Tag: Ange Postecoglou

Ange Postecoglou has been linked with a return to the Celtic job since the departure of Brendan Rodgers and an unlikely voice has joined those calling for the Australian to come back to the Scottish Premiership side in U.S. rapper Snoop Dogg.

Rodgers’ exit came amid mounting pressure over results, including a shock Champions League qualifying defeat by Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty and a 3-1 league loss at leaders Hearts which left Celtic trailing in the title race.

The club’s former boss Martin O’Neill was appointed interim manager and the Northern Irishman has since guided them to a 4-0 league win over Falkirk and a 3-1 victory over rivals Rangers in the Scottish League Cup semi-finals.

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Snoop Dogg, a hip-hop icon and long-time Celtic fan, said supporters would rather see Postecoglou at the helm, with the Australian manager available after being sacked by Nottingham Forest last month.

Postecoglou spent two seasons at Celtic between 2021-23, guiding them to two Scottish Premiership titles and a domestic treble in his second season before leaving for Tottenham Hotspur.

“I love sport, and in sport players leave, coaches leave, and you move on,” Snoop Dogg told Scotland’s Daily Record newspaper in an interview published on Sunday.

“You got to give Martin O’Neill big respect, he is coming back when we need him. I think you got to bring Ange back. The club are going to do what they are going to do, but the fans would love to see him back.”

Snoop Dogg is well known for his love of sport and became an investor in Championship club Swansea City earlier this year.

The 54-year-old said he was keen on making a similar investment in Celtic, saying it was “something I have talked about in the past and if the opportunity was right I would be down for it.

“Celtic is a huge club and fans want to see the best players playing in this great stadium. All the owners have got to do is ask,” he added.

Nottingham Forest head coach Ange Postecoglou was sacked just 17 minutes after the side’s 3-0 defeat by Chelsea at the City Ground on Saturday.

The Australian’s dismissal – 39 days after his appointment on 9 September – means Postecoglou’s stint at Forest is the shortest permanent managerial reign in Premier League history.

The former Tottenham boss failed to win any of his eight matches in charge of Forest, with two draws and six defeats across all competitions.

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Forest collected just one point from Postecoglou’s five Premier League matches in charge, leaving the side one point above the relegation zone in 17th on his departure and in the bottom three following the day’s later games.

“Nottingham Forest Football Club can confirm that after a series of disappointing results and performances, Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties as head coach with immediate effect,” a Forest statement read.

“The club will make no further comment at this time.”

It is understood Forest would like to make a quick appointment, having already considered Sean Dyche while there is also long-term interest in Fulham’s Marco Silva, the Portuguese having worked under Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis at Olympiacos, who he also owns.

Ange Postecoglou angrily defended his managerial record ahead of Tottenham’s Europa League final against Manchester United after a disastrous Premier League season, stating: “I’m not a clown”.

Spurs face United in Bilbao tonight  with a chance to win their first trophy for 17 years, which would mean qualification for next season’s Champions League.

Postecoglou, whose side are 17^th  in the Premier League – a place below United – has been under mounting pressure over recent months as results have nosedived.

Many observers believe the Spurs manager could be out of a job regardless of the result at the San Mames stadium in northern Spain against Ruben Amorim’s fellow strugglers.

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Postecoglou was asked at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday whether he was aware he was walking a fine line between infamy and history ahead of the match.

“That depends on your outlook but I’ll tell you one thing – irrespective of tomorrow, I’m not a clown, I never will be mate,” he said, directly addressing a reporter who had used the word in an article.“It’s really disappointing that you use such terminology about a person who for 26 years, without any favours from anyone, who’s worked his way to being in a position where he’s leading out a club in a European major competition, for you to suggest that somehow us not being successful means that I’m a clown.”

The former Australia and Celtic boss said he had worked tirelessly to turn things around at Spurs, who have not won a trophy since 2008 and have not tasted European success since 1984.

“I’ve tried as hard as I can to stick to that process in getting the club to a position where they can challenge for trophies and at the same time, rejuvenate the squad and change the playing style,” he said.“It has been a fair assignment with plenty of challenges along the way.

“With such a big game tomorrow, there is an opportunity to fulfil at least the main task I was given which was to bring trophies to the club.”

Postecoglou said he had not addressed his future with his players because it would not be “helpful”.

“I’ve said to the lads from day one, nothing is guaranteed in life, nothing is guaranteed in sport. You’ve just got to try and make sure you take every opportunity before you and that’s what I’ve done my whole career,” he added.

“I’ve been in this position before, where the big game was the last game I managed. It’s not unusual territory for me.”

He said: “My future is assured. I wouldn’t be the first person who changes jobs. We all change jobs. I’m sure you’ve had more than one job. My future is assured. I’ve got a beautiful family, I’ve got a great life.

“I’ll keep on winning trophies until I finish, wherever that is. Don’t worry about my future mate.”

But the 59-year-old feels he still has a job to do at Spurs, who finished fifth in the Premier League in his first season in charge, in 2023⁄24.

“I really feel like we’re building something and what a trophy does is hopefully accelerates that,” he said.

“So I still think there’s a lot of work to be done. That’s quite obvious with the challenges we’ve had this year, but also there’s been some growth that I’d like to see through.”

Postecoglou confirmed that Lucas Bergvall would not be fit to face United. James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are also out.

But Pape Matar Sarr is available after he was taken off in the 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa on Friday.