" as a number of high-profile players departed and he revolutionised the team with some savvy transfer deals. Returning to Japan to purchase players such as Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda, the additions of Josip Juranovic, Jota, Matt O'Riley, Liel Abada as well as former Tottenham duo Joe Hart and Cameron Carter-Vickers transformed the team and proved vital to leapfrogging Rangers.
Postecoglou is worshiped in the east end of Glasgow and they hang on his every word, with those of a Rangers persuasion, who are also well worth speaking to about the Celtic boss, looking on with envious eyes as they know their rivals have some manager in charge of them. Most importantly, the 57-year-old just gets the football club and does everything in his power to give the fans a product and success they deserve.
His CV is far from the most eye-catching but he has triumphed wherever he has been and always left the team in a better place for his replacement. At a time when there is a disconnect at Tottenham between the fans and the club going on the direction they have been heading in in recent years, Postecoglou could be the man to try and bring everyone together.
While some will still have major reservations if he is to be named in the hotseat, it's fair to say that a few will make quite a sharp U-turn come the very first time he speaks as Tottenham head coach given the power of his words and his charisma. Results will, of course, be key to winning everyone over, as will the team's style of football.
The club's past few managerial decisions have not worked out at all and it may be time for Levy to try a different approach in his quest to lead Tottenham to glory. It will be a risk whoever he appoints as head coach, perhaps none more so than Postecoglou given his CV and the current feeling from the fans towards his potential appointment.
All connected with Tottenham just need to "trust the process" if Postecoglou becomes Conte's successor. It worked for Celtic and the same could happen for Spurs if he's given a chance.
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