Socceroos legend Harry Kewell grateful to Ange Postecoglou for offering him job at Celtic

With his confidence battered after a string of sackings, Harry Kewell had to pinch himself when Ange Postecoglou offered him a job at Celtic.

Times had been tough for Harry Kewell before being offered a job on Celtic’s coaching staff by Ange Postecoglou. Picture: Pete Norton/Getty Images

Socceroos great Harry Kewell is grateful for the belief shown in him by Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou, revealing he battled with self-doubt after being sacked from coaching roles three times in the space of three years.

Kewell, 43, returned to football in June when Postecoglou offered him a job on the Hoops’ coaching staff.

He had been without a gig since September last year when he lost his job as manager of fifth-tier English club Barnet.

Kewell had been in charge of Barnet for just seven matches, none of which ended in a win.

Only six months before that sacking, Kewell was axed by then English League Two club Oldham Athletic, having only been appointed as manager there in August 2020.

The Oldham job came after 21 months in the football wilderness following his sacking from Notts County – also in English League Two at the time – where he lost his job in November 2018 after only 11 games in charge.

In hindsight, perhaps Kewell would have been better off staying at Crawley Town, where he enjoyed his best spell as a manager before leaving to join Notts County.

“We were flying high and then I got bought to Notts County for a good amount of money which is very rare in the (lower) leagues, and I feel like I got done over there,” the former Leeds and Liverpool star said.

“The Oldham job, that was tough as well because we were playing in Covid times. I started with four players, I had to put a team together … it was difficult.

“And I won’t even talk about Barnet.”

Ange Postecoglou showed belief in Harry Kewell. Picture: Steve Welsh/Getty Images

Kewell knew he could manage and coach teams, but his confidence and self-belief had been damaged and he wasn’t sure when he would get another job.

And then the all-conquering Postecoglou came calling.

“I always think if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be,” Kewell said.

“When he sent me that message (about joining the Celtic coaching staff), it gave me a lot of confidence back in myself.

“My confidence was knocked, When you’re fighting down the lower levels … it’s difficult to manage certain people, so when the opportunity came up to be at a huge club, to work with a fantastic manager, to be part of something, it was a no-brainer really.

“It was a move that I had to take to just go back into doing something that I love doing, which is coaching.

“This is the best possible move for me, to learn off the best Australian coach (who is) starting to push himself up there as top European coach.

“You can clearly see the way he structures the team, the way he works, and it’s good for me to learn off that and I’ve learnt a few things already that I would definitely change personally in my journey.”

Kewell’s playing journey has earnt him “hero” status in EA Games’ FIFA 23, which will launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on September 30.

“When the opportunity came up to come back into the game as a ‘hero’, I jumped at the chance because (the FIFA games) are a big part of football today,” Kewell said.

“People like to mix and match certain players, create their own ultimate teams, dream teams, and now I’m back in as one the characters again as a ‘hero’.

“It’s nice to be appreciated and it’s nice that the fans can use me as a player.”

Originally published as Socceroos legend Harry Kewell grateful to Ange Postecoglou for offering him job at Celtic