Ange Postecoglou’s inaugural Celtic season was barely two months old when pressure mounted.

The board wasn’t yet asking questions, but fan unrest was growing after a Champions League exit, a 4-0 home Europa League defeat, plus dropping points to lowly teams.

Critics and even some from Postecoglou’s inner circle felt it was time to exercise pragmatism — Europe was a different beast and Celtic fans were passionate and unrelenting.

Postecoglou, stauncher than ever, doubled down on his philosophy.

“That’s why he’s successful,“ one close observer said.

THE SCOTTISH TURNING POINT

They won 24 of their next 27 games, including a 3-0 home demolition of Rangers in February 2022. Deemed one of the most one-sided performances in Old Firm history, it was the title race game-changer, and put Postecoglou on the English Premier League radar as the midweek match was beamed live into England prime time.

Postecoglou has faced similar junctures in every role, usually early in the piece.

In his rookie South Melbourne season (1996-97), Postecoglou’s tenure was on a knife-edge before the then 31-year-old broke his drought with a maiden win in round 6.

Brisbane Roar was mauled 5-1 at Gold Coast, before Michael Theo’s calamitous error led to a 3-0 loss at Melbourne Victory. Postecoglou praised Theo and encouraged him to persist playing out from the back.

Victory were under siege in his first two games, and a 5-0 loss at Brisbane forced a tactical tweak with Mark Milligan dropping deep. The tide was stemmed and the wheels turned.

The Socceroos was the only time pressure mounted early and late, either side of the stunning Asian Cup success where current Spurs striker Son heung-min took the final to extra-time.

In his second game, the Socceroos annihilated Ecuador to lead 3-0 at halftime before capitulating, losing 4-3.

CHANGING THE SOCCEROOS

Transitional discomfort ensued after he changed his defensive formation in World Cup qualifying, but he was convinced this new back three formation would eventually leave them better placed to take on the world.

While some of the analysis was fair, an anti-Postecoglou brigade doubled down. For Postecoglou, merely qualifying for World Cups was never the point – it was about making an impact when on the world stage. He always saw two steps ahead when others were caught up in the moment.

The prevailing view at executive level was that Postecoglou should “stick to coaching” and tensions arose when he urged Football Australia and the players union (PFA) to sort out the CBA, before he outlined his bold vision for Australian football in his 2016 book “Changing The Game”.

THE FIRST STEPS TO EUROPE

Postecoglou sensed the misalignment in vision and stunned the nation by sensationally quitting a week after securing 2018 World Cup qualification. He wasn’t yet sure how, but he’d decided to set out on a path to crack Europe.

The Premier League was the goal, and Japan provided an ideal stepping stone, with Arsene Wenger’s 1996 move from Nagoya Grampus to Arsenal the proof point.

UNEMPLOYABLE IN AUSTRALIA

Postecoglou was always a strong character. But his Frank Sinatra-esque mentality was forged in the 32 months (2007-09) he was deemed unemployable in Australia.

The infamous on-air spat with Craig Foster was the key reference point for A-League club executives, with an 11-year coaching apprenticeships (two NSL titles and a host of international and FIFA Youth World Cup experience) virtually airbrushed.

Adelaide United and Melbourne Heart (now City) considered signing him but passed.

Struggling to make ends meet, Postecoglou, with wife Georgia on the clipboard, ran clinics in a Melbourne public park.

He tried Greece’s third division and was on track for promotion before resigning after the Panachaiki chairman delivered one too many dressing room team talks.

Postecoglou promised himself, when he finally got another chance, he would do it his way. Brisbane Roar took the punt, around the time he took on state league relegation battlers Whittlesea Zebras. The rest is history.

SUCCESS IN JAPAN

A decade later, in his first top tier overseas post, pressure piled up at Yokohama F Marinos. Staring relegation, Postecoglou refused to budge.

Doubting players, including Japanese internationals, expressed concerns to officials. The board backed him when some may have sacked him.

Next season they were vindicated – Postecoglou delivered a drought-breaking title on a modest budget, with a trailblazing style seldom witnessed in conservative Japan. He was even linked to the national team.

“I actually don’t enjoy this bit. I enjoyed last year, when everyone was kind of doubting me and not really sure about where we’re heading,” Postecoglou told Fox Sports before Marinos’ title win in 2019.

