NEW BHOY KNOWS HIS HISTORY

Postecoglou recalls watching Celtic as a kid in Australia as he starts bold new era at Parkhead

ATEAM established by Greek immigrants in the aftermath of World War Two, South Melbourne were always the natural fit for Ange Postecoglou.

His father Jim relocated the family from Athens to Australia when he was five years old. Despite a talent for Aussie rules football, he joined South Melbourne at the age of nine and never saw any reason to leave.

At Albert Park, he embarked upon an education in soccer, life, leadership and Celtic.

‘Most of the clubs were run and raised by ethnic groups,’ he recalls. ‘The club I was at was, obviously, a Greek background.

‘But at the time, we had a lot of players from the UK. We signed Frank Munro from Celtic when he was at the end of his career. I played with Danny Crainie, who played with Celtic.

‘I walked into the dressing room and it was “hey wee man” and “hey big man”.

‘I was a kid of Greek background, so, culturally, it was an interesting experience for me, but the one thing it did was keep feeding this thing inside my head about how big football is.

‘They would talk, particularly the guys from the UK and we had four or five Scotsmen.

‘One was a season-ticket holder and probably still is. He was forever telling me about Celtic. It was all he’d talk about. We’d hang out for the result at the weekend.

‘There’s been linkage there and I think that surprises people because we are so far away. I can understand why people wouldn’t look to Australia in a footballing sense. It’s probably more a holiday destination or cricket or rugby.

‘But going the other way, we have certainly paid attention to what is going on here.’

When Eddie Howe changed his mind, Celtic moved quickly to line up an alternative. The choice they made prompted surprise and bemusement.

Postecoglou led Australia’s national team to two World Cups and won the 2015 Asian Cup. He coached title-winning teams Down Under and led Yokohama to their first J League title in 15 years despite little or no knowledge of the language or culture.

Despite Scotland’s slide down the world footballing pecking order, however, supporters regard his CV as a poor fit for Celtic. At the age of 55, the new man had only worked in Europe once, in a brief spell with Panachaiki in 2008. Many felt the club could do better.

‘That’s just life,’ he shrugs. ‘I think people look at what’s immediately in front of you and there hasn’t been many reasons for people to look on the other side of the world.

‘I’ve never really worried about that sort of stuff. It’s never been a driver in me to try and prove that I am worthy in some way just because I have grown up on the other side of the world.

‘I understand it. I’m sure that Google got a helluva battering when my name came up with people trying to figure out who I am. But that’s okay. I totally understand it, but I think people will judge me from what I do from now on.’

Scottish football comes with its own peculiar micro-culture. You can virtually count the number of overseas managers who have succeeded in the SPFL on one hand. A tough, gritty environment, success either comes quickly in Glasgow or not at all. Steven Gerrard was the exception when Rangers gave him three seasons to win the title. No fool, Postecoglou knows he doesn’t have that long.

‘I don’t think any manager’s got time,’ he says. ‘We all know there is expectation. You can sit here and talk about building something for the long term, but I know what the expectations are and the demands of everyone involved with the club.

‘People will understand what we’re doing. That’s my role, to get people to see as quickly as possible what we’re trying to do.’

He managed to get his message across quickly at Yokohama F Marinos despite the cultural and linguistic chasm. Taking over a club in relegation trouble, he guided them to 12th in the J League. Despite an offer to become the manager of the Greek national team, he extended his contract and won the title in 2019.

‘There is no bigger cultural challenge than coaching in a country where you don’t speak the language,’ he says. ‘I did that in Japan. That was a massive challenge for me and I enjoyed it.

‘That’s why I went. Every job has differences but it’s not an enormous leap. It’s still football. That’s what I’ve found. When I went to Japan, I couldn’t communicate with language. I had to figure out how I could get my message across some other way. And we still did that.

‘The team still played the football we wanted, the players responded and we were successful. I don’t think there is a great deal of difference. There are just subtleties in the way people think and the way people work. But that’s okay. That’s what I like.’

Celtic’s first competitive fixture comes quickly. A Champions League qualifier against Midjtylland on July 20 is fraught with danger. Parkhead managers are judged by what they do in Europe almost as much as what they win in Scotland. While expectations are tempered by circumstances, an exit to the Danes would only increase the scrutiny on Celtic’s choice of manager.

‘It’s not going to be perfect, it can’t be,’ says Postecoglou. ‘It’s three or four weeks away, we’ve got to make changes to the team, so there’s no way. But hopefully what the supporters will see is a team that has a real desire to play the game a certain way.

‘Within that, it’s not going to be smooth, there’s going to be some bumps for sure and some real challenges.’

Celtic are talking to former boss Gordon Strachan about a senior technical role. Assistant manager John Kennedy is also swithering over his future at the club as he moves onto his fourth first-team manager. Adelaide United coach Ross Aloisi is in the frame for a role, but Postecoglou intends to keep an open mind on who he works with for now.

‘If you look at my history, I’ve usually ended up working with people who already exist within the club,’ he added. ‘I’m pretty good at surrounding myself with the best people, whatever area that may be.’