Ange Postecoglou has revealed that he made sure he was well-versed on Tottenham’s history when he took the job so that he got a clear understanding of the type of environment that he was coming into.
Postecoglou’s journey in football is certainly not typical, with the Australian having to slowly and meticulously work his way to the top, having grown up on the other side of the world.
However, the Spurs boss revealed that despite growing up Down Under, he was always a keen observer of English football and thus knew a lot about Tottenham’s icons.
He told Inews: “Because I grew up on the other side of the world, there are certain things that stick out. I wasn’t just passionate just about playing football, I was passionate about the game.
“I read about everything. I read about Bill Nicholson and what he meant and what he did, the impact he had and why it was important and the way he played. I remember when Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa came to the club and they won the FA Cup and the football they played.
“When you’re 13, 14 years old and it’s 3 am and you’re watching this, invariably it has an impact on you. You don’t correlate that until you get into your adult life, but all of these things shaped my vision for the game.”
Postecoglou explained that his philosophy was a great fit for the ethos of the club as he has always taken pride in the fact that his teams play a certain way.
He continued: “You look at the history of the club, in its greatest moments there’s always been a real pride about the way they go about playing the game,” he says.
“That’s pretty much the core of what I love about football. The way you play is just as important as the outcome. I found a real affinity with that from the first day – if I can get a team to play the football I want us to play and there’s a real connection with the supporters.
“The first few home games – and the results did go well – but the supporters really got behind the team and the way we went about it. That’s where the connection lies with me and the club – we share the same vision for the kind of football we want to see.”
Postecoglou likes the Ange-ball term
Tottenham’s hyper-attacking and adventurous style of play has now been dubbed ‘Ange ball’ and the 58-year-old admitted that he takes that tag as a compliment.
When asked about the term, he responded: “There are probably worse things they could come up with! I’m not really sure what it means but it’s kind of stuck.
“I enjoy the fact that people give the teams that I have an identity and that’s really important to me. The teams I manage play the game a certain way and if that’s the way they want to tag it, that’s fine, but I take it as a complimentary tag.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Whether or not Ange goes on to achieve success at Spurs, there is no doubt that he is a much better fit for the club’s ethos than his previous three predecessors were, not only in terms of the style of play but also in terms of the class he exudes off the pitch.