Ange Postecoglou has revealed monthly Zoom calls with rugby boss Eddie Jones and other elite Australian sporting coaches are hugely beneficial in his day-to-day running of Celtic.
The Parkhead boss catches up regularly with peers from outside of the footballing world to shoot the breeze. Postecoglou believes sharing experiences and expertise assists each in their chosen field. Australia is rich in sporting success stories. The country has produced top stars and coaches who have operated both in their homeland and also travelled far and wide to enjoy success around the world.
Jones is amongst the elite. Hugely successful as the coach of the England rugby team, he worked in Japan the same as Postecoglou. In another connection, Jones has just taken charge of his country again. Just as Postecoglou has led Australia. Jones is back as boss of the Wallabies as his compatriot leads Celtic and there is much to discuss when they all link up.
Postecoglou explained: “Growing up in Australia, the disadvantages of loving football is it isn’t the number one sport, but the advantage of loving sport is you are surrounded by it. So I was lucky enough to be exposed to multitudes of team and individual sports all on my doorstep and I’ve kind of used those networks throughout my whole career, whether that was as a player or now that I’m coaching.
“I’ve always had networks of people. Eddie and three or four other guys, Australian coaches from different codes, we catch up once a month on Zoom.
“It’s more cathartic than anything else, we just complain for half an hour about our sort of burden, unburden ourselves and move on. But you always get stuff because, even though it is different sports, we are all dealing with similar things, particularly in the team dynamics and dealing with young men and young athletes.
“Particularly as you get older, you want to make sure that you are constantly understanding the way they communicate so your message gets across. So, I’ve always tapped in.
"I’ve had quite a few coaches from other sports come through Celtic and spend the week with us. They get a bit out of it, I get a bit out of it and the staff get a bit out of it because we can pick each other’s brains.”
Integrating sporting knowledge and leadership skills is a regular occurrence in the modern world. European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley had Sir Alex Ferguson speak with his golfers before their 2014 triumph at Gleneagles.
England manager Gareth Southgate employed Dave Reddin, a core member of Sir Clive Woodward’s team that won the 2003 Rugby World Cup and the head of performance for Team GB at the 2012 Olympic Games. Postecoglou sees big benefit and continued: “We’re obviously different sports, but the roles are very similar in most respects.
“There’s always stuff you can take away with. The way they deal with issues, whether it’s player issues or welfare issues. Even if the sports are different and there isn’t a tactical exchange of ideas, there certainly is in terms of methodology.
"How you convey your ideas to players, whether that’s technology or other sources. There’s always stuff you can pick up. How to handle the media’s a good one!”
Tasmanian Jones is now back in Aussie, but home for Postecoglou is Glasgow. The Celtic gaffer is loving life in the city. The scrutiny and burden of his role causes him no issues and he also feels a warmth from the people.
Postecoglou said: “I’m fine. I’ve got a family and we go about our business. It’s as simple as that. Whether there are eyes on you or people are hanging onto your every word, I’ve got nothing to hide, I don’t fear what I am going to say, so there is nothing I need to feel sort of anxious about.
“And the people have been really nice. Very welcoming, very kind. I haven’t had any sort of aggro from anyone, irrespective of their allegiances or whether they follow my football club or football in general.
“It’s about how you kinda want to embrace everything you do and I always think I am in a position of privilege where I love what I do and I really enjoy the company of the people I am sharing that journey with. My family, I’m blessed in that sense.
“If you want to look for things that could potentially be something of a disruptor to your normal way of life, then I think you fall into that trap of changing who you are and the way you behave and the way you live your life. Everywhere we have lived, we’ve enjoyed the experience.
“Most people are kind. You are always a bit wary when teenage boys are coming up to you because you don’t know what you are going to get. I’ve had a few shots around my weight, but that’s just at home from my missus! Apart from that, like I said, people have been really kind.
“They are quick to share their allegiances with me, so I know straight away whether they’re a Celtic person or not. They feel the need to tell me that. Within that context people have been very respectful and I’d like to think I’ve been the same.
“As a family we just try and get on with our life and enjoy the fact we are in a pretty good place. I’ve got a pretty small group of friends. But obviously being in the role I am, in a public sense, there are a lot of people following my journey, whether that is Australian, Japan or wherever I’ve coached.
“I’m getting messages from people who have flown in for the game from Oz, so yeah, it is great you are sharing that with people you’ve known for quite a long time. That’s something I enjoy.
"Whatever you do in life, it is a helluva lot more meaningful if you share it with people. From my perspective, quite a few have been on the journey for a long time and it is great to share it with them.”
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