Ange Postecoglou left Celtic as a hero to take over underperforming Tottenham Hotspur just over a year ago.
The former Celtic manager took Scottish football by storm after entering as a relative unknown, and Postecolgou had to deal with varied degrees of criticism from the media and scrutiny from the supporters.
Despite a rough start to his first Celtic season, with three defeats in his first six games, the fans were immediately won over when they saw what the Australian was attempting to achieve in terms of offensive football.
The Scottish media, on the other hand, were less convinced, with some pundits claiming Postecoglou could have been fired by Christmas.
And it appears that the former Celtic manager is garnering the same level of scrutiny at Tottenham.
Ange Postecoglou denies there is less pressure at Celtic with Premier League swipe
When questioned by Mark Schwarzer if the amount of scrutiny and fan criticism in the Premier League is higher, Ange Postecoglou claimed he felt equally as much pressure at Celtic during his two seasons in Scotland.
Postecoglou told Optus Sport, “No, and I’ll explain why.” There is some pretentiousness and attitude among Premier League players who believe they are in a special place, but it is still football.
“And whether it’s a thousand South Melbourne fans who were dissatisfied with me after a game and gave me direct feedback or hundreds of thousands around the world, it all means the same to me.
“It’s understanding what I care about and what I do, and if I’ve disturbed even one person, that’s enough for me. Scrutiny is not a hurdle for me.
“The challenge is that the competition is undoubtedly more difficult because you are competing against the best in the world. The demands are rather significant in terms of where I’ve come from since beginning my adventure, but I’ve also progressed through the levels.
“The club undoubtedly faces unique obstacles, but are they more onerous than others? I don’t know.When I was at Celtic, people would say, “Well, Celtic is expected to win.” Yeah, they’re expected to win, so if you lose one game at Celtic, it’s a big problem for you, and not many people can handle it.
“So it’s a different struggle, for sure, but I see why people would say no, because of your current level and the scrutiny that you’re not having success.
“I do not believe that. I still hope we will succeed, but there is nothing that I am confronting here that I consider insurmountable.”
Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic record
Postecoglou won 83, drew 12, and lost 18 of 113 Scottish Premiership games with Celtic, averaging 2.31 points per game.
Postecoglou won five titles in two seasons, including a double in his first season and a historic triple before leaving Celtic to join Tottenham.
Ange’s record against the Rangers was similarly excellent. The former Celtic manager faced the Ibrox club eleven times, winning six, drawing two, and losing only three.
In that, Postecolgou won the legendary 3-0 Celtic Park victory in his first season, followed by another 4-0 thrashing of Rangers in his third season.
Celtic faces unique pressures. Spurs can afford to lose games, and while it hurts, it is nothing compared to the scrutiny of a loss in Glasgow.
The Australian, if given time, will bring success to the Premier League, but only if Spurs fans are patient enough to let him do it.
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