A deep dive into Ange Postecoglou and ‘Angeball’ origins
Source: NEOS KOSMOS
A new biography on Ange Postecoglou has been released, giving readers a fast-paced and informative deep dive on the first Australian to be appointed manager of an English Premier League Club.
Titled Angeball, this book also looks at where he introduced his attacking style of play that was dubbed “Angeball” (hence the title) to the British football public.
Fans of Celtic in Scotland had already seen it. Fans way back in South Melbourne saw its beginning. Fans in Australia and in Japan had seen it develop. The young footballers who went through the junior program at Nunawading City FC and in elite programs in Victoria experienced it.
It probably had its beginnings when the young son of a Greek migrant and his father were up in the middle of the night in Australia watching English football on TV. That son was Angelos Postecoglou and his path to the topflight of football coaching began there and then.
Postecoglou’s Angeball went from schoolboy glory at Prahran High School in Melbourne to taking charge of one of England’s “Big Six” football clubs.
Angeball is written by Chris McLeod, who has also written and contributed to books about tennis stars Nick Kyrgios and Ash Barty and AFL icon Buddy Franklin
“They’re what we call a tribute book, to Australians who have made the big time in their particular sport,” author Chris McLeod told Neos Kosmos.
“With Ange what stood out was, here’s an Australian who has done really well.
“It’s one of those things everywhere he’s been, he’s made his mark. Brisbane, they won three championships. He’s won in Japan, he’s won in Scotland and of course, South Melbourne.
“He’s somebody you can’t avoid knowing about if you’ve got any knowledge of football at all.”

Early days of Angeball
McLeod draws from interviews, press conferences and writings of Ange himself, including from Neos Kosmos.
He said the book contains stories including one about his father and a friend finding a mattress and how they couldn’t find their way home and couldn’t ask anyone because they couldn’t speak English.
“Little stories he’s told over the years he’s told himself, that’s all part of his makeup.”
“He’s often referred to his time going to South Melbourne’s ground, to the soccer, as like church.
“That’s where he started in the game as a nine-year-old. He signed up to play for the South Melbourne junior teams and look at him now.”
McLeod points to Ange’s time in South Melbourne as probably the beginning of Angeball, even if Ange didn’t know it at the time.
When legendary ex-Real Madrid and Hungary striker Ferenc Puskas arrived in Australia to take charge of South Melbourne Hellas in 1989, Ange’s style of play began forming.
“It might go back to his days in South Melbourne because he had some coaches there who were strong on the attacking facets of the game,” McLeod said.
“Goals are golden was kind of a mantra and South Melbourne were pretty good at that.
“I think at one stage, Puskas said, ‘don’t worry about them scoring a goal against us, we’ll go up and score another one against them’.”
Bringing something different
When word came out of Postecoglou joining Tottenham or the EPL in general, many did not like the sound of that.
Spurs supporters even protested it, with campaigns of ‘no to Postecoglou’. However, the man has been able to charm them, the public and even the British press.
McLeod points to his personality, often joking around and being light hearted in his press conferences.

“I think his personality is the key to how he handles the press and he calls everyone mate, and that’s probably a genuine thing,” he said.
“Most of us call somebody mate when we can’t think of their name, but I think he does feel close to the people – the supporters.”
Although the league has had plenty of managers from across Europe, Postecoglou is something different — a Greek-Australian first-generation migrant who grew up in a place where soccer was not the number one sporting code and appreciation of the world game was limited.
Angeball is published by Wilkinson Publishing, and available through all good book retailers.
The original article: NEOS KOSMOS .
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