Ange Postecoglou claims he has had to be “faultless” because he has been written off so many times.
Now Postecoglou faces the biggest test of his managerial career as he is charged with trying to rebuild Tottenham and lead them back into Europe and winning trophies again. It was a task beyond Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho, let alone an unfashionable Aussie without their experience and track record.
But Postecoglou is determined to defy the odds with Tottenham and do it in style with a brand of entertaining football as he insisted the challenge is what really inspires him.
Tottenham boss Postecoglou said: “For me to come from where I’ve come from and be sitting here today, I needed to have that instinct inside me to know when to move on because I’ve had to be faultless in my career to get to this point.
“That’s because no one’s going to rate an Australian manager, are they? So if I had any significant failures along the way I was never going to get here.
“But that’s the bit I love the best. I’ve been fortunate in the past because I’ve had success but whenever I reflect on any job I’ve had, it’s not the success that I look back on, it’s the build that I look back on.
“I know it’s not always going to be smooth, there’s going to be plenty of doubters which is when your belief and resolve gets doubted. Not just for me personally, but the whole club, the whole group and I love working through that, getting out the other side and that’s the biggest attraction for me in this position.
“Aside from being in a massive football club and the premier competition in the world, was the opportunity to do something that people will see in many respects unsurmountable. I love that.
“I want to bring success to this football club and I want to bring European football to this football club. To bring it back to where it has to be.”
Postecoglou, 57, took over 10 days ago and will not even see Harry Kane until Wednesday as Tottenham’s international players were given extra time off. They will fly back Down Under to Perth for the first leg of their pre-season tour on Friday.
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It is a huge task for a manager who really made his reputation in Europe with five trophies in five years – including the Treble last season – at Celtic as well as being the Australia national boss.
He brings an energy and enthusiasm with him to Tottenham but his appointment was met with mixed results among the fanbase. However, Postecoglou insists that he is determined to win them round with an exciting brand of football in keeping with Tottenham’s tradition down the years.
Postecoglou said: “I dare to say that was probably part of, one of the biggest factors in the club appointing me was that they saw that, that’s what I’m going to try and deliver. That seems to be the right fit for this club in terms of the fans’ expectations.
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“We call it entertainment but we also want to win games of football, score goals, be exciting. They don’t want to see their team sit back. There are different ways of winning games but the intent for us will be to try and make sure this football club a compelling watch for everybody.”
Postecoglou is also under no illusion that he is expected to end Tottenham’s trophy drought as they have not lifted any silverware since 2008. He added: “I’m not going to try and limit us to when. All I know is I love winning. I don’t do any job unless I think I can win. That’s going to be my intent.
“I also have a real strong belief in the way that should happen – the way we play, the way we train, the way we behave, all those things. This strong desire to win exists in everybody. There isn’t a club in the world that doesn’t want to win.
“That’s not going to make you any different from your opponent on a weekly basis. The really successful teams, that’s underpinned by something stronger, something in that organisation that makes them winners beyond just wanting to win. What is going to bring us success is building some strong foundations in how we want to play.”
