It might have felt all very new to the uninitiated in Enfield. But when Ange Postecoglou held court at Tottenham’s training ground for the first time yesterday lunchtime, it all looked and sounded very familiar.
The occasional rolling of the eyes or puffing of the cheeks all to give off the impression that his patience might snap at any moment. The gruff, if softly-spoken Aussie twang. He talked about “his football” and how his players are being pounded to within an inch of their lives outside on the training ground. Because he won’t accept anything less. But what may have raised an eyebrow back across the border was his emphatic response to any suggestion that he’s stepping up in class now that he’s left the SPL for England’s top flight.
And yes, they couldn’t even get the name of the league right. Then again, neither did Postecoglou. What he did say, however, is that he’s joining a bigger league, competing against the best managers in the world, with better players at his disposal, and shed-loads more cash to throw at making them better.
All of which did sound a little bit like a “step up”. But this was classic Postecoglou as he introduced himself in typical style to a whole new audience and a whole new league.
And not for the first time he detects the need to prove he belongs in such a rarefied environment. And yet he made it clear also that the connections made over two glittering years in Glasgow were never going to get in his way once Spurs came calling.
He said: “Yeah it was a tough decision. It’s a special club. If you have a bucket list as a manager of clubs you want to manage, that is probably one of them.
“The supporters are not really supporters, the club is an extension of them, it’s a family. We had a brilliant two years, great group of players, great staff. We had some fantastic success and great moments within that.
“I will cherish them but I am the kind of guy who loves a challenge. I love a build, I love a rebuild. That’s where I feel I am at my best. This challenge when it came along had all the elements I needed to get going again.”
It may seem a bit ice cold but Postecoglou has always been an ambitious man. Asked if it had always been his goal to manage in the EPL he furrowed that brow and said: “I can’t say it was a goal. I’ve come literally from the other side of the world so I’ve just wanted to experience as much as I can throughout my career and see where that takes me.
“Every challenge I’ve had, I’ve enjoyed and I’ve embraced wherever I work, whether that’s in different countries, different leagues, national teams or club football. But, you know, the Premier League is the strongest competition.
Some of the best managers in the world are in this competition, some of the strongest teams in the world are in this competition. Why wouldn’t you want to embrace that? It’s another opportunity for me to do what I do in a different competition.”
Asked to quantify the step up from the ‘SPL’, Postecoglou replied: “I don’t know about step ups. I mean I had the same question when I got to the SPL but I’ve coached at a World Cup, so I’ve coached in different leagues.
“I think every challenge is the same to be honest because it’s relative to the competition you are in. I’ve never gone into any job thinking, ‘This is going to be easy’.
“Is this going to be a massive challenge? Absolutely. But Celtic was a massive challenge.
“I know people sort of say in Scotland if you’re Celtic you’re going to finish first or second. But second is last. Finish second and I’m not in a job! You have to finish first. So there’s a lot of demand there and it’s not just about winning.
“It’s the manner in which you win as well as the expectation around the way you play football, particularly for me as I’m pretty explicit in saying I want my teams to play a certain way. So I’ve never seen anything I’ve done as a step up. I’ve seen it as a different challenge and a different set of circumstances.
“You’re also working with better players in a bigger organisation with more resources. All those things are relative. I don’t dismiss any success at any level for anybody in life. Because I guarantee you in the lowest levels of what we perceive, whether that’s in football or life, somebody is grafting to be successful against relative competition.”
The hard work has started already. Of course it has – he never stops. Three new signings are already in the door with plenty more to follow. And to the apparent horror of the English media yesterday, Postecoglou doesn’t seem all that fussed if Harry Kane plans to come along for the ride.
He said: “Obviously we had a massive rebuild at Celtic but I think in the beginning, even though the results weren’t there, the supporters could see what we were trying to and got behind us.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be a rocky start for us or a good start for us but my hope and desire – and what I’m going to try to do – is give our supporters hope and belief that we’re going to embark on something special.
“I know Celtic have appointed Brendan Rodgers, who is an outstanding manager and they will continue to have success. They have great players, great infrastructure, it’s a great club.
“I was very fortunate to be allowed that responsibility for a couple of years. Now my goal is to try and make some special moments here and create something special for this great football club as well.”
But will it include Tottenham’s pin-up boy Kane? When asked specifically about the England skipper’s future, Postecoglou couldn’t resist a bit of verbal sparring with his interrogator. He said: “That’s question three and it was Harry, was it? We were running a poll with the coaches and I think Mile Jedinak won actually. I had over six because I thought you’d care more about me than Harry!
“But I think in terms of the squad it’s fair to say the reason that I am here is because the club is seeking change, you know – change in direction, change in the way we’re doing things and that usually transpires into a change in personnel in players and staff.”
READ NEXT:
