USA-based manager says Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou changed his life

By John McGinley

March 20, 2022

One of Ange Postecoglou’s former colleagues, John Hutchinson, says the Celtic boss changed his life.

Hutchinson served as an assistant to Postecoglou at Yokohama F.Marinos after a playing and coaching career in Australia and the USA.

He’s now in Texas having taken charge of USL side El Paso Locomotive and has been talking up his experiences with the Bhoys manager to local media outlet The El Paso Times.

Hutchinson said of his career and meeting Postecoglou: “It’s like a jigsaw puzzle that never has all the pieces, the holes are too big. Sometimes your path crosses with someone who changes your life or your work or your thought process, mine was Ange Postecoglou.

“I’ve always had a way of playing football, I’ve always believed in possession, in attacking, high pressure. He helped put it all together for me. You’re never complete as a football coach, you’re always changing, you’re always growing. He brought all that together for me and I want to bring that football here.

“My take on it is to be more aggressive everywhere. We want to press high, play every game to win. Winning is always No. 1, but for me, it’s the football: the football we play, the brand of football we bring to El Paso, the brand of football we bring to the USL. I want these guys to enjoy what we do every day.

“It’s entertainment, I speak about entertainment all the time. We have to mentor and teach why we want to play this brand of football. The main thing I want to do is get them on the football and entertain. I hope there are games I can sit down and be entertained by my players.”

He certainly speaks like Postecoglou anyway. Clearly he’s been indoctrinated into the Ange way of approaching football, of bringing it to the people.

It’s no surprise that the Celtic manager is considered to be an inspirational figure by people who have worked with him on a day-to-day basis. Many supporters feel similar to him and have only ever heard him speak to the media!

This is the kind of man we have at the helm and long way may he reign!

In other news, Report: 2021 Celtic target Siegrist now attracting interest from Manchester United.