EXCLUSIVE: Ange Postecoglou claims he is ‘frustrated’ at being dismissed because of his Australian background – as he reflects on the ‘burden’ of potential failures closing the door to region coaches
Ange Postecoglou has shared his frustration at being sacked due to his Australian background in his big interview with Mail Sport’s Chris Sutton and Ian Ladyman, claiming that if he had struggled at Celtic it could have closed the door to Australian coaches in the future . .
The Antipodean coach has won three consecutive Premier League Manager of the Month awards following his move to Tottenham this summer and has overseen the club’s fast start, which saw him finish in fourth place ahead of the international break .
But despite his success so far in England – and his dominance at Celtic in Scotland – Postecoglou believes his career was previously underestimated because of his background.
“I never used it as a drive to prove people wrong,” Postecoglou said of his nationality. ‘But I did get frustrated.
“Because I knew that with all the work I’d done and the experience I had, I thought I deserved a chance, and the only reason I didn’t get one was because I was Australian.
Ange Postecoglou sat down with Mail Sport’s Chris Sutton (pictured) and Ian Ladyman to discuss his spellbinding start at Tottenham
The ex-Celtic coach has won three Premier League Manager of the Month awards on the trot
But Postecoglou highlighted his frustration at being pigeonholed in the past due to his Australian heritage (pictured as head coach of Melbourne Victory in 2013)
“And whatever success I’d had, people were very dismissive of it. I didn’t think it was fair, because whatever match you win, it’s still a match, right? You still have to be the first team.
‘Even Celtic is being sent away a bit. “Oh, it’s Celtic…you should win every year…”
“So I haven’t used it to prove people wrong, but I enjoy the fact that I’m here because hopefully it breaks some stereotypes and opens people’s minds to the fact that I’m here for no other reason then my work.
‘I am not here because of my playing career, my profile or my connections. I am here because of my work, Postecoglou added. “There are a lot more people like me that you might be able to look to or look beyond the normal paths you take to find coaches and managers.”
After his playing career was ended prematurely by a knee injury, the 58-year-old plied his trade as a manager in his home country before eventually coaching the Socceroos.
His move to club football came with a move to Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos in 2018, where he guided the side to their first J-League title in 15 years.
At Celtic, Postecoglou enjoyed a prodigious period of success, with the Glasgow side winning two Scottish Premierships, two league cups and the Scottish Cup in just two seasons.
But Postecoglou is convinced that his passion for the game is not so much an outlier but in line with a national obsession with the game.
After rising through the ranks in Australia, Postecoglou was appointed head coach of the Socceroos
A move to club coaching saw him transform the fortunes of Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos
Postecoglou enjoyed two superlative seasons at Celtic, during which they were almost completely dominant
Despite his background, the 58-year-old wants to be seen on an equal footing with his peers
As such, he recognizes the ‘burden’ of being identified as an ‘Australian coach’ and the potential for his career – and potential failures – to provide a blueprint for others.
“(My success) is for the whole of Asia, not just for Australia. The entire region is passionate about football,” Postecoglou added. ‘If Tottenham had been a disaster or if Celtic hadn’t succeeded, it would have been very, very difficult to open the door for another Australian.
‘I would have effectively passed on all the frustrations I felt to another three generations. So there is a burden, you know, but now you hope that people will look at things differently and part of me also wanted to get rid of the label of being the Australian coach.
‘I’m just a manager who has worked his way up to be here just like everyone else. If they remove that Australian label and just want to talk about me as a manager, I think people will see me on an equal footing with everyone else.”