Ange Postecoglou insists he "loved" his time at Celtic - before declaring that Tottenham was not a step up from the hot seat at Parkhead.
The Australian ended his time at Celtic Park just days after lifting the Scottish Cup to secure a historic eighth Treble for the Hoops - a world record landmark. The boss dominated Scottish football leaving Celtic for the English Premier League after lifting two Scottish Premiership trophies, two League Cup trophies and a Scottish Cup at Hampden with a win over Inverness Caley Thistle in his final game.
Postecoglou left many fans heartbroken when he opted to make the move to Tottenham following the end of the campaign having formed a strong bond with the supporters during his two-year stint in the east end of Glasgow. The Parkhead diehards had expected the outgoing boss to make an address to the fans following his departure - but in a series of Spurs' media appearances and interviews failed to namecheck the Scottish champions.
However, as he faced the English press for the first time he was put on the spot about the scale of the rebuild he face. He pointed to his Celtic track record stating: "It is fair to say every position I have had has needed some sort of rebuild.
"I had a brilliant two years at Celtic. I loved every minute of it but it was challenging, particularly at the start. It's not about patience, you can't expect people to feel a certain way or have expectations. What I have tried to do at every club including Celtic is to allow them to form their own opinion with what they see rather than what I say.
'Like I saw we had a massive rebuild at Celtic but I think at the beginning at Celtic even though the results weren't there they could see what we were doing. They got behind us and I don't know if it's going to be a rocky start or a good start, but either way I am going to try and show our supporters we are going to embark on something special."
The boss also insisted that the move to Tottenham should not be considered a step up from the Scottish Premiership - stating that "second is last" north of the border. Asked about the "step up from the SPL" he responded: "I've had people say that, if you're at Celtic you can only finish first or second, but second is last.
"I wouldn't be in a job. With what people perceive as a step up you are working with bigger players and a bigger organisation. I've never seen it as a step up, only a new challenge for me."
READ NEXT
