EPL

Postecoglou appointment at Tottenham marks 'golden era' for Australian football

By Sports Desk June 07, 2023

Tottenham's appointment of Ange Postecoglou is part of "a golden era" for Australian football, according to James Johnson.

Postecoglou was handed a four-year deal at Spurs on Tuesday, leaving Scottish champions Celtic after two successful years which culminated in a domestic treble.

Football Australia CEO Johnson believes Tottenham fans are wrong to hold concerns over Postecoglou – who has been hired to replace Antonio Conte – even if the 57-year-old was not one of the biggest names available.

Johnson feels Postecoglou's track record speaks for itself and is certain he will succeed in the Premier League in an era of rapid progress for figures connected with Australian football.

"Australian football is in a golden era right now," Johnson said to Stats Perform.

"It is a really extraordinary development and Australian football is very proud of Ange. 

"Ange has gone through every level of Australian football. He's played in the NSL. He's coached in the NSL with South Melbourne. 

"He's coached in the A-League with Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory. He's coached all our national teams from the youth national teams, all the way up to the Socceroos. 

"He's had success at Celtic and now to land a job in the biggest league in the world with one of the biggest clubs in the world is extraordinary for Ange and for Australian football.

"The Ange appointment is another example of the many great waves that Australian football is pushing out at the moment.

"We are seeing a lot of our Matildas [Australia women's national team players] who are playing at some of the biggest clubs in the world from Chelsea to Tottenham to Arsenal to Lyon to Manchester City.

"We are seeing players re-enter the Premier League again, like Harry Souttar did at Leicester. We are seeing many players who are transferring from the A-League into Europe.

"And we are seeing our Socceroos coming off the best performance at a World Cup that they have ever had. 

"Then we are hosting the biggest tournament in women's sports, the Women's World Cup, in only six weeks’ time, so it is a fantastic time for Australian football." 

Postecoglou will take charge of a Spurs team that struggled to eighth place in the Premier League and will not play in Europe next season, with star striker Harry Kane facing an uncertain future.

Conte was sacked in late March, with Cristian Stellini and then Ryan Mason taking temporary charge. Johnson is convinced there will now be a rapid improvement and an attacking style of play.

He added: "Ange is someone who understands football from top to bottom, he's coached that youth team level. So at Tottenham, he's going to have a great connection with the youth team. 

"He's competed at the European level. So he's going to understand what it's like to juggle players who were playing both domestically and European football which a club like Tottenham do. 

"He's going to understand the friction between national team football and club football. 

"Ange is a total package as a coach and Tottenham are very smart to hire him. 

"He plays very attacking football. He's one of these people that he won't have restrictions put on him, he'll go out and play his style against any opposition.

"I think that kind of positivity and energy is exactly what a club like Tottenham need at the moment when they probably haven't done as well, in the past 12 months, as people would have expected them to."

Johnson continued: "I think people particularly in Europe need to understand the Australian football is coming quickly. 

"Ange at the forefront of that movement and will be successful in the Premier League. I'm absolutely sure about that."

Spurs have friendlies against West Ham, Leicester City and Roma lined up in July.

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