In his latest column for KEEPUP, Edinburgh News & The Scotsman journalist Barry Anderson delivers the verdict from Scotland on Ange Postecoglou’s prospective move to Spurs.
The dominant story in Scotland over the last week surrounds the future of Ange Postecoglou.
Celtic supporters, quite naturally, hope he stays in Glasgow with Tottenham Hotspur due to accelerate efforts to appoint him manager this week. It’s a huge decision which, in his mind, might already be made.
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Celtic won the Scottish Cup on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Hampden Park, completing a trophy treble that includes the cinch Premiership title and Viaplay League Cup. It is only the eighth time in the club’s history that they have lifted all three pieces of domestic silverware. So Postecoglou’s name is now etched in Parkhead history alongside those of Jock Stein, Martin O’Neill, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon.
Postecoglou has not been pushing to leave Celtic, but circumstances will make the Spurs job extremely difficult to turn down. He has won five of the six Scottish trophies since arriving in this country two years ago. He managed in the Champions League and may wish to do better in that environment, however finances in Scottish football make competing seriously in Europe’s top competition nearly impossible – even for the country’s richest club.
So what else is left to achieve at Celtic Park? The truthful answer is: Not an awful lot. More titles or perhaps even trebles could be in the offing. Postecoglou has always been a hungry and ambitious character and his teams over the years reflect this. The opportunity at Tottenham offers the prospect of success on an entirely new level if he can rebuild and galvanise.
He turns 58 in August and has never managed in any of Europe’s top five leagues. His CV denotes only one brief spell coaching in Europe – at the Greek club Panachaiki in 2008 – until Celtic lured him from Yokohama F Marinos in summer 2021. Spurs are traditionally one of England’s biggest names who played in the Champions League final just four years ago. Most managers would not need a second invitation to take charge there.
This might be Postecoglou’s only chance to manage in the world’s most high-profile league with a traditional heavyweight side. He has waited all his life for such an opportunity, worked his way up and grafted for years to prove himself while coaching youth sides and provincial teams. Indeed, one entry on his CV from 2009 shows him in charge of the part-time Australian club Whittlesea Zebras before getting a break at Brisbane Roar.
An appointment at Tottenham would propel him into a different stratosphere, not to mention the life-changing salary for him and his family. He will also be aware that stepping into the English Premier League would see him fly the flag for Australian coaches and managers, many of whom feel they are not taken seriously enough on the global stage.
I’ve enjoyed watching his brand of football at Celtic. He was written off in some quarters as an unknown quantity when he arrived from Japan. I remembered his Australia team at the 2014 World Cup being bold and adventurous, and I’d seen enough of his Yokohama F Marinos to know they were exactly the same. He was a perfect fit for Celtic. I interviewed a couple of Yokohama followers for The Scotsman before his appointment and they said likewise.
One quote stuck with me from that article. It came from Sean Galbraith, a Yokohama season ticket-holder and Celtic follower from afar.
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“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team as all-out attack as this Yokohama F. Marinos side,” he said.
“They’re entertaining almost to a fault. In Postecoglou’s first season, results like 4-4, 3-2, and 4-2 were common. You would see brilliant, tiki-taka Barcelona, fast, counter-attacking play with great winning goals. Then the keeper would get chipped from the halfway line.”
Words which helped convey the adventure which awaited Celtic supporters. Leaving such widespread adulation behind would be an enormous wrench, hence Postecoglou is now the one choosing his words carefully. He was asked constantly in press conferences throughout last week about Tottenham’s interest. He talked of staying focused on Saturday’s final, of outside noise not registering, and then of savouring the moment after winning the cup.
Ironically, what he didn’t say probably conveyed the clearest message. There was ample opportunity to confirm he wasn’t leaving Celtic or to reaffirm his commitment. It wasn’t forthcoming.
If his prospective exit materialises, he will take on a huge task in London with the knowledge that he has successfully rebuilt many teams in his career. Celtic are just one of them. Their fans rightly adore his work. Postecoglou will be a considerable loss to Scottish football.
Barry Anderson has been a football correspondent for The Scotsman and Edinburgh Evening News since 2005, primarily covering Hearts and the Scotland national team.
