SPL

Ange Postecoglou admits he ‘will forever’ be a Celtic fan after Tottenham move

By Sports Desk June 06, 2023

Ange Postecoglou insists he “will forever” be a Celtic supporter after leaving the Parkhead club for Tottenham.

The London club ended days of speculation by appointing the 57-year-old Australian as their new head coach on a four-year deal.

Postecoglou – who won the domestic treble with the Hoops this season to make it five trophies in two campaigns in charge – replaces Antonio Conte at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

In his parting statement on Celtic’s official website, the former Australia manager thanked the club’s majority shareholder Dermot Desmond, chairman Peter Lawwell and chief executive Michael Nicholson as well as the supporters as he reviewed his time at the cinch Premiership club.

He said: “I would like to sincerely thank everyone at the club for everything they have given me.

“In particular, Dermot, Peter and Michael and the Celtic Board have shown me tremendous support in every aspect of my time at Celtic and I will forever be grateful for this.

“They brought me to the club and I have worked so closely and so well with them for the past two years, I will always have a special relationship with them.

“They wanted me to extend my time at Celtic and while I am so respectful and understanding of their position, a new opportunity has been presented to me and it is one which I wanted to explore.

“It was an honour to be asked to be Celtic manager and during my two years I have given everything I have to deliver success to our supporters.

“Culminating in the treble at the weekend, my players and backroom team have been brilliant for me on this journey.

“They have given us all some fantastic moments through their energy and effort, creating real quality, winning football.

“Our supporters have been magnificent to me and I thank them for the way they have embraced me during the past two years.

“My ambition was always to give our fans a team they could be proud of, a team people talked about and I think we have achieved that.

“Celtic is a phenomenal football club and so much more – and I will forever be a supporter of this great institution. I wish everyone connected with Celtic nothing but continued success.”

Nicholson described Postecoglou as “a great football manager and a good man”, who has “served the club with such energy and determination and delivered a phenomenal level of success”.

He said:  “I would like to thank him for all he has given us and I wish Ange and his family the very best for the future in everything they do.

“Of course, we wanted Ange to stay with us at Celtic and while there is real disappointment that we are losing him, he has decided he wants to look at a new challenge, which we respect.

“As treble-winning champions, the club looks ahead with confidence to the future, with many exciting opportunities ahead.”

Lawwell was equally praiseworthy of the former Melbourne Victory and Yokohama F Marinos boss.

He said: “Against any measure, Ange has delivered a fantastic level of success to Celtic and we thank him for his brilliant contribution to the club during the past two years.

“We were delighted to bring Ange to Celtic.

“He is a special manager who has had success wherever he has been and someone who brought to the club attacking, stylish and winning football in the best traditions of Celtic.

“Of course, we are disappointed that Ange has decided to leave the club and we did all we could to keep him with us well into the future, but he wanted to take this new opportunity and we wish Ange well in this and everything else he does.

“Now our focus is very much on ensuring we move forward positively and do all we can to ensure that we maintain our dominant position in Scottish football and also prepare for the exciting European challenges which lie ahead.”

Related items

  • Haaland has 'full trust' in Guardiola to halt Man City slump Haaland has 'full trust' in Guardiola to halt Man City slump

    Erling Haaland has "full trust" in the "best manager in the world", Pep Guardiola, to get Manchester City back on track against Tottenham in the Premier League on Saturday. 

    Guardiola's side have lost four matches in a row across all competitions, which is the Spaniard's longest losing run in his entire managerial career. 

    The Citizens last lost more consecutively between March and April 2006 under Stuart Pearce (six – the fifth game of which was also against Tottenham).

    But after putting pen to paper on a new two-year contract extension at the club earlier this week, Guardiola has his eyes firmly set on returning to winning ways on home soil. 

    And Haaland, who has scored 105 goals in 114 appearances under Guardiola at City, believes they can make up the gap to leaders Liverpool, who are five points ahead. 

    "When you look at what he's been doing for the club, he's not bad, is he? So he's got my full trust," Haaland told Sky Sports. 

