Tottenham fans might be a little concerned about Ange Postecoglou's lack of experience but there aren't many managers who can say they've guided a non-league side to Champions League glory!
The former Celtic boss will become the first Australian to manage in the Premier League next season after joining Spurs on a four-year deal, and although just three of his 27 years in management have been spent in Europe, his knowledge of the continent's premier club competition is more extensive than you might think.
In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald back in 2020, Postecoglou revealed a secret love for iconic PC game Football Manager and claimed he once won the Champions League with Southend United after taking over at the club when they were in League Two.
"I had to knock back some big clubs to stay the course," he said. "I used journeymen and loaners to get out of the lower divisions, then bought young unknowns from Italy and South America. I didn't mess about with tactics – I just wheeled and dealed. Harry Redknapp on steroids."
READ MORE: Footage resurfaces of Ange Postecoglou swearing at players, ranting and punching wall
If the 57-year-old can inspire anything close to the same kind of meteoric rise at Tottenham there'll be plenty of happy faces in north London – and here's hoping they treat him better than Southend did in the virtual world.
"I got sacked six months after winning the Champions League," Postecoglou admitted, "I'd knocked back Juventus, Real Madrid and the England national team before then.
"No loyalty after everything I did for them. I was gutted. Hopefully got a statue there."
Which trophy does Postecoglou have the best chance of winning at Spurs? Let us know in the comments section below
Postecoglou has 21 major honours to his name, the most prestigious of which have come in the last decade during spells with Celtic, Yokohama F. Marinos and the Australian national team, but his Champions League triumph with Southend shouldn't be sniffed at either.
As Football Manager enthusiasts everywhere will tell you, the game isn't so much a game as it is freakishly-accurate simulator. Clubs around the world use its extensive player database as a scouting network and the developers, Sports Interactive, have been widely praised for the level of detail, ingenuity and precision built into every yearly edition.
Leading Southend to European glory might not have been a 'real' achievement, but as Reims manager Will Still has proven, Football Manager expertise can translate into genuine managerial competence – and by the looks of things, Postecoglou has that in spades.
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