Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou reveals regular 'cathartic' calls with Wallabies coach Eddie Jones

By John McGinley

February 24, 2023

It’s smart for professionals in sports to build a support network and even a man who comes across as imperious as Ange Postecoglou has one.

Postecoglou doesn’t present as the kind of manager who needs the advice of those around him after such a long journey from taking charge of youth teams to leading a team into the UEFA Champions League, but he’ll be the first to tell you he’s had plenty of it.

And that continues to this day, with the Celtic boss taking part in regular Zoom calls with a group of elite Australian coaches that includes Wallabies rugby union national boss Eddie Jones.

Ange Postecoglou and Eddie Jones in regular contact

The Celtic boss explained to The Scottish Daily Mail [24/02 print edition, page 85]: “Growing up in Australia, the disadvantage of loving football is that it isn’t the No1 sport, but the advantage of loving sport is that you are surrounded by it. So, growing up I was lucky enough to be exposed to multitudes of team and individual sports on my doorstep, and I’ve kind of used those networks throughout my whole career, whether that was as a player or now that I’m coaching.

“I’ve always had networks of people and Eddie is one of them. And along with three or four other Australian coaches from different codes, we catch up once a month on Zoom. It’s more cathartic than anything else. We just complain for half an hour about our sort of burden, unburden ourselves and move on. But you always get stuff, because even though it is different sports, we are all dealing with similar things, particularly in the team dynamics and dealing with young men and young athletes.

“Particularly as you get older, you want to make sure that you are constantly understanding the way they communicate so your message gets across. So, I’ve always tapped in and I’ve had quite a few other coaches come through Celtic just to spend the week with us, and they get a bit out of it, I get a bit out of it and the staff get a bit out of it because we can pick each other’s brains.”

Postecoglou has always maintained that he is constantly learning and improving himself. It’s a mantra he has repeated time and again down the years. It’s also something he demands of his players.

It’s great to hear about behind-the-scenes insights such as this and that, even now, the Celtic manager is trying to find new ways to succeed and an extra edge.

In other news, Kristoffer Ajer can’t stop talking about Celtic to Premier League peers.