Ange Postecoglou had to remove toads from a swampy pitch before one of the most pivotal games of his career, so Sunday’s FA Cup tie on non-league Tamworth’s 3G surface holds no fears for him.
The Tottenham manager has plenty of experience of artificial pitches, including from his time in Scotland with Celtic, and he said his players would train on one at the club’s Enfield HQ on Saturday. But Postecoglou’s mind went back to his first job as a manager at South Melbourne and a make-or-break fixture in unusual conditions. It was an Oceania qualification tie for the inaugural 2000 Club World Cup and Postecoglou has vivid memories not only about what was at stake but also the surface at the stadium in Fiji.
“Warming up, there were toads we had to remove which kept jumping on the pitch,” Postecoglou said. “Toads like grass and they love ponds and there was a bit of water on there, as well, so it was a combination of things that attracted them. It was a tropical sort of environment.
“At the time, you’re kind of going: ‘Really?’ But then you realise what was at stake – a fair bit of money and the opportunity to play against some of the best teams in the world. Our president at the time, George Vasilopoulos, who is still around, had these worry beads – they got a working out that day, let me tell you. He kept thinking about our bank balance and seeing frogs and toads on the field. It’s an experience.”
South Melbourne won and progressed to Brazil, where they played Manchester United, Vasco da Gama and Necaxa; each of the ties was staged at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro – an extraordinary experience for Postecoglou’s semi-professional team. They lost all three games but only by two-goal margins. United had notoriously withdrawn from the FA Cup to compete.
“It was United’s great treble-winning team and we ended up losing 2-0,” Postecoglou said. “But we gave a decent account of ourselves. Some of my players, who were semi-pro but good footballers, probably played the best game of their lives that day. What we’re going to face at Tamworth is players hoping to do the same. That’s why you’ve always got to be respectful.”
Postecoglou said that qualifying for the Club World Cup effectively destroyed South Melbourne’s domestic season because his players became distracted and did not want to risk getting injured. Tamworth, 16th in the National League, have won just two of seven matches in all competitions since the FA Cup draw was made. Postecoglou is ready for them to punch above their weight. He has been the underdog so often during his career and is well acquainted with the script.
“I think people are tired of my stories … I feel like grandpa at the family gathering; ‘here he goes again with the old war stories’,” Postecoglou said. “But you know I have been in that position a lot. Even with the Australia national team, we played at the [2014] World Cup against the Netherlands after they had thumped Spain [5-1] in the first game. Pretty daunting. We ended up losing 3-2. I thought we were unlucky on the day.
“Football, more than any other sport, is a real leveller. And that’s because it’s still a very difficult game to score goals in and really show the difference in levels. That is what I love about the game. It allows people at all levels to dream and it’s why the FA Cup is such a great competition. I’m on the other side of the fence this time. I want to make sure that we show our capabilities.”
