Mile Jedinak will reunite with Ange Postecoglou on Saturday as the pair get down to work at Hotspur Way. Named as Tottenham's new head coach at the beginning of June, the Australian's coaching team was finally confirmed on Tuesday ahead of the start of pre-season training.
Appointing Chris Davies as senior assistant coach, Jedinak has joined Ryan Mason and Matt Wells as one of Postecoglou's three assistant coaches. Retiring from the game in 2019 following his spell with Aston Villa, the 38-year-old has continued to work at Villa Park and has taken up roles as youth coach and loan development coach with the Villans.
Having that experience in the game and also in his coaching role at Aston Villa, the former Australia captain will be looking to make an instant mark in N17. Jedinak and Postecoglou do know each other very well following their time together with the Socceroos, first working together 20 years ago.
Initially playing for Postecoglou at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championships, the midfielder then went on to the senior side and eventually captained his country when Postecoglou was in charge. Speaking to YouTube channel 67 Hail Hail, Jedinak discussed his past with the 57-year-old and eventually taking on the honour of representing his country a couple of games into the head coach's Australia tenure.
"2003 I was in his squad for the World Cup in the [United Arab] Emirates," he revealed. "First time we had worked together and first sort of time I had got the opportunity to play for the young national team and it was he that was manager."
On Postecoglou's decision to name him captain in May 2014 ahead of the World Cup in Brazil, he added: "Again, it was a long time between drinks as they say. We sort of went on different pathways and different journeys.
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"I think at the time when he was made national team boss that the timing of it was the right fit I suppose. I was doing my thing and captaining my club at the time and I'm sure that would have had a part to play in it. I had an understanding of what was required and how I did things back at the club I was playing at at the time which was Crystal Palace.
"The national team you always knew sort of what you were going to get, the lads were there for each other and we wanted to get the best out of each other. I was seen as an integral part in helping and being one of the members in the team that could help do that and he sort of gave me that privilege and bestowed the captaincy on me.
"I took it with both arms but I loved the opportunity to be able to do it. Like I said, those decisions don't get made lightly but the fact that I was the one that had to wear the armband on the day (2015 Asian Cup final), it could have been a number of other players as well."
Postecoglou does like to keep his distance from his players but taking on the captain's armband meant that Jedinak became closer to him.
"Yeah fortunately I think so," he said. "I think he knew what I was about and he understood that if I had anything that I needed to discuss and vice-versa we would just do it.
"It was always around the best interests of what the group would do, and I'm not talking about this wasn't all the time and frequent, but you just had this understanding. I think obviously it was a massive respect on my behalf towards him but he understood that from our side and he understood that from my own side within the group as well.
"We just understood the situation and more around understanding the situation that was needed rather than anything else."
Tottenham fans, and players for that matter, may have already got an insight into Postecoglou's team meetings, with one iconic speech from his time as Australia boss there for all to see on YouTube. When asked about the meetings with the head coach, Jedinak opened up on what exactly they are like and how Postecoglou managed to get his players raring to go and set to battle on the pitch long before kick-off.
"I think it depends on the situation, I think it depends on what sort of game. It's always going to be a poignant message I think would be the main thing," said the former Crystal Palace player when asked about his message to the players.
"Team meetings you would always find out the team of what was going to happen in the game and then you always had the message of what the boss wanted to say after that. We'd go through what we would do tactically a little bit, who was going to be involved, asked to do what and the usual stuff.
"Then there would always be a message of whatever that needed to look like and a lot of the lads used to come out of the meeting and be like 'I'm ready to go!'. I'm like 'just calm down, we've got some time yet,' but it was designed to go and do that. It was designed to go and evoke those emotions, allow you time to sort of settle and then focus pure and simply on the game, the build up and then go out and perform when you had to at the stadium.
"That preparation at the stadium was always given to you. If there was anything key that needed to be said it was almost amongst the players and every now and then it would be a member of staff or the boss could say something right before we went out and then you're on your way."
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