Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou opens up on quitting Australia hot seat ahead of 2018 FIFA World Cup
For many managers, taking charge of their home nation and leading them to the FIFA World Cup is a dream and Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou achieved just that during his stint with the Australia national side from 2013-2017.
The 58-year-old left the position after an impressive record of 22 wins in 49 games for the Socceroos. He did not just lead the nation to the AFC Asian Cup in 2015 but also secured them a spot at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
However, rather than reach the landmark of 50 games in charge, Postecoglou decided to seek a new challenge. He eventually went on to manage Yokohama F Marinos before going on to win hearts at Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur.
A truly revolutionary manager who wears his heart on his sleeve, Poatecoglou is a player’s dream. Not only is he a hard taskmaster but is also someone players are ready to run into brick walls for. Surely, a manager like that is worth his weight in gold.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, Postecoglou has now spilt the beans on why he left the Australian hot seat. He just stopped enjoying the job and felt it was better to walk away rather than fight a lost cause of changing the scene for football down under.
“One of my major drivers for doing what I did was to do that – to change football in Australia. And that’s the reason I left. I felt I hadn’t made an impact at all.”
The Tottenham boss believes the sporting sphere down under lags behind Aussie Rules, rugby union and rugby league. Cricket also has a huge following in the country, given their dominance in the sport. Football is on the back foot and it is fair to say that the sport has not taken off in a big way.
In a way, it is heartening to see that Postecoglou is keen to have a positive impact on the sport. He was afforded the opportunity to do just that at Celtic and he helped the club retain their status as SPL top dogs ahead of arch-rivals Rangers.
Hopefully, history will repeat itself at Tottenham. While winning games is always good, football is much more than that and can unify fans to a common goal. It is fair to say that his interest in leaving a lasting impact will endear him to supporters.
“Maybe that’s just me, not being cynical, but I gave up that fight.”
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Postecoglou’s arrival in the Premier League has seen several football fans in Australia sit up and take notice. It would be ironic if he could bring about an effective change in the game in his home nation as the Tottenham boss rather than as the national team manager.
The 58-year-old is a huge fan of Bill Shankly. The legendary Liverpool manager was the one to claim that football is more than just a matter of life and death. Postecoglou certainly embodies it heart and soul.
