I tipped Postecoglo to be the next Sir Alex Ferguson, writes KEVIN AIRS
Just over two years ago, one of my Celtic-daft mates contacted me to find out who the hell this Aussie bloke Ange Postecoglou was. My answer was simple...
He might just be the next Alex Ferguson.
It was only a private DM between friends, but it's still probably one of the biggest calls I ever made in 15 years as an editor with football bible, FourFourTwo.
It wasn't made lightly - but two years later, I'm even more convinced than ever.
Ange was (almost) always friendly to me but I wouldn't try to claim him as a friend. I think he'd probably count the total number of journalist friends on the tip of one finger. All his truly close friends would likely fit on the same hand.
But he'd often patiently indulge my ridiculous photographic requests for FFT magazine covers and find the time for lengthy interviews for our long-form features, even in the midst of a World Cup campaign in Brazil.
That access and time spent together gave me a rare insight into what he's like... and it's not what you might expect.
I was at FFT from its launch in Australia in 2005, but first spoke to Ange soon after he took over at Brisbane Roar where he arrived like the roaring lion rampant on the club badge.
Postecoglou was brought in from the cold where he had languished since a bruising TV interview with former Australia skipper Craig Foster in 2006 after he coached the Young Socceroos to a disappointing U20 World Cup qualification failure.
At Roar in 2009 though, he was not some humbled manager grateful for a second chance.
He burst in and ripped up the team sheet, pushing out Socceroo and Rangers legend Craig Moore and acclaimed Scotland veteran Charlie Miller among others, to make way for youth and a new style of football.
It was a huge move that initially
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