Tottenham are in for the ride of their lives under Ange Postecoglou

Australian manager has a sharp tactical mind but his way with words is arguably his greatest strength

Ange Postecoglou has left Scottish side Celtic after two seasons to become manager of Tottenham Hotspur. Getty

Tottenham fans may not realise it now, but they will. Everyone does eventually. In Ange Postecoglou they have someone truly special.

The 2019 Uefa Champions League finalists confirmed Tuesday one of the worst kept secrets in football when they appointed the 57-year-old Australian as their new manager on a four-year deal.

The length of the deal is telling too; they are investing in him as much as he is investing in them.

While many Spurs fans may be taking to Google – and learning how to spell, or even pronounce, Postecoglou – fans around the world in Glasgow, Yokohama, Brisbane and Melbourne already know how this story plays out.

When you appoint Ange Postecoglou, you get all of him. You get his heart and soul, and far aside from the football – which is always exhilarating – it's that heart and soul which sets Postecoglou apart.

His experience in Glasgow is perhaps the most like-for-like comparison with what we will witness in North London.

When news broke of his likely appointment as Celtic manager, after the Hoops failed to seal the deal with their preferred candidate, Eddie Howe, he was widely mocked by the fans and the unforgiving Scottish media who seemingly looked no further than his passport before declaring the serial winner was not good enough for the rough and tumble of the Scottish Premiership.

In a clip that has since gone viral, former Scotland international Alan Brazil declared on TalkSport that his appointment “must be a wind up”, before condescendingly adding: “Where do they come up with these guys?”

Two years later he leaves Parkhead as one of Celtic’s most revered managers, with the bond between coach and fan as strong as you will see anywhere in world football. Celtic fans today will be feeling something akin to the end of a marriage. The heartbreak will be real.

That visceral connection is the same he’s had everywhere he has gone, because deep down Postecoglou is just as much a football fan as those paying to watch his teams play.

Those who know him say he has an obsession with football far beyond that of most football managers, one that he has had since an early age.

Born in Greece, his family emigrated to Australia when Postecoglou was just a child. As they adjusted to life in suburban Melbourne, there was one place his football-obsessed father felt at home – South Melbourne Football Club.

Founded by Greek migrants, it was more than just a football club, it was a social club; a safe haven for so many in the Greek community that were trying to find their way in Australia. It’s where, Postecoglou says, his father was happiest and where he developed his lifelong obsession with the game.

“There is only one reason why I love this game and I’m passionate about it from day one, and that was because it brought me closer to my father,” he said in a past interview.

“He really encouraged me to play the game and that is where the seed and the passion for football grew in me. They are still the best memories I have growing up; going to training with dad and going to games with my dad. That’s what gave me a glimpse into my father and gave me that bond.”

That deep spiritual connection with the game is as strong 50 years on, and it shines through whenever Postecoglou talks about football and his connection with it. It’s why he gets supporters and why supporters get him - he is one of them.

But it’s not just fans that are devoted to Postecoglou.

Those who play under him speak of a man that can be both fatherly and fearful. He is demanding of himself as much as his players, and doesn’t give an inch, but if you buy into his vision he will make you better.

While his tactical mind is as sharp as any, it’s his way with words that is arguably his greatest strength. A natural orator, his speeches are the stuff of legend and some of his best from his time with the Australian national team are circulating again on social media this week, giving a glimpse into the man and manager that is Ange Postecoglou.

Whether he can bring success and silverware to success-starved Tottenham remains to be seen; it’ll be arguably his toughest challenge yet.

But if, as the saying goes, it’s about the journey as much as the destination then Spurs fans are in for the ride of their lives.

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