There was a time when South Melbourne legend Ange Postecoglou would come to Sydney and be seen as the arch enemy.
But fellow former Hellas hero Steve Blair reckons the Hoops boss will get treated like a hero in the Aussie city this week. Glasgow born ex-pat Blair is looking forwarded to meeting up with his old pal Down Under and he’s convinced there will be thousands more waiting to hail the Celtic boss.
Blair and Postecoglou were South Melbourne stalwarts back in their playing days and while Melbourne Knights were the local foes, there was always a frosty welcome when they nicked up the coast to the Harbour City. But it’ll be a different story with Ange’s big homecoming tour for the Sydney Super Cup. Ex-Socceroos star Blair said: “They were usually fiery affairs when we went to Sydney as United and Olympic were seen as big rivals.
“United were the Croatian side, Olympic were the Greek team, like us, we were the Greek side in Melbourne. There was rivalries drawn on ethnic lines. It’s wasn’t quite like Celtic v Rangers but there was definitely an edge to the games. Ange was seen as a big South Melbourne man, of course, but there is a lot of respect for him and they are proud of what he has achieved, and that is throughout Australia now. He’s the boy who went away and had success – and he’s probably our most successful coach now.
“He’s inspiring a lot of people in this country. I’m absolutely buzzing Ange is back in Australia with his Celtic team. There has always been a huge ex-pat supporters community, with big supporters clubs in the likes of Sydney and Melbourne. But Ange’s impact at Celtic has took the interest to another level.
“There is huge support here for Ange and for Celtic. ”Hoops daft Blair will be heading up for the games with Sydney FC tomorrow and Everton on Sunday and he’s thrilled he’ll be able to get the proper fan experience for once.
He said: “I’ve got pals back home who were texting about the games being on at two of three in the morning. It told them, ‘welcome to my world!’ We get up to watch games at all hours every week, so it’s brilliant to get a chance to see Celtic in Australia.
"The fans will get the full experience of getting a few beers and cheering on the team - it’s fantastic. There are fans arriving here from all over the world. But it’s huge for this country. It’s not just Celtic who are coming over, it’s Celtic who are managed by an Australian.”
Blair has been thrilled by the job Postecoglou is doing at Celtic – and he’s not surprised in the slightest. Perhaps it was destiny.
Blair was already at South Melbourne when a young Postecoglou pitched up with a busty ’tache and a wild mullet - and a burning desire for success. Blair said: “Ange was manager material even back then. He was just a youngster but was made captain of the team. He had this aura about him, he could lead. He was also very demanding. We were semi-pro back then but he wants a full-time mentality. He wouldn’t accept any less.
“It paid off for us as it was a successful period for the club. We won a couple of championships. It was also a natural progression for Ange to move into coaching. He was a natural and he led the team to more success.”
Postecoglou also looks a natural fit for Celtic and Blair admitted the seeds were sown many years before Postecoglou was paraded at Parkhead. He said: “We had a group of Scots in the dressing room, and a fair few of them were Celtic fans, so he knew all about the club.
“I grew up in Drumchapel and he came over to Scotland when I was back visiting family and he stayed with me. We took him to games all over the country – including Celtic Park. He’s gets Celtic. He got the club back then. You can tell he’s no stranger to the ethos of the clubs. He loved the stories, the history, learning about Jock Stein, the Lisbon Lions and the like. It just rang true for him.
“He didn’t need to do his homework when Celtic approached him. He knew it already. He understands the importance to the club to everyone. People thought when he arrived, ‘oh, he’s coming from Australia, he’s not got s clue what it’s about’. It was the complete reverse.”
Blair was thrilled when his buddy landed the gig but it’s gone even better than he expected. He said: “It did amuse me a little when I heard some of the reaction when he signed. But he still had to prove himself. Glasgow is different to Australia or Japan. My only fear was about him acclimatising himself to the expectation and the demands.
“But he’s been brilliant. He loves it. Ange has got a heightened passion for the game and Celtic is right up his alley.”
And it’s that mentality that will ensure Postecoglou won’t be treating this week like some kind of glorified kick about. Blair said: “I know what he’s like. He won’t be coming here for a holiday. He’ll be here to show the standard of play Celtic can produce. We’ve seen over the years teams coming here and playing exhibition games, everyone gets excited, but then you see the team and it’s more like a reserve side. Ange is not brining a Mickey Mouse team, he’ll be out to put on a show.”
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