    "And if he tells me something, I'd better do it because he knows the best in the end. Everyone knows that. So I'm sure he will find solutions now as well. I'm sure of that.

    "[Guardiola] demands us to be at our best in every training session, in every game. And that's what we need to do. It hasn't been good enough, losing four games now, but let's try to win the next."

  • Arsenal handed another injury blow as White ruled out for 'months' Arsenal handed another injury blow as White ruled out for 'months'

    Mikel Arteta confirmed that Arsenal defender Ben White is facing "months" on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury. 

    White had been dealing with several issues all season and has missed five games in all competitions for the Gunners already this term. 

    After struggling through until the November international break, the decision was taken for him to undergo surgery in order to finally address the ongoing problems.

    It serves as a bitter blow for Arteta, with only Thomas Parety (13) making more interceptions than White (11) for Arsenal in the Premier League this campaign. 

    Though Arteta confirmed that the surgery was successful, White is set for a lengthy spell out of the team. 

    "It has been different kinds of struggles. It has never been the same thing, but we had to make a decision. He has not improved over the last few weeks, unfortunately," said Arteta.

    "We know that Ben is going to push every boundary, but it got to the point where we have to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery.

    "He agreed with that and it is going to keep him out for a few months."

    Asked for a specific time frame, Arteta added: "We have to see how he reacts post-surgery. I don't expect it to be half a year, but I cannot tell you exactly."

    It offers a concern for Arteta in the full-back area, with the Spaniard also revealing on Friday that Takehiro Tomiyasu is "going to be out as well for a bit".

    There was, however, some positive injury news for the Gunners ahead of welcoming Nottingham Forest to the Emirates on Saturday. 

    After not featuring for England during the international break, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are expected to be fit to feature against Nuno Espirito Santo's side. 

    Leandro Trossard will also be available for Arteta despite picking up a hamstring injury during the international break with Belgium.

    Defender Riccardo Calafiori is also in contention for Saturday's game after a month out with a knee problem. 

  • Conte hopes for Ranieri's success at Roma after Napoli clash Conte hopes for Ranieri's success at Roma after Napoli clash

    Antonio Conte hopes that everything will go well for Claudio Ranieri after he came out of retirement to take charge of Roma, but only after their Serie A clash this weekend.

    Ranieri was tempted back into management by a return to where he began as a player. His third spell at Roma comes after the club sacked two coaches already this season and with the team 12th in the standings.

    A trip to leaders Napoli is Ranieri's first task, and Conte is looking forward to meeting up with the 73-year-old.

    "I am pleased to see Claudio, I have great esteem for him and there is also friendship," Conte told reporters ahead of Sunday's game.

    "I am happy with the chance he has been given. It will be a tough game, for us and for them. Last year, Roma finished ahead of Napoli, they are in the Europa League and had a good transfer window.

    "They are not performing according to expectations and I hope for Claudio that everything starts to work after Sunday's game."

    The arrival of Ranieri in place of Ivan Juric brings with it not just the danger of the 'new manager bounce' but also upsets Conte's plans for the game.

    "When a team changes coach there is an important input on a nervous level," Conte said.

    "They are at the third change on the bench. It's inevitable that, if Juric had remained, we knew what kind of team we were going to face.

    "Now it's an enigma, we don't have much information nor do we know how they will deal with us. So let's think about ourselves, there is a desire and enthusiasm to continue this path."

    After a streak of 21 consecutive home wins in Serie A, Conte lost his last home league match (0-3 against Atalanta). Only once in his career has he recorded two consecutive home defeats in the competition: in November 2009, when he was in charge of Atalanta (against Juventus and Roma).

    Napoli are top of the table, but Conte knows it is still early, and with just two points separating the top six clubs, which includes the likes of Atalanta, Fiorentina and Lazio, for now, it is a different title race than usual.

    "Only 12 games have passed and there are many teams within very few points," he said.

    "We are doing well, but so are the others. There isn't one team which has distanced the others. Perhaps there is a little amazement in seeing some teams in those positions in the standings."

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.