Ange Postecoglou has two coaching rules of thumb that have never diminished with age.
The pressure to deliver success and the pain of defeat remain as acute as the day he started to cut his coaching teeth at South Melbourne a quarter of a century ago.
It was revealing to listen to the Celtic boss play the role as wise sage as he spoke of relative apprentice managers such as Dundee United’s Tam Courts, recently deposed Dundee counterpart James McPake and possible pretender to his own throne, Scott Brown.
That wisdom that only comes through taking the blows as a boss as well as the plaudits is time well-served for Postecoglou who insists he’s as polarised as ever on the prize and failure is felt as deeply as he did when learning his trade Down Under.
He said: “Your first job is a really critical one, it often dictates whether you’re going to have a career in the game at that level or not.
“It’s not just about being successful, it’s about the way you conduct yourself and the way you handle the pressure, people notice these things.
“So it’s really important when you’re starting off that you really embrace the craziness of the role and how all-encompassing it is, because it doesn’t change.
“Twenty-five years later, as I’ve said to people, a loss today hurts me just as much as it did 25 years ago.
“All the same sort of pressures I had in my first year in terms of the expectations on myself, they’re still there, so that doesn’t change.
“If you can embrace that early on, then it probably means you’ll be able to carve out a career for yourself, because that’s the key.
“Often young managers start off wanting to be a manager, not understanding that success for any manager, what it looks like is having a career.
“If you can still be doing the same job in 20 to 25 years time, then that’s success.”
The longevity part of the job is a box ticked by Postecoglou who’ll stand across from Courts on Monday night for a Scottish Cup quarter-final clash that will pitch the 56-year-old against a newcomer to the scene in his maiden campaign as a manager.
There’s already a respect and appreciation of what Courts has achieved in his short time in charge for the Hoops boss to believe his rival has the attributes not to become a flash in the pan statistic where so many coaching careers have perished.
He said: “Tam has done a really good job. It’s a really competitive league this year. We have already seen some managers lose their roles if you don’t get a consistent sort of run of results.
“For a young guy, he’s handled it really well. Dundee United are one of the clubs who expect to be playing in the top half of the table, contesting for Europe, contesting for cups. He’s done a really good job of steering through the pressure that exists in this competition, where you know two or three bad results and people are putting you under the spotlight.
“He’s handled it well. I’ve spoken to him the two times we’ve played and he’s a really respectful guy.
“I guess for any young manager those first few steps are the critical ones.
“If you take me back 25 years, I realise now how important it was in my first attempt at it that I made an impact.
“Because if you don’t in your first go, it’s hard to get a second opportunity in management. The way you address your first role is really, really important and it’s why I often tell guys who want to get into it not to rush.
“It’s not about just getting a job and thinking everything is going to go smoothly.
“Obviously to last that long, you’re going to have to notch your wins along the way, but you’re not going to win every championship, you’re not going to win every trophy that’s on offer.
“But if you can keep doing what you’re doing for the next 25 years then you’ve done well.”
The role as mentor may not square easily for those who regard Postecoglou as a man who’s drive for success is based on a single-minded approach with a personality not given to reaching out to others.
But that impression is contradicted by the generous amount of time the Australian has afforded to McPake on the back of being sacked at Dens Park and the Hoops boss insists it’s a mark of respect.
He said: “I just remember when I was a young manager, if somebody who was more experienced than I or who I respected even said hello to me, I would take that with some encouragement that there was an acknowledgment there.
“I respect every manager because I know how tough it is to do this role, irrespective of what level you’re doing it at. It’s tough, particularly in today’s world where there’s no patience and James is a great example.
“With James, people will look at it and say, ‘well, things didn’t go well this year’. But you can’t dispute he has had success at that football club.
“That will help him moving forward and that’s where you’ve got to keep that perspective.
“You’re trying to have a career and if you’re going to have a career then you’re going to have to take the knocks, dust yourself off and get going again.
“That sort of helps you to constantly keep an even keel on things, not to get too carried away and not to get too down on yourself, because to accomplish something like James has done so early in his career is not easy.
“That first job you get is a tough one. If you don’t have success straight away, it could mean you never have a career, so there’s a lot of pressure on you.
“I thought James handled himself really well and he’s handled himself really well since then.
“He looks like he’s a guy who wants to have a career and he’s willing to learn from his experiences.”
