Postecoglou takes London by storm
Spurs fans ‘loving Big Ange’ after their initial skeptical reception to Greek coach
If someone was proofreading the Premier League table, they would immediately spot the mistake: At the top of the standings list, Tottenham seems like a word out of place. Only four to five months earlier, the same team had been hovering just above mid-table, not even in the “lowly” Conference League, below Brighton and Aston Villa, higher only than struggling Chelsea, if compared to other traditional (and wealthier) teams in English soccer.
And yet, this team – the epitome of failure, which all these years has been trying to make its way to the top by splashing millions of pounds left, right and center – is now in first place, with six wins and two draws in eight games and 10 goals difference (GF 18, GA 8).
The most imaginative fan would not have dared to dream of such a crazy turn of events a few months earlier, especially since last summer, when Spurs lost their star player Harry Kane. Kane, the all-time leading scorer for England’s national team, went abroad to Germany to claim with Bayern what he didn’t win in his 10-year career with Tottenham: titles!
The Greek touch
The paradox continues when the team’s success story is not signed by some big-shot coach with a fancy resume but by a signature in Greek characters. Angelos (Ange) Postecoglou is Tottenham’s new hero, the man who, in fans’ eyes, came out of nowhere and managed to pull them out of the rut, giving flesh and bones to the unfulfilled dreams of the past years. In their eyes, he is Superman and that’s just how they treat him.
It remains, of course, extremely doubtful whether a team completely new to championships will be able to withstand the competition and pressure coming from traditional title contenders such as Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, which at this stage seem like Tottenham’s only capable challengers. This question does not overshadow the great love shown to Postecoglou by Spurs fans.
The fans are loving the game and can’t get enough of the scoreboard and their team consistently holding first place. Nothing else really matters…
Postecoglou’s relationship with Tottenham fans was very different a few months ago. The resounding failure of the much-hyped Antonio Conte (and before him Mourinho and Pochettino), combined with the departure of Harry Kane, discouraged all the big coach names approached by the management from handling such a hot potato.
After being rejected by Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique, the strange name Ange Postecoglou spurred reactions from the fans. The hashtags #NoToAnge and #NoToPostecoglou drew endless likes on social media and despite his successful past with the Australian national team and Celtic, the 58-year-old manager was clearly persona non grata in the eyes of Tottenham’s diehard supporters.
Tensions rose dangerously on June 6 when the management officially announced the scenario that the fans were protesting against.
Ange Postecoglou was the new coach and bookmakers started accepting bets on how long he would last, even though he had signed a four-year contract, an indication of the management’s confidence in him sending a clear message to the outraged fans.
We all know what happened next. Postecoglou dealt with the fans’ negative reactions with Olympian composure, put aside any excuses like “We lost Harry Kane, the top goalscorer in the history of English soccer” etc, rolled up his sleeves, got to work, and proved himself.
He invested primarily in players with potential, rather than with experience, since they were all in their 20s (the eldest was 27). He focused on offense tactics, contrary to his predecessors, who had relied on defense, and quickly saw results.
He focused on offense tactics, contrary to his predecessors, who had relied on defense, and quickly saw results
Although experts’ and bookmakers’ predictions had claimed Tottenham would barely make the top 10 in the Premier League and no one was wishing it luck – especially after Postecoglou’s refusal to spend large sums and replace Harry Kane with an equivalent big name – Spurs made it to the top by playing attractive and offensive soccer that is thrilling to watch.
Naturally, the fans’ anger soon transformed into affection, as shown in their new favorite chant, which deifies Postecoglou in a Robbie Williams hit:
So when I’m lying in my bed / Thoughts running through my head
And I feel Pochettino’s dead / I’m loving Big Ange instead!
And through it all / We’ll play the way we want to
With Big Ange Postacoglou / Whether I’m right or wrong
It’s Big Ange-ball / So you can keep your Pochettino, / your Conte and your Mourinho, / even your Christian Gross
Cause everywhere we go / I’m loving Big Ange instead!
Chasing a ‘miracle’
The photo of him as a 5-year-old immigrant staring at the camera while holding a card with the number 24 signified the first phase of Postecoglou’s new life in Australia.
Born in 1965 in the Athenian suburb of Nea Filadelfia, he migrated with his family to a place where they knew no one. “We didn’t know the language, we had no guarantee of housing, any work. We only had a one-way ticket,” he recalls.
His father, Dimitris, and his mother, Voula, sacrificed everything so that their children could have a better life while holding on to the hope that they could one day return to Greece.
In a bid to make things easier, Angelos’ father changed his son’s name to Angelos Postekos, something that the youngster didn’t like.
His insistence on introducing himself as Angelos Postecoglou showed his immense love for Greece. He doesn’t feel more Australian, despite having lived through enviable success for the standards of a country that generally goes unnoticed in the world of soccer.
He was in the Australian national team as a player and coach, guiding the Socceroos in the World Cups in Brazil and Russia. South Melbourne Hellas will always be the team of his heart, but he defined history with Brisbane Roar, recording the longest unbeaten streak at the top level of any Australian sporting code.
His traumatic experience when he suddenly left Panachaiki FC in March 2008 did not skew his love for Greece, nor did it discourage him from negotiating with AEK in June 2021. By a whim of fate, the same day AEK had chosen Vladan Milojevic, Postecoglou accepted Celtic’s offer. Together they won five out of the six titles they claimed within his two years in Scotland. This success proved to be his ticket to Tottenham, in the most brilliant position a Greek coach has ever attained.
