00:00 – Intro
03:49 – Press Conferences & Media Criticism
15:08 – Ange’s Upbringing in Australia
34:27- Building his System
42:51 – Forest Job and Regrets
1:06:15 – Spurs Reflection
1:17:29 – Ange’s Problems with the Game
Key Quotes:
Postecoglou on the best pound to pound coach in Europe…
‘I don’t discount people like Pep (Guardiola) just because he is at a big club. I still think that you have to win things, he has done that, and he has done that in a ridiculous style. I rate Unai Emery highly. You look at his career, the way he was treated at Arsenal, any other manager would of gone with his tail between his legs. He went Villarreal, won things again and came to Aston Villa and made an impact. He has always signed Premier League players, and he gets the most out of his teams. I rate that highly because he’s handled adversity and he is still going today.
“I rate managers who try to win things, I think ultimately that is what we all do. People are too dismissive of winning things these days and trophies. As much as you want clubs to be competitive and financially healthy you don’t have bus passes and bus parades for healthy bank balances, you only have them for winning trophies.”
Postecoglou on managers’ opinions on VAR…
“I really don’t know because I hear everyone one of them complaining yet when they get us together with the referees its overwhelmingly supportive. I didn’t vote for it, I know that and I said publicly in a meeting. It was bought in for accuracy. What it has done is change the game. I don’t think Jurgen (Klopp) would be able to play heavy metal football in today’s game.”
Postecoglou on taking the Forest job…
“There is not much to talk about the Forest job because this program will last longer than my tenure. That was a bad decision by me to go there, and I have to take ownership. I should have never gone there after Tottenham. It was the first time I wasn’t working in 20 years. I was lost and even in the off season I was lost.”
Postecoglou on his clash with supporters whilst at Tottenham…
“A couple of times I’ve had a crack at supporters. I had a crack at one of our supporters behind [the dugout]. In colourful language, he said ‘you don’t try like this every week.’ “I turned around and I said, ‘I’ll see you outside.’ I’m trying to win mate. I think, it kind of put me at odds with some supporters, but I don’t think any supporters would want me to come out and say, ‘you know what, I’m not going try today.’”
Postecoglou on his opinion of Cristian Romero…
“I love him. He plays on the edge, he’d scare people in training, and I love the way he talks. Would you rather have Roy [Keane] in your team or against you? “We would never have run that far without Romero. Kick-off was about to happen, and he was taking our team into Manchester Unted’s half for the huddle, because our supporters were down that end. “He’s not scared of anything. He’s a winner. I love winners.”
“Does he cross the line? Yes. He’d cross the line at training sometimes, and the coaches go ‘oh, you know’ and I’d go ‘well, you’ve got to tell him, I’m not telling him. You need that mentality in a group. Now, how you control that, you need to harness that.”
Postecoglou on the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers…
“It was an interesting one. Obviously, I’d come from Celtic, no-one needs to talk to me about rivalry, I’d lived and breathed that up there. The perfect weekend in Scotland is Celtic winning, Rangers losing. Celtic winning, Rangers winning, is not a good weekend. I remember in the first year we won the double, but Rangers were in the Europa League Final, I got more text messages the night they lost than when I won the league. I understand the rivalry.”
Postecoglou on managing Celtic and on whether will go back…
“I loved Celtic. What a football club. If I was younger, I probably would’ve stayed there longer. I would have probably stayed there three or four years. I think I could have made progress with them in Europe but there was the opportunity to join Tottenham. It was a great experience, for two years to be within a community that is so passionate about their football club. I was fortunate that I had success so it’s a positive experience and I loved every minute of it. In terms of going back I just don’t think that’s been my career.”
Postecoglou on the job at Manchester United…
“That is the hardest job in world football as far as I’m concerned because the scrutiny that the club has and the spotlight its under consistently. It’s going to take a unique individual to be able to overcome all those things or a real discipline to say that we’re going to say we are going to go down this path for a certain number of years. It is unlikely there is going to be a quick fix. It is going to take a person as much a manager who can handle the 100 press conferences every year and winning 10 games and losing one and being torn apart for losing that one. History being a constant companion to everything you do. It has to be a person who accepts all that and be strong enough as an individual to say I will do it, but I will do it my way.”
Postecoglou on this weekend’s North London Derby between Tottenham and Arsenal…
“It is probably my one regret that I didn’t win one. I would have loved to have another crack at it. I would have loved to have won it because I know what it would mean to the supporters. I thought there was a rivalry when you are inside it and this game will come at a pretty pivotal time for the club (Tottenham). If you are talking about something to spark, the north London derby that’s more of a spark you are lighting a flame there.”
Stick to Football is brought to you by Arne Clothing – to watch the full podcast episode with Ange Postecoglou, Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane, Ian Wright, and Jill Scott