Ange Postecoglou: The boy from Greece who became Celtic's main man

1 year ago 28

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Ange Postecoglou arsenic a five-year-old

It could beryllium argued that the astir arresting representation of Ange Postecoglou is not thing taken astatine the broadside of a shot tract with Celtic, not a changeable of him celebrating his archetypal oregon his 2nd Scottish Premiership title, oregon his archetypal oregon his 2nd Scottish League Cup title.

Nothing, really, from his palmy days astatine Yokohama Marinos oregon Brisbane Roar oregon the Socceroos oregon South Melbourne Hellas tin clasp a candle to the photograph taken of him arsenic a five-year-old holding a paper with the fig 24 connected it.

That was his migration fig erstwhile his parents took him retired of the subject junta authorities of Athens, Greece to a safer but uncertain haven of Melbourne successful Australia. That's wherever it each started. That's wherefore the photograph has a poignancy.

The small lad is looking down the camera lens with the aforesaid benignant of look that galore years later, arsenic Australia coach, would regularly pain a spread successful the backmost of the caput of his players successful training, said erstwhile Socceroo Tim Cahill.

His friend, Paul Trimboli, said Postecoglou doesn't accidental a lot, helium doesn't marque things comfy for people, and for a batch of people "that tin beryllium unnerving".

Even astatine five, you tin spot immoderate of that successful the picture. A steely look. Since Celtic fans came crossed it, they've knocked a batch of amusive retired of what the 24 signifies.

"The wee antheral is telling america however galore successful a enactment he's going to win."

"He's saying however galore Rangers managers he's going to spot off."

This was Angelos Postecoglou. Five years aboriginal his parents legally changed his sanction to Angelos Postekos, but helium ne'er cared for Postekos.

"It was a fad successful those days to shorten your sanction if you were Greek," helium said years ago. "I ne'er liked it and I ne'er utilized it. I was arrogant of my background, but erstwhile it came to my archetypal passport and my archetypal driver's licence, determination was thing I could bash astir it."

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On Sunday, Postecoglou won his 2nd consecutive Premiership title with Celtic and a 4th home trophy from a imaginable 5 since his determination to Scotland from Japan successful the summertime of 2021.

Barring the shot occurrence to extremity each shot miracles, helium volition triumph a 5th from six erstwhile Celtic play Inverness Caledonian Thistle successful the Scottish Cup last adjacent month.

A Celtic manager winning tons of titles is thing new, but determination is thing antithetic astir this.

Postecoglou didn't inherit a champion squad successful request of insignificant tweaks as, say, Brendan Rodgers had done earlier him. The play earlier Postecoglou took over, the nine mislaid their bid for 10 league titles successful a enactment by a whopping 25 points and the temper euphony astatine Celtic was dismal.

Rangers had knocked them retired of the Scottish Cup, Ross County had eliminated them from the League Cup, determination were furious protests and banners calling for heads to roll. The ambiance was toxic. Legions of fans spoke of their disillusionment. They felt they were being taken for granted and ignored.

Manager Neil Lennon was sacked. Peter Lawwell, the long-standing main executive, signalled his volition to resign. He was replaced by Dominic McKay, who lasted 2 months and past near for reasons unexplained.

For the longest time, the nine wooed Eddie Howe. They waited and waited for him to hold to go their adjacent manager but months down the track, helium said no. Cue much protagonist thunder.

More than 100 days had passed and inactive Celtic had nary manager. The fans were successful thermonuclear mode. A full overhaul of a bushed squad was required - and quickly. Celtic needed a marque caller team.

Enter Postecoglou with his calm absorption and his unerring oculus for a player. And precise quickly, things started to marque sense.

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Over the past twelvemonth oregon so, 9 Premier League clubs person been 'linked' with an involvement successful Postecoglou. How overmuch of that was genuine and however overmuch was fume is unclear, but the Australian is being talked about.

More and much radical are looking astatine what he's done - the fantabulous signings, the attacking style, the relentless quality of his squad and his coolness successful the maelstrom of Glasgow shot - but the truly absorbing stuff, the psyche of the guy, tin beryllium recovered successful his backmost story.

He could triumph immoderate fig of trebles with Celtic but thing volition lucifer the communicative of however helium got to the nine successful the archetypal place.

"I conscionable can't judge what my parents went through," helium erstwhile said. "What they would person gone done to instrumentality a young household halfway circular the world, connected a vessel that takes america 30 days, to a state wherever they don't talk the language, they don't cognize a soul, they don't person a house, they don't person jobs.

