Ange Postecoglou has a point to prove in Premier League now more than ever | John Duerden

"Ange Postecoglou is used to mixed reactions when he takes a new job. So the response of Nottingham Forest fans to his appointment on Tuesday was par for the course. At Yokohama F. Marinos in 2018, fans were nonplussed at this Australian coming in. At Celtic, it was a case of, Ange Who? At Tottenham Hotspur two years ago, there were concerns about how a coach who had worked all over the world but never in a big European league"

"Earlier in his career, doubters had been won over with trophies. When he moved on, fans from Australia to Japan to Scotland were sad to see him go. At Spurs it was more complex. The initial scepticism quickly transformed into loving Big Ange, and then into something else again. The second season a trophy was won, the biggest for Tottenham since at least the FA Cup of 1991, but as the club came 17th in the league, the axe fell."

"That has been an unfamiliar scenario for the 60-year-old. The last time came after he failed to take Australia to the 2007 under-20 World Cup and that infamous SBS interview with Craig Foster. That opinion is very much mixed in the English media, whether he is a good coach or not, is an improvement from two decades ago when it wasn't mixed at all. Few then thought Postecoglou had much of a future in coaching, including the man himself."

Ange Postecoglou has repeatedly provoked mixed fan reactions when joining new clubs, with responses varying at Yokohama F. Marinos, Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur. Early career trophies converted many doubters and prompted sadness when he left clubs in Australia, Japan and Scotland. At Tottenham initial scepticism became admiration before ending in dismissal despite winning the club's biggest trophy since at least 1991 and a poor league finish. The 60-year-old previously hit a low point after failing to qualify Australia for the 2007 under-20 World Cup. Reported offers from several countries preceded a return to England that could restore his reputation amid influential media scrutiny.

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