It was June 2021 and Celtic, still reeling from having their nine-year grip on the Scottish Premier League title ended by arch-rivals Rangers, seemingly gambled on an Australian manager called Ange Postecoglou.
Yes, there were some token honours on his CV from Down Under, an Asian Cup win with the national side, and J-League success in Japan with Yokohama F. Marinos. But perception was as swift as it was damming; here we had a budget-appointment essentially handing the club's arch rivals 'two in a row'.
Such views have since been proved wrong - and in emphatic fashion. And in Postecoglou, detractors ran into a figure not fazed by outside naivety. Questioned on on his knowledge of Celtic's opponents in one of his initial games in charge, the riposte was as brilliant as it was brutal: “I’m still on the same planet mate, I haven’t come from outer space. You’d be surprised how much I know about Hearts.”
Indeed, two years after being ridiculed, Postecoglou is heading for the Premier League after winning five of the six domestic Scottish trophies on offer. And he does so having made a mark on Celtic, and indeed Scottish football, which will stand the test of time.
A unique route to the big time
The 57-year-old's name might not be one synonymous with managerial greats, but what he does boast is vast experience, a varied CV, and ample success.
Capped four times by his country as a player, Postecoglou set about progressing through the ranks in his a coaching career. Jobs, and titles, with South Melbourne were followed by stints in charge of Australia's age-group sides and Brisbane Roar - which yielded back-to-back A-League championships.
A year at Melbourne Victory followed, before the Socceroos came calling. Qualification for the 2014 World Cup, capped by a first ever Asian Cup win a year later, was enough to cement his status as a cult hero down under. In 2017 Japan and Yokohama beckoned, and so did another domestic title two years later.
But underpinning all of his successes was a brand of football that was easy on the eye. Those from afar may have scoffed at second rate trophies in an environment less competitive than Europe. Those who followed closely, noted improvements in players and a slick, possession-based style that Celtic fans now know all about.
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A strong character without the chaos
Scottish journalists soon learnt that if you come for Ange Postecoglou, you better not miss.
You can park the argument over the worth of winning domestic silverware with Scotland's biggest force, but what cannot be ignored from his time at Parkhead was his ability to defy doubters and unite a fan base. Two notions that Daniel Levy would more than crave right now.
When Postecoglou was fired at in press conferences, he fired straight back with interest. But there was an absence of the theatrics that accompanied Jose Mourinho's and Antonio Conte's time in north London. He's a man to can be trusted to be stern and yet composed under pressure, rather than attempt to metaphorically set the place on fire.
And by the way, he knows his history too.
Shrewd recruitment
Many raised eyebrows when Postecoglou brought the likes of Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi to Celtic, only for the trio to have a profound impact on the success that followed.
Undoubtedly, the recruitment process will differ in the frenzied world of the Premier League, but Spurs fans can take heart from having a figure at the helm who at least has a thought process in the transfer market. And it's this area, which will provide Postecoglou with his first acid test.
Big decisions will have to be made on the likes of Hugo Lloris, Davison Sanchez, Eric Dier - the list could go on. And of course the saga that will arguably define Tottenham's summer - whether Harry Kane stays or goes.
Should the England captain be insistent on a move, then any offer north of £100 million from Real Madrid would prove hard to turn down, amid the realistic possibility of the club's record goalscorer moving on for free in 2024. Just how much of that shrewd work we get to see from Postecoglou come June 14, could be dependent on how the Kane story concludes.
Patience key to Postecoglou's project
It's the kind of appointment that the self-proclaimed experts will scoff at.
Anyone can win at Celtic, never managed in the Premier League, struggled in Europe, how can he succeed if Conte failed - add it all to a fan base that has long been fuelled by frustration, and it's clear Postecoglou won't spend much time reclining in one of Levy's comfy armchairs. But in truth, a club that has long confused itself by trying to put divisive serial winners in charge of a long-term project may well have finally struck the right note.
Postecoglou will not arrive with grand promises to end silverware droughts or make noises about signing the world elite. What he will do, is add clarity and vision to a project which could ultimately define his managerial legacy.
Patience and time will be needed. Unlike at Celtic, he joins a club light years away from being on the brink of domestic dominance. But pay close attention to Postecoglou's CV, and you'll note that his managerial forays have rarely, if ever, been tainted by failure.
It's no secret he wasn't Daniel Levy's first choice. But amid the circus of rejections and failed negotiations with previous candidates now over, it might just be that Levy has stumbled upon the perfect man to step into the firing line.
