Ange Postecoglou to Tottenham: Australia revels in rise of its first Premier League manager

A nge Postecoglou will finally get an opportunity to exact revenge on Manchester United. Just over 23 years after Quinton Fortune’s brace condemned his South Melbourne team to a 2-0 defeat in the 2000 Fifa Club World Championship at the Maracanã, the Australian is set to become a Premier League manager, with Tottenham expected to offer a two-year contract with an option for a further season.

Reaction to Postecoglou’s impending appointment in north London has been mixed among Tottenham fans, even if it has become somewhat more favourable as the doubters learn more beyond the information on his Wikipedia page. In contrast, back in Australia, where he arrived from Greece as a five-year-old in 1970, there is almost universal acclaim for the man who will become the country’s first coach to take charge of a Premier League team.

Largely, Postecoglou is held in high esteem in Australian football circles and a moment of exaltation is perhaps understandable. This is a personal achievement of some note for Postecoglou, but also a seismic moment for the game in Australia. The Melburnian’s career started as a nine-year-old with South Melbourne Hellas and he remained embedded in the local game until his resignation as Socceroos head coach in 2017. Though trophy-laden tenures at Yokohama F Marinos and Celtic are what have earned a move to Tottenham, his journey is still one that has Australian football at its core.

Postecoglou felt he needed to head overseas to accomplish his ambitions but he didn’t flee at the first opportunity and never look back. He was moulded by Australian football and, to this day, wants the best for it. He won national titles as a player with South – and also represented the Socceroos four times during his