They are the foundation of any team’s success. The ones playing a vital role and whose heads are on the chopping block when any organization goes through a winning drought. The world of Australian soccer has delivered many great coaches over time. Let’s explore the one often considered to be the best, Ange Postecoglou.
The 54-year-old former player and head coach to the Australian national soccer team is considered by many as the greatest coach in the history of Australian soccer. Born in Greece, Postecoglou, immigrated by boat to Australia in 1970 after his father lost his business in Greece due to the Greek military coup. The young Postecoglou was only five years old and spent growing up in Melbourne.
Joining South Melbourne
Postecoglou joined the club when he was only nine years old. He played a total of 193 games for the club between the years 1984 up to 1993. He also played a part in their 1984 and then again 1990-91 titles. During this later period, Postecoglou was captain to the team. He also started his coaching career at South Melbourne.
Postecoglou coached at South Melbourne from 1996 to 2000. He was the man who guided them to the success of winning two consecutive National Soccer Leagues in 1997-98 and then again in 1998-99. During 1999 they were also victorious in the Oceania Club Championship. This qualified them for the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship. From here, Postecoglou moved on to coaching the Australian Youth Team.
Coaching the Youth
In 2000 he started coaching the Australian youth teams and was narrowly involved in developing these young players for the national team. The teams didn’t do great though, and after failing to qualify for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, he was sacked. Postecoglou stepped out of the coaching arena for a while and started to work for Fox Sports as a pundit, and he was also consulting at the Football Federation Victoria as an elite consultant.
For a period in his life, Postecoglou coached at many clubs. During 2008 he was involved in coaching the Greek club, Panachaiki. He was also signed in 2009 to coach Brisbane Roar and had some success. 2012 he signed a three year deal with Melbourne Victory and immediately started rebuilding the team to great success.
The Australian National Team
During 2013 he joined the Australian national team in 2013 with a five-year contract. He took over from Holger Osieck after the German got fired due to a losing streak of six defeats. Postecoglou had to regenerate the team and bring them back from stagnation. He had success. During the Australian’s first game which was a friendly home game against Costa Rica, the Australians won 1-0. During the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the team was unsuccessful, yet they were praised for their great effort. Shortly after the team qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Postecoglou announced his resignation. Currently, he is coaching the Yokohama F. Marinos.