CAN HE REVIVE TOTTENHAM?

Leading a Premier League sleeping giant in crisis, who made the Champions League final four years ago, is the biggest challenge of his glittering career.

While Spurs haven’t won a trophy in 15 years, their new 60,000-capacity stadium is Premier League’s newest and underpins a mega business. They boast the fifth biggest top tier turnover (US$591 million / AUD$881 million) and rank nine on Forbes’ world football 2023 rich list – valued at US$2.8 billion ($4.17 billion), ahead of Arsenal, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund.

From purely a football perspective, the Tottenham project is eerily similar to previous rebuilds.

Brisbane, Victory, Socceroos, Yokohama and – importantly for Spurs – Celtic all had a healthy dose of issues, including culture, under siege boards, disgruntled players and squads yearning for a better brand of football.

While global commentary centres on Postecoglou’s success linked to Harry Kane staying put, Postecoglou has never been fazed by moving on or departing stars.

Craig Moore and Danny Tiatto (Brisbane), Harry Kewell (Victory), Lucas Neill and Mark Schwarzer (Socceroos) and Odsonne Edouard (Celtic) all departed just after Postecoglou started.

A DIFFERENT WAY OF PLAYING

Doubts and criticism usually followed. After initial speed humps and periods of discomfort, with players in many cases adopting a completely different way of playing, success always followed.

Postecoglou teams are high octane, and while reliant on individual brilliance like any team, are generally stronger than the sum of their parts.

The individual transformation of some players within Postecoglou’s systems has been stunning, owed to the clear attack-minded instructions from the manager, while allowing for creative license.

Bailey Wright (Socceroos) became a super competent ball-playing centreback, Matt McKay’s 2014 World Cup performances were stellar, while Celtic fans were gobsmacked at fullback Anthony Ralston, who was on the scrap heap when Postecoglou arrived.

Postecoglou is a chameleon in terms of tailoring his message to fans, and his ability to connect on a deep emotional level is a credit to his intelligence and football nous.

WHY ANGE, SPURS ARE PERFECT FIT

Tottenham is the perfect project for him. They finished eighth and missed Europe, are ripe for rebuild and armed with a decent transfer war chest. While less than the big five Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, Postecoglou has never had the chance to sign this calibre of player.

The recent roll call of Spurs managers are among the world’s elite – Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte. Postecoglou is on that pedestal.

All three left on bad terms, most recently pragmatic Italian Conte, a former Italy, Juventus and Chelsea manager, who blasted Spurs players on his way for the exit.

The scene is perfectly set for Postecoglou to pick up the crestfallen players and infuse belief with his distinct playing style.

Tottenham is also a club whose DNA is steeped in style.

“The Spurs Way” was coined in their glory years (1950s-70s), a commitment to stylish, attacking football, championed by the club’s most successful manager Bill Nicholson and Danny Blanchflower, captain of their last title.

“The great fallacy is that the game is first and last about winning. It’s nothing of the kind. The game is about glory, it’s about doing things in style and with a flourish, about going out and beating the lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom,” Blanchflower said in 1972.

That quote could be Postecoglou’s.

There is a famous saying when players struggle to adapt at big clubs: “The shirt was too heavy”.

Suits can also weigh heavily on coaches. But when Postecoglou walks out in front of his new 60,000 home fans for the first time in August, the navy Hugo Boss number will fit just fine, as it did at the similarly raucous and identical capacity Celtic Park.

READY FOR THE EPL CAULDRON

In Postecoglou’s case, his 27-year school of hard knocks apprenticeship has readied him for this.

A chorus of criticism remains in some Spurs quarters. Postecoglou isn’t fazed.

“People were questioning my appointment – I love that stuff. The jury was out on me. There was no great recognition of what I had done,” he said in 2022.

Assuming there will be growing pains, transitional discomfort and inevitable early bumps, Spurs will have to stick by their new man.

But the bold appointment – only four non-European or South American coaches have landed Premier League gigs – and a four-year contract indicate Postecoglou will be backed.

Postecoglou has delivered silverware – and plenty of it – in each role, Victory aside as the Socceroos came knocking 15 months in.

If he can deliver Tottenham’s first trophy since 2008, let alone a maiden title since 1961, he will be immortalised.

* David Davutovic is a former Herald Sun football writer who now contributes to KEEPUP.