Dad’s love of cruyff, puskas andLeeds united saw postecoglou hooked on football
Ange Postecoglou will seek to produce a side that marries together Celtic’s tradition of playing attacking football with his late father’s love of the game’s entertainers.
“I understand that Celtic supporters want to win, but win in a certain way and style,” said the new Hoops boss.
“That’s the history and tradition of this football club, to play football that is exciting, to get people not to sit down for 90 minutes.
“I think the football I want us to play will certainly reflect that.”
It is a remit that will sit comfortably with his own philosophy to try to get his teams to play in a way his father Jim – a fan of Johan Cruyff and Ferenc
Puskas – would have enjoyed.
“It is a simple premise. Why it is important to me is because that was the driver for my whole football career,” he said.
“My dad was my harshest critic. He never told me he loved me, he didn’t give me cuddles. He was my biggest critic all the time.
“I am a totally different father. I kiss and cuddle my kids every day, and tell them I love them – which is terrible because I am making them too soft!
“All I remember is my father working hard. He would be gone for work before I ate my breakfast, and come home at night, have dinner, sit on the couch and fall asleep – then go and do the same thing the next day.
“The only time I ever got to see any joy in my dad was when we went to the football on a Sunday
“That was my childhood.
“Also sitting next to him at three o’clock in the morning – watching football from this side of the world
– and he would always point out the entertainers, and the teams that were scoring goals.
“He’d say: ‘Look at him, look at this team’ and that got into my sub-conscious. And when I became a manager, that’s the kind of teams I wanted to produce.
“Bizarrely enough, he loved Ferenc Puskas, and I ended up being coached by him at South Melbourne Hellas.
“He also loved Leeds United because he was a product of the 1960s and 70s. He loved the Real Madrid of Di Stefano. That was what he bred into me.
“My first conscious memory of us being able to discuss football was the 1974 World Cup, and he loved Holland and Johan Cruyff.
“He’s not with us now. He passed away a couple of years ago. But he’s in my head every time my team plays. I’ll sometimes have an ugly 1-0 win, and I know what he’s saying: ‘Don’t celebrate because that was crap’.
“I don’t think that’s unique. I think a lot of people resonate with that. I just happen to be in position where I can live that dream out.”
Reality might not be long in biting, though, with the
Danes of Midtjylland presenting formidable opposition in the Champions League Second Round qualifier in just over three weeks’ time.
Is qualification for the group stages too much to hope for in transitional times?
“Irrespective of whether it is too much to expect, I think people still expect,” said Postecoglou.
“I am sure there will be plenty of people looking for that first game for us to be playing fantastic football, and playing people off the park.
“And if we don’t, then they are going to be critical of me.
“What I want to do is make sure we are prepared for that game.
“I have followed Midtjylland for a number of years because they have a couple of Australian lads in their team, so I know their team very well and followed their great Champions League run. “So it is a hell of a challenge for us – but that is why I’m here.”