Perth Glory and Socceroos striker Adam Taggart reflects on former coach Ange Postecoglou's success

West Australian

23-05-2025

Perth Glory captain Adam Taggart says his former Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou's unwavering belief in his methods and players is what sets the triumphant Tottenham manager apart.
It comes as Tottenham captain Son Heung-min called for the Spurs boss to keep his job in the wake of his breakthrough Europa League title.
The plaudits are still piling up for Postecoglou after he overcame a raft of injuries and horrid English Premier League form to steer Tottenham to a first trophy in 17 years and a first European title since 1984.
Taggart, who was part of Postecoglou's 2014 Socceroos World Cup squad and featured in their final two group games off the bench, said he was thrilled to see his former boss break Spurs' barren run.
'He obviously had a lot of doubters, but I think all of us who have seen him close up always had the full belief that he was going to do it,' he said.
'We all sort of had that almost guaranteed feeling, just knowing the way that he is, that he'd get the job done.'
Much was made of Postecoglou's now famous statement he always wins silverware in his second season at a club.
'He's got balls of steel. To say that and then go and do it, it's an unbelievable thing that he's done, and the belief that he has in himself and what he's doing is so strong,' Taggart said.
'But there's obviously clear backing behind that, because it works, he's seen it work and he knows 100 per cent that it will keep working.
'He was the perfect man to obviously guide them into their first trophy in a long time and you're only going to be able to do that with that kind of belief and attitude.
The striker, currently in camp with the Socceroos in Abu Dhabi ahead of their crucial world Cup qualifier against Japan in Perth, said the belief Postecoglou was able to instill in his players was irrepressible.
Taggart was just 21 years-old when he played at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and said Postecoglou's high standards and specific tactical requests stood out, even at an early age.
'It was very clear about your responsibilities and roles and what you needed to contribute to the team but as a young player, it was an invaluable experience to have that time with him,' he said.
'I wish it could have been longer, and I wish it could have got to work with someone like Ange for a lot longer and a lot more throughout my career.
'His standards are obviously very high, but there's a specific way that he likes to do things, and it makes it easier for players in terms of what you need to do, because there's no doubt; it's about executing it and because you're doing it consistently, the execution becomes easier and easier, and it starts to flow more.'
Following Spurs' Europa League win, Korean superstar Son threw his support behind Postecoglou to stay in the job despite poor domestic form which has left Tottenham in 17th in the EPL.
'He won the trophy. Nobody (else) did it,' he said.
'Look, it's not up to me or the players, but we just have to look at the facts, at the fact we haven't won in 17 years and this is the day we finally won it. It's the manager who wins the trophy, so we see what's going to happen.'