Their relationship started badly. And now Ange Postecoglou is running rings around Rangers, it’s being tested once again.
But, as much as Craig Moore can’t stand the sight of his old club being forced to settle for second best, he can’t help but feel some pride in the fact that it’s a fellow Aussie who is inflicting the damage. Speaking in the latest episode of our Off the Record podcast, the former Ibrox skipper lifts the lid on the bad-tempered bust-up with Big Ange in Brisbane which got the pair of them off on the wrong foot.
Moore reveals how they later built a friendship working together with the Socceroos – only for Postecoglou to go and ruin it all by securing back-to-back league titles in Glasgow’s East End and leading the charge towards a potential domestic clean sweep. And shattering a long held myth about the standard of Australian managers in the process.
Moore said: “There’s always been a side to me that loves Scotland – I love everything that it’s done for me – but I’m Australian. And I know how sometimes the Aussies need to work extra hard.
“That opportunity to get to Europe doesn’t happen too often. But we know what we’re doing! And Ange coming in, the job that he’s done at Celtic has been incredible. Am I surprised? Unfortunately no because I worked with him and knew what he was all about. I knew the desire and hunger within.
“You look at John Brady who’s just got promoted at Northampton, an Aussie coach doing extremely well. Kevin Muscat, a good friend, doing extremely well in Japan.
“So whether it be players or whether it be coaches, the good ones are very, very good in my opinion. I would love to bring more Australian coaches here but it’s very hard in Scotland because they like to recycle what’s already here.
“But Australian coaches – the best ones – they actually run the whole football club in Australia because they have to. Because the admin and the suits are probably not that experienced.
“But we’ve had that idea and we’ve had that experience. You talk about media, you talk about salary caps which are in Australia, you talk about medical departments, recruitment, you talk about managing CEOs and managing owners. The good Australian coaches have got it all covered plus they can go and coach on the grass.”
Moore, now working as an agent, believes Postecoglou has already cemented his credentials as a trailblazer from Down Under. And yet he recalls his first fiery meeting with the Celtic boss at the tail end of his own playing career in the A-League, where he returned as a marquee signing after a glittering 12- year career at Ibrox and stints with Crystal Palace, Borussia Monchengladbach and Newcastle.
Moore said: “When I first went back out to Australia I was at Brisbane Roar. Ange came in just as I was leaving the club. We had a bit of a run-in but we’re grown men – we forgive and forget – and we’ve got a great relationship.
“There was a meeting and he was probably trying to use his motivation on the group. Maybe he said a thing or two that I wasn’t overly delighted with! But it was all good. Then he got the job at the national team and I’m thinking, ‘Oh no, we probably didn’t finish off on a great note at Brisbane!’.
“So I picked up the phone and said, ‘Listen Ange, I’m in Melbourne and I’d love to catch up with you. You’re national team coach now but I’ve been doing this role in terms of mentoring and helping the FA with a lot of information about the players overseas. You may or may not want that to continue!’ We met – we had an hour – and had a really great chat. We both agreed we were hugely passionate about Australian football and wanted to continue to make an impact.
“We shook hands and everything was kind of forgotten. But you know what? That also shows the kind of man that he is. He’s just big on getting the right people. As long as people are doing their jobs and doing their jobs properly then he can focus on other things, that’s the way he likes to operate. He’s done a wonderful job and we have huge respect for one another. Would I have loved the success to be at Rangers? Absolutely. Does it hurt me that he’s having that success at Celtic? Yes it does.
“But there’s that little bit in me that’s saying, ‘You know what? He’s an Aussie and I’m glad he’s doing well’.”
Moore expects Postecoglou to move to England’s Premier League – perhaps even as soon as next summer – but he’s also convinced his old sparring partner will be hell-bent on proving his Angeball theory can cut it in the Champions League. Postecoglou’s first crack at European football’s premier event proved to be a rather bruising, unsatisfactory experience.
Moore added: “He’s just a big believer in the beauty of the game but more importantly about the way he wants to play. He didn’t get off to the best start in his first six games but he didn’t wobble.
"He still had a strong belief in terms of what he wanted to achieve, what was there and what he needed to bring to the table to be able to play a style of football that they delivered now consistently. He’s been very good. But when I hear people say, especially after some of the European results, ‘He’s got to change, he’s got to change’. I just start laughing because he ain’t changing! He’ll just want to get better at what he’s doing.”
