Ange Postecoglou, the current Celtic soccer coach, is Australiaโs greatest-ever sports coach by the length of Flemington and Randwick straights combined. Feel free to @ me. I donโt care. The man is a national icon with an unparalleled CV.
His latest achievement in soccer? An against-the-odds title win with Scottish powerhouse Celtic, which follows a championship in Japan, two in the A-League, an Asian Cup victory with the Socceroos (on home soil), and qualification for two World Cups. All in the space of eight years.
If heโs not already, Aussie Ange should be considered a coaching master of the highest order. If he was English heโd already have a โSirโ ahead of his name. No coach in Australian history has flown the flag for the country and their chosen sport more proudly than Postecoglou does right now.
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Celtic found him following a season in which the club didnโt win any silverware for the first time since 2010. They were in utter shambles, like a Beverley Hills mansion after a 48-hour party. Once great, Celtic had flopped to embarrassing levels, losing the 2020/21 title by 25 points to arch-rivals Rangers.
He was an outsider, a foreigner. Many experts laughed at the appointment. โAnge who?โ they quipped. Look who is laughing now.
โThis has been a lifelong obsession and dream of mine, to manage a famous club,โ the all-conquering coach said on Thursday morning.
โIโm talking for as long as I can remember since I was five or six years old. My dream has come true.โ
To assess Postecoglouโs true greatness, his achievements must be measured against Alastair Clarkson in AFL, Wayne Bennett and Craig Bellamy in NRL, Bob Simpson in cricket, Eddie Jones in Rugby Union, Harry Hopman in tennis, as well as Ric Charlesworth in hockey.
As great as they have been, Iโm ruling Clarkson, Bennett, and Bellamy out immediately. They have enjoyed success domestically, but internationally they couldnโt carry Postecoglouโs bags.
Simpson helped rebuild Australian cricket. Honestly, how much does a cricket coach do compared to a soccer manager? Itโs chalk and cheese.
Jonesโ rugby CV is impressive. Heโs coached the Wallabies, England, South Africa, and England โ and taken two of these countries to World Cup finals. However, heโs yet to win one. Though he did lead the Brumbies to a Super 12 title in 2001. As much as I love what Eddie has achieved, failing to win a World Cup is a blot on his record at this point.
Only true sporting nerds would know who Charlesworth is. He coached the Hockeyroos to two Olympic gold medals, four Champions Trophy wins and two World Cup victories. Not satisfied, he then took on the Kookaburraโs top gig, leading the Australian menโs team to a Commonwealth Games gold, three Champion Trophy wins, and two successful World Cups.
Itโs a ridiculous set of accomplishments. Still, nothing in comparison to what Aussie Ange has had to overcome.
In Japan with Yokohama F. Marinos, he turned the club upside down despite most players having little or no English-speaking capabilities. Connecting with elite athletes is hard enoughโฆ imagine having to do so via a translator.
But Ange Postecoglou winning in Scotland as the Celtic soccer coach is undoubtedly his crowning glory. The only inditement is that he felt underappreciated in Australia so decided to move abroad.
The man is a genius and the greatest weโve ever produced. The scary thing? Heโll get a gig in England, Spain, or Italy soon, likely adding to a trophy cabinet that is already packed with eye-popping silverware. While heโs taken the hard road to get there, Angeโs future is looking as bright as ever.
