{"id":295299,"date":"2023-10-06T01:39:05","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T01:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=295299"},"modified":"2023-10-06T01:39:05","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T01:39:05","slug":"exactly-where-i-want-to-be-postecoglou-on-spurs-fans-robbie-williams-and-the-fonz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/exactly-where-i-want-to-be-postecoglou-on-spurs-fans-robbie-williams-and-the-fonz\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Exactly where I want to be\u2019: Postecoglou on Spurs, fans, Robbie Williams … and the Fonz"},"content":{"rendered":"

By <\/span>Vince Rugari<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ange Postecoglou has taken Spurs by storm.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Marija Ercegovac\/Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n

Save articles for later<\/h3>\n

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.<\/p>\n

London: <\/b>Ange Postecoglou stands near the edge of one of the 16 perfectly manicured fields at Tottenham Hotspur\u2019s sprawling, palatial training base in north London. He is off to the side, by himself. His arms are folded. His players are being put through their paces and his assistants are running the session. It\u2019s a short, sharp one, and everything they do is with the ball, which is not how his predecessors always did things. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s just watching.<\/p>\n

This is a familiar scenario to those who have seen him run his previous teams, but no less fascinating after all these years. Postecoglou is a delegator, but one who somehow remains in control of everything. Hands-off, yet his fingerprints are everywhere.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ange Postecoglou acknowledges the Spurs faithful.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Tottenham Hostpur FC<\/cite><\/p>\n

Postecoglou is in his happy place. He is in charge of one of the biggest and richest clubs in the world, and after three months in the job, they are one of only two undefeated teams in the English Premier League.<\/p>\n

Among Spurs supporters, he is already an icon. After a dark few years under Jos\u00e9 Mourinho and Antonio Conte, the mood around the club has entirely changed, and they say it\u2019s all down to him.<\/p>\n

The song Angels<\/em>, originally sung by Robbie Williams but rewritten by Spurs fan and musician James Black, has become Tottenham\u2019s unofficial anthem, an ode to \u201cBig Ange\u201d and how he has helped them dream again.<\/p>\n

There were 62,000 ecstatic Spurs fans belting it out last weekend as Postecoglou embraced Mile Jedinak, his former Socceroos captain and now assistant coach, on his way into the tunnel after their contentious 2-1 win over Liverpool.<\/p>\n

On the walk back to the White Hart Lane train station, the fans sang it again.<\/p>\n

The bootleg merchandise vendors outside Tottenham\u2019s home ground have started selling scarves bearing Postecoglou\u2019s name and image, as well as pins with the club\u2019s logo and the flags of Australia and Greece. They\u2019re flying off the roadside shelves.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Australian coach is already a Spurs icon.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Vince Rugari<\/cite><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a cool bit,\u201d he says, as this masthead shows him one of the pins.<\/p>\n

Another cool bit? The unsolicited shout-out from actor Henry Winkler.<\/p>\n

Postecoglou grew up a huge Liverpool fan, but before that fixture, he told the media he no longer had their posters on his wall. \u201cYou grow up, things change,\u201d he said. \u201cI used to love Happy Days<\/i>. But I don\u2019t have posters of the Fonz on my wall now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Somehow this reached Winkler, who recorded a video message for \u201cBig Ange\u201d after the match. \u201cSo if I signed a poster for you right now, would you put it back up on your wall?\u201d Winkler asked. \u201cThat is the question. Fair dinkum, ay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Postecoglou smiles.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, you pinch yourself,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got to be careful about who I mention in these press conferences now, because who knows what\u2019s going to come my way. They\u2019re precious memories for me, in terms of my upbringing, my childhood. I\u2019ve been fortunate, I have met Kenny Dalglish, but imagine you meet one of your heroes and he ends up being a dick, and your whole childhood memories are kind of wiped. You can tell [Winkler] is a top bloke. He doesn\u2019t know who Big Ange is. For him to go to that length … it\u2019s a buzz, mate, yeah. Of course it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are many reasons Postecoglou bounces into work these days. Another is his workplace, Hotspur Way, which is arguably the best facility of its kind in the world. Certainly, no sporting team in Australia can boast anything remotely close. It opened in 2012, but you would not know it\u2019s more than a decade old \u2013 like their stunning stadium, roughly 12 kilometres south, it is being constantly updated and renovated at the behest of chairman Daniel Levy, who insists on heading off any signs of depreciation before they are even slightly noticeable.<\/p>\n

