Joe Hart has shed light on the evolving media persona of former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou, claiming that the Australian’s recent struggles at Tottenham are amplifying traits that were already visible during his successful spell at Parkhead.
Postecoglou left Glasgow after two glittering seasons, collecting five major honours and leaving behind a legacy of attacking football and unwavering belief in his philosophy.
Now, as he prepares for a Europa League quarter-final with Spurs, the heat is turning up in London — and Hart believes the pressure is exposing a more confrontational side of the 58-year-old.
Speaking on TNT Sports’ TikTok page, Hart explained:
“I loved him, but I was in a successful team, playing, some football that I’d never played in my career.”
Asked if the Ange he is seeing at Spurs is different than the one he worked under, he said:
“To an extent, but he was always engaging in terms of, he’d answer the question, but he’d answer it his way.
“Even him having a conversation with a fan about being respectful, that’s kind of who he is.
“If he saw something happening in the street that he didn’t think was right, he’d say something.
“But just the Tottenham team, the constant losses, it’s bringing that side out of him more.
“But it was there when I was at Celtic. We lost the odd game, or we were questioned about the way he played, especially in Europe. We went to Real Madrid and wen’t toe to toe with them and did alright at home. But we got pumped 5-1 away but he stood by it and he would stand by it to anyone who called it out.
“Twenty-man press conference – if one man was whispering away over there, he’d be like ‘what you saying? What you got to say? Say it to me.’
“But at Spurs, it’s difficult because he’s constantly having to deal with it.”
Now at Spurs, Postecoglou finds himself facing regular scrutiny with inconsistent form and fan dissatisfaction boiling over. After an impressive first season, just missing out on Champions League football, his side has struggled this year. They are among the top scorers, but the Spurs sit well down in the bottom half of the table.
While Postecoglou’s directness and conviction were admired traits in Scotland, they’re now being tested in a very different environment — one where the expectations are unreasonably high and the patience of supporters is wearing thin, with not many left backing the manager.
Whether he can turn things around in North London remains to be seen, but for Hart, the fire in the belly is nothing new.
