Given how dramatically last season unravelled for Tottenham Hotspur on and off the pitch, it was crucial that Daniel Levy got his 13th Spurs managerial appointment right.
Ange Postecoglou may not have been the name on everyone's lips when Antonio Conte was first dismissed, but after a succession of big-name, glamorous appointments have failed it is perhaps exactly the sort of appointment necessary at Hotspur Way.
Whilst the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique were initially linked with the vacant hot-seat, it was eventually the lesser known Australian that received the unenviable task of lifting Spurs back up to the higher echelons of English football.
After leading Australia to AFC Asian Cup glory in 2015 and Japanese side Yokohoma F. Marinos to J1 League success in 2019, it was a surprise to many when Postecoglou became the first Australian to manage a major European club when he turned up at Celtic in the summer of 2021.
It was also to the dismay of many, as his appointment was roundly mocked in the media after the Bhoys missed out on Eddie Howe and there was very much a sense of 'who is he?' around Glasgow. It was a bold appointment to say the least from the Celtic heirarchy, and one that did not immediately look to be the right one.
Celtic had just lost the league title to bitter rivals Rangers for the first time in a decade and Postecoglou did not set the world on fire in his first few games with the Hoops. They failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, knocked out by Danish side FC Midtjylland, and also lost the first league game to Hearts.
Postecoglou's side did not really hit the ground running until the start of October, with a Glasgow derby loss and some poor European results putting doubts in the minds. However, when they got going, they really got going. After the beginning of October Postecoglou's side lost just three more games all season. They ended the season four points clear of Rangers having scored 92 league goals, reclaiming the Scottish crown with transformative football the likes of which the Scottish Premiership had rarely seen.
READ MORE: The 10 Tottenham players who need to impress Ange Postecoglou early in pre-season
The rest, as they say, is history. Postecoglou and Celtic won five out of the six trophies available to them as they swept the league again last season, earning the fabled move to N17.
Of course, the jump from Scottish football to the English Premier League is a big one, and it's unlikely that Postecoglou will be able to translate that success straight away for Spurs. A view echoed by Lilywhites fans, as football.london recently asked whether they had confidence Postecoglou could hit the ground running straight away, or whether he will need time to bed in.
Of the hundreds that responded, 66% answered that he will need time to get things going. A clear message that, as long as the football is showing signs of major improvement, fans are willing to give the Australian patience to build his version of Tottenham Hotspur.
A clear message as well to Daniel Levy, to not be trigger happy as he has been in the past. It has been shown across the league, perhaps most painfully just down the road on the other side of north London, that giving a manager time can earn dividends. Postecoglou's exciting brand of football that saw Celtic score 206 league goals in two seasons will be a welcome change from the conservative styles of Conte and even Mourinho. Harry Kane clearly has no problem finding the net, but players around him who have suffered in unfavourable systems should be most excited about the prospect of attacking freedom and increased opportunities.
The one thing Postecoglou doesn't have on his side is the fixture list, that is according to fans who responded to football.london's survey.
Asked whether the fixture schedule has been kind to Spurs, a whopping 78% said that no it had not. Three of the first seven games see Spurs play Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, so despite willing patience, fans will be hoping the start is not too slow with those tough fixtures.
There will of course be the caveat of no European football, allowing for full focus on domestic cup competitions to end that particular hoodoo and giving Spurs something of an advantage in the race for Europe. What is for certain is that should they be in the hunt for European places in the business end of the season, they face an almighty run in April and May. A trip to Newcastle, followed by visits from Manchester City and Arsenal before a trip to Anfield will surely define Tottenham's and Postecoglou's season and certainly that part of the fixture list looks most unkind.
Postecoglou will benefit from a full pre-season, uninterruped by any international tournament and a squad hungry to prove themselves to a new manager in a new system. He certainly won't be shy in imposing his will and rooting out who is and isn't good enough and, if given the patience and resources necessary, could very well turn out to be a shrewd appointment from Daniel Levy. It is often telling the reaction from fans of the club the manager is leaving, and the Celtic fanbase was generally gutted to see the big Aussie head south.
No-one knows what the future holds, so we will have to wait until May 2024 to know whether it was a stroke of genius, or another one for the discarded pile.
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