Words cannot do 311,000 square metres facility justice, but here goes.<\/p>\n

If Postecoglou\u2019s famous thousand-yard stare somehow misses something at training, it will be caught by one of the many cameras overlooking each field, which can beam near-live images to an iPad in his grasp, if he so desired. He and his coaching staff have not yet moved into the new wing, which runs parallel to the main pitch; the finishing touches are still being put on it, and the smell of new carpet is almost intoxicating. Every element has been crafted to connect the building to the fields, so when Postecoglou is meeting players in his office, or the coaching staff is running through the game plan in the tactics room, they all remember what this is about.<\/p>\n

In the gym and treatment centres \u2013 complete with cryotherapy and altitude chambers, and every other bit of medical equipment imaginable \u2013 injured players can look through the window and watch teammates who have taken their place in the team. It\u2019s all designed to motivate, to remove excuses for underperformance. And that\u2019s just for the first team \u2013 the academy and women\u2019s team have their own dedicated sections. The only thing missing is a self-contained hospital.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Tottenham Hotspur\u2019s training base, Hotspur Way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Elsewhere, the media department has three high-tech television studios in which to film content. There is a huge kitchen garden, where the fruits, vegetables and herbs that feed the players and staff are sustainably grown. Every nook and cranny in between is immaculately landscaped with hedges, plants and flowers. And then, of course, there\u2019s The Lodge, the luxurious 46-suite hotel where players and staff can stay the night, if they wish. It looks like a resort, because it practically is; put it on an island in the Whitsundays and it\u2019d give qualia a run for its money.<\/p>\n

Postecoglou wants for nothing. A far cry from when his Brisbane Roar side used to share creaky old Ballymore with the Queensland Reds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an unbelievable football club \u2013 the facilities, the support, everything is there,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m exactly where I want to be. But I\u2019ve felt that way wherever I\u2019ve been, whether that was Celtic or Yokohama, or with the national team, or South Melbourne or Brisbane. All the clubs I\u2019ve spent time at, I\u2019ve felt like that\u2019s where I\u2019ve wanted to be at that point in my life. And this is exactly where I want to be at this point in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Postecoglou has always wanted to be immersed like this in football culture, to the point where he had to create his own imaginary world growing up in Melbourne, a bubble within which he could convince himself it was the dominant game where he lived, and that it mattered to others as much as it did to him. He doesn\u2019t have to pretend any more. This week, he has been involved in the Premier League\u2019s biggest story \u2013 and, by extension, one of the biggest stories in world sport. In the first half of that victory over Liverpool, a goal by Luis Diaz was wrongly disallowed for offside, and then somehow not overturned by the VAR. Following relentless pressure from fans and pundits \u2013 some of whom have been baying for blood, others who have indulged in conspiratorial theorising \u2013 audio of the exchange between officials in the booth was released on Tuesday. Liverpool manager J\u00fcrgen Klopp has called for a replay.<\/p>\n

Postecoglou has long been suspicious of VAR\u2019s impact on the game, and this episode has solidified his view.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ange Postecoglou and J\u00fcrgen Klopp on the sideline during last weekend\u2019s controversial clash.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s part of me that\u2019s glad I\u2019m 58, not 38. I don\u2019t know if I like where the game\u2019s heading, on and off the field,\u201d he says, speaking before the audio had emerged and before Klopp\u2019s suggestion of a replay.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just the way life\u2019s going, I guess. I hope it\u2019s great for my kids, obviously, because I won\u2019t be around. It\u2019s not harking back to the old days or anything like that, I understand life changes, and life does get better \u2013 but there\u2019s a lot of things that are coming into the game [and changing things] that I always thought made our game different from the others, special.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems like we\u2019re now heading towards that space of trying to find perfection in a game where the beauty of it is the imperfection. What makes our game different from any other game is that the goal \u2013 the actual goal, the scoring of a goal \u2013 is that most precious commodity. It\u2019s the flaws in the game that creates goals. Sometimes we think it\u2019s the brilliance \u2013 yeah, it is the brilliance, but mostly on the back of somebody\u2019s flaw, either an opposition player or your own teammate or a referee.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to make this perfect game, which the other codes do \u2013 but they have to, because goals in their game don\u2019t mean anything, so they try and create this perfect product. And that\u2019s not football. Football is Maradona putting it [in with] his hand. I don\u2019t like it, but that\u2019s the game, and if you want to eliminate that? Yes, OK, but if you\u2019re searching for perfection within football, I just think you take away from what the essence of it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his own way, with his trademark style of attacking football, Postecoglou is a protector of that essence. Next up, on Saturday, is a trip to Kenilworth Road to face Luton Town. Win that, as they\u2019re heavily favoured to do, and depending on other results, they could head into the October international break on top of the Premier League table.<\/p>\n