"People accidental they spell to different state for a amended life. My parents did not person a amended life, they went to Australia to supply opportunities for maine to person a amended life."

His sister, Liz, is 5 years older and recalls the aboriginal months successful Melbourne. "They arrived present with conscionable suitcases, having to attraction for 2 small children," she recalled successful the documentary Age of Ange. "It was hard for her [Voula, her mother]. I retrieve galore nights proceeding her crying."

Postecoglou's begetter - Dimitris, known arsenic Jim - was a hard worker. Up early, location late, nary nonsense. Football was his flight and his salvation.

On Sundays, helium brought his lad to South Melbourne Hellas, a nine acceptable up for Greek immigrants. There was religion successful the greeting and shot successful the afternoon. That was the bushed of life.

"As a kid, I conscionable wanted to acceptable in, I didn't needfully similar the information I came from different state and had a truly agelong surname that cipher could get their rima around. For a young lad the champion mode to acceptable successful was sport," Postecoglou recalled.

Football wasn't conscionable a crippled to play, it was his 1 accidental to enslaved with his father, his hero, arsenic he's described him.

In that documentary he's seen thumbing done his aged comics and books. "It's wherefore I support them. It reminds maine what my puerility was like. There was a batch of surviving successful a phantasy shot satellite that didn't beryllium present successful Australia."

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There's footage from his shot days wherever he's called Angelos, Angie and past Ange.

He retired astatine 27 done injury. He won the Australian nationalist title (the large Ferenc Puskas was his manager) but ever knew successful his bones that coaching was wherever his aboriginal lay.

There was a dread, though. And it goes backmost to his begetter again. What if helium didn't marque it arsenic a coach? What if helium failed? That was his conduit to his father. "What would that mean to dada and I? How would we capable the void?"

He needn't person stressed. He won 2 nationalist championships arsenic manager of South Melbourne erstwhile everybody said helium couldn't.

Jim seldom said it to his look - an old-school antheral reluctant to amusement overmuch emotion - but helium told his mates however arrogant his lad made him. Word got back. It was enough.

He coached astatine nationalist under-age level but it was astir the extremity of him. He got sacked, had to spell to the Greek 3rd tier to find work, and past came backmost to Australia, to nothing. Those were scary times.

Ange Postecoglou with woman Georgia and his 2 sons

With his wife, Georgia, helium moved successful with his mother-in-law for six to 8 months to get by. You look astatine him celebrating present with his woman and sons and you cognize that helium went done the mill to get to wherever helium is today.

Brisbane Roar took him connected successful 2009 and helium created what immoderate seasoned observers accidental is the champion nine broadside successful the past of the Australian game. Fast and furious, never-stop football. That doctrine didn't commencement successful Glasgow successful 2021.

He won the league successful 2011 and 2012, went to Melbourne Victory and past to the Socceroos, saw his squad vie astatine the World Cup successful 2014, won the Asian Cup successful 2015, rebuilt the broadside and got them to different World Cup successful 2018.

Japan beckoned. Not lone did helium triumph the J-League with Yokohama Marinos, helium besides soaked up each the cognition successful the satellite astir a marketplace that would beryllium spectacularly adjuvant successful his adjacent occupation - Celtic.

He has passed distant now, but Jim Postecoglou is and volition ever beryllium the cardinal to his son.

"The basal and instauration of who I americium is nary longer by my side," the Celtic brag wrote successful the Athletes Voice. "Where is the intent now? His dependable is successful my head. The occurrence helium lit is inactive there. I request to support honouring his sacrifices."

As absorbing arsenic it is to perceive his thoughts each week astir players and games, Postecoglou is ne'er much compelling than erstwhile talking astir the things that shaped him.

'I couldn't beryllium prouder' - Postecoglou

"I recognize what an honorable day's enactment is about," helium said, not agelong aft helium became Celtic manager.

"I recognize what sacrifice is about, I recognize what being successful a privileged presumption similar I americium present is about.

"I americium not going to instrumentality this for granted due to the fact that I cognize however hard my mum and dada worked. They sacrificed their full beingness for maine to beryllium here.

"I don't consciousness similar I americium moving each day, I consciousness similar I americium surviving a imagination that was founded by different people's sacrifice, peculiarly my parents."

That is heavy and it is almighty and Postecoglou's enactment has taken him to a treble past season, astir apt a treble this play and who knows what other successful immoderate clip helium has near successful Glasgow. His communicative continues.

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