ANGE’S SLIDING DOORS MOMENT
AEK ATHENS SNUB SPARKED ‘BIZARRE SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES’ FOR AUSSIE TO SAVOUR REAL SUCCESS AT CELTIC
HIt was going to take the stars to align for me to get an opportunity
OW differently Celtic’s season might have panned out if AEK Athens had flipped the coin and landed on heads rather than tails.
In the market for a coach last summer, the Greek giants compiled a shortlist. Impressed by his work at Yokohama F. Marinos, Ange Postecoglou made it to the final two.
The son of Greek immigrants, the 55-year-old had moved to Australia as a child. After his father’s death, his mother, sister and eldest son had all moved back to Greece and the prospect of a family reunion held some appeal. After three years in Japan, he craved the chance to prove himself in European football.
Not for the first time, an Australian passport proved more of an impediment to international travel than a help. Yet the disappointment of missing out on AEK didn’t last long.
Within 24 hours his agent, Frank Trimboli, was back on the phone to tell him that Eddie Howe had changed his mind over a move to Glasgow. Under growing pressure to appoint a manager, Celtic were keen to have a conversation. So began the chain of events which introduced Jota, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kyogo Furuhashi, Angeball and a season of unexpected success to a dubious Parkhead support.
‘AEK was a possibility,’ admits Postecoglou now. ‘Almost at the same time as Celtic. It was a sliding doors moment.
‘At that time of year clubs are looking for managers and we got really close.
‘They went another way and literally a day after that I got a call from Peter Lawwell.
‘I then had a chat with Dermot Desmond and it was done within 24 hours.’
Lawwell had been told of Postecoglou’s impressive impact in Japan by his son Mark, a scout with the Manchester City Group and now Celtic’s head of recruitment. In need of a speedy alternative to Howe, the Parkhead club initiated a series of interviews with key figures via Zoom. Things worked out less well for AEK Athens. After turning down the former Socceroos boss they turned to Serb Vladan Milojevic. He lasted seven games before his replacement Argiris Giannikis lasted 23. The Greek giants are now on their third different coach.
‘That isn’t unusual to be fair, and I was well aware of what I was walking into,’ shrugs Postecoglou.
‘You try to back yourself in those times and in those situations, but it worked out for the best.’
The phrase ‘Sliding Doors’ entered popular culture after the film starring Gwyneth Paltrow showed how the choices we all make fundamentally impact outcomes.
AEK Athens had already had an impact on the Celtic story when victory in a Champions League qualifier signalled the beginning of the Long Goodbye for Brendan Rodgers. After a season of startling transition, the decision to turn down Postecoglou could prove more fateful still.
‘That’s been my career as a manager,’ admits the Celtic boss. ‘Things have just happened without me really seeking it.
‘I have tried to do the best I can in the role I have and by having success, opportunities come along.
‘It was difficult to see myself on this side of the world.
‘I had brief chats with people but there was still no recognition of what I had achieved. It was going to take the stars to align for me to get an opportunity. It’s worked out and I couldn’t be happier.’
Insisting Celtic’s move was as much of a surprise to him as it was to journalists and supporters, it mattered little whether he was first choice or the sixth name on the list. When opportunity knocked, he felt duty bound to grab it.
He added: ‘The hard part for me was, how was I ever going to get this side of the world to notice somebody like me doing his stuff in leagues and countries that Europe will rarely have a look at?
‘I guess the fortunate thing for me was that I was at Yokohama, who had a link with Europe by being part of the City Group.
‘Again, fate put its hand in and there was a connection with Peter and Mark Lawwell, who is now coming to us.
‘For someone like me to end up in a job like this, it would have to be some sort of bizarre set of circumstances for it to happen.’
By winning an unlikely league title in his first season, Postecoglou vindicated the gamble taken by Celtic powerbrokers. His black jumper is now in with the Parkhead bricks. His ‘we never stop’ catchphrase adorns T-shirts. In time, his image might even become one of the giant murals depicting significant club landmarks around the outside of the stadium.
‘I hadn’t even thought about that as it’s still kind of hard for me to comprehend it all,’ he claims.
‘It’s been a remarkable year in many respects in terms of what we have achieved as a group.
‘The ending on Saturday was perfect from our perspective.
‘I just felt when I came to this club that I was given an unbelievable opportunity that I wasn’t going to pass up.
‘I have worked my whole life to get to a club like this and I wasn’t going to let it slip through my hands.’
He plays down excitable talk of a new deal while giving the impression that wild horses couldn’t drag him away from a chance to manage Celtic in the Champions League. After 18 months of incessant work and upheaval, however, he first plans to recharge his batteries by spending some time with his wife and young sons. ‘I need to recharge the batteries and what I do know is that the expectations at Celtic — and my expectations — will be to be better. ‘To do that, I have to be ready to go. ‘I have always been driven by trying to create things that are special and being part of something that lasts. ‘I am at a big football club, with 60,000 people here each week.
‘It’s one of the most famous clubs in the world, we will be playing Champions League next year and I can win trophies. I couldn’t be happier.’