Spurs fans are excited. Australians are excited. Postecoglou won\u2019t dampen anyone\u2019s excitement, but he gets his kicks in other ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat drives me is the challenge,\u201d he says. \u201cThis is a massive challenge. There\u2019s some work to be done that fits my brief. That\u2019s what excites me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sports news, results and expert commentary. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Most Viewed in Sport<\/h2>\n

Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Vince Rugari Ange Postecoglou has taken Spurs by storm.Credit: Marija Ercegovac\/Getty Save articles for later Add articles to your …<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":295298,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Exactly where I want to be\u2019: Postecoglou on Spurs, fans, Robbie Williams ... and the Fonz - Sportstons<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/exactly-where-i-want-to-be-postecoglou-on-spurs-fans-robbie-williams-and-the-fonz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Exactly where I want to be\u2019: Postecoglou on Spurs, fans, Robbie Williams ... and the Fonz - Sportstons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Vince Rugari Ange Postecoglou has taken Spurs by storm.Credit: Marija Ercegovac\/Getty Save articles for later Add articles to your …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/exactly-where-i-want-to-be-postecoglou-on-spurs-fans-robbie-williams-and-the-fonz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sportstons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-10-06T01:39:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dennis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/\u2018Exactly-where-I-want-to-be-Postecoglou-on-Spurs-fans-Robbie-Williams-.-and-the-Fonz.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dennis\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/exactly-where-i-want-to-be-postecoglou-on-spurs-fans-robbie-williams-and-the-fonz\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/exactly-where-i-want-to-be-postecoglou-on-spurs-fans-robbie-williams-and-the-fonz\/\",\"name\":\"\u2018Exactly where I want to be\u2019: Postecoglou on Spurs, fans, Robbie Williams ... and the Fonz - Sportstons\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-06T01:39:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-06T01:39:05+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/exactly-where-i-want-to-be-postecoglou-on-spurs-fans-robbie-williams-and-the-fonz\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/exactly-where-i-want-to-be-postecoglou-on-spurs-fans-robbie-williams-and-the-fonz\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/exactly-where-i-want-to-be-postecoglou-on-spurs-fans-robbie-williams-and-the-fonz\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Soccer\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/category\/soccer\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"\u2018Exactly where I want to be\u2019: Postecoglou on Spurs, fans, Robbie Williams … and the Fonz\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/\",\"name\":\"Sportstons\",\"description\":\"sportstons.com\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609\",\"name\":\"Dennis\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dennis\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2018Exactly where I want to be\u2019: Postecoglou on Spurs, fans, Robbie Williams ... and the Fonz - Sportstons","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/exactly-where-i-want-to-be-postecoglou-on-spurs-fans-robbie-williams-and-the-fonz\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018Exactly where I want to be\u2019: Postecoglou on Spurs, fans, Robbie Williams ... and the Fonz - Sportstons","og_description":"By Vince Rugari Ange Postecoglou has taken Spurs by storm.Credit: Marija Ercegovac\/Getty Save articles for later Add articles to your …","og_url":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/exactly-where-i-want-to-be-postecoglou-on-spurs-fans-robbie-williams-and-the-fonz\/","og_site_name":"Sportstons","article_published_time":"2023-10-06T01:39:05+00:00","author":"Dennis","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/\u2018Exactly-where-I-want-to-be-Postecoglou-on-Spurs-fans-Robbie-Williams-.-and-the-Fonz.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dennis","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/exactly-where-i-want-to-be-postecoglou-on-spurs-fans-robbie-williams-and-the-fonz\/","url":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/exactly-where-i-want-to-be-postecoglou-on-spurs-fans-robbie-williams-and-the-fonz\/","name":"\u2018Exactly where I want to be\u2019: Postecoglou on Spurs, fans, Robbie Williams ... and the Fonz - Sportstons","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-10-06T01:39:05+00:00","dateModified":"2023-10-06T01:39:05+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/exactly-where-i-want-to-be-postecoglou-on-spurs-fans-robbie-williams-and-the-fonz\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/exactly-where-i-want-to-be-postecoglou-on-spurs-fans-robbie-williams-and-the-fonz\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/exactly-where-i-want-to-be-postecoglou-on-spurs-fans-robbie-williams-and-the-fonz\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Soccer","item":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/category\/soccer\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"\u2018Exactly where I want to be\u2019: Postecoglou on Spurs, fans, Robbie Williams … and the Fonz"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/","name":"Sportstons","description":"sportstons.com","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609","name":"Dennis","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dennis"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295299"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=295299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295299\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/295298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=295299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=295299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=295299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}