Ange Postecoglou’s career in football has, literally, been something of an odyssey.

The title of Homer’s 8^th century epic poem, a work of literature born in the same homeland of Ange, the Odyssey has become a description for a journey of epic proportions – and there is perhaps no better way to sum up the life of our new man in the hot seat.

Appointed as our new Men’s First Team Head Coach on Tuesday, Ange’s career in football has taken him around the globe - quite literally – as he has put himself through quite the education in the world game.

His journey in life began in Greece back in August, 1965, as he was born in the north of the capital city Athens. The 1960s, however, was an uncertain time for Greece as the country.

After almost 30 years of division in the Mediterranean nation, a right-wing military coup – the Greek junta - took control by force which saw many citizens flee.

That included Ange and his family as, after his father lost his business as the dictatorship took hold, his parents took the brave decision to embark on a voyage to the other side of the world and build a new and better life for themselves in Australia.

Remarkably, it is a journey many Greeks made in the years of turmoil that followed the Second World War – and, with so many Greek nationals upping sticks and moving to a new country, they of course brought their culture and past times down under, including their love of the beautiful game.

With that came the foundations of new local sides in Australia, built at the heart of Greek communities. For Ange and his family, it was South Melbourne FC, and he went onto build a legacy for himself at the Club.

With football something of a refuge for Greek-Australians, who spent their weekends attending games after the hard weeks at work, South Melbourne was a pillar of the community. It was the Club which brought Ange and his father close as they shared an intense love of football – Ange’s love for the game seeing him soak up anything he could about the sport, including compiling collections of magazines, whether they be fictional stories or news and interviews with professionals in the UK, as it was a world that didn’t really exist in Oz.

With such an interest in the game, most notably the tactical element, his passion for coaching quickly emerged.

His managerial instinct was evident early on with a young Ange even coaching his peers at high school before he had even kicked-off his playing career.

A defender by trade and at one point coached by the great Ferenc Puskas, he was of such a high standard in his profession that he went on to play for his country. However, it was the challenge of management that he always longed for.

Having won two titles as a player, helping South Melbourne to their first two NSL Championships (1984 and 1991), the latter as captain, he then guided them to their next two as coach, winning back-to-back titles between 1998 and 1999.

He even led them to the Oceania Club Championship title in 1999 which qualified them for FIFA’s World Club Cup, where they took on Sir Alex Ferguson’s 1999 treble-winning Manchester United.

That was the most successful period in South Melbourne’s history and the club was even named FIFA’s Oceania Club of the Century in recognition of their achievements.

Ange embedded high standards and expectations at the club, but that was largely driven by the Greek supporters who came to matches not just expecting to see their side win, but to win well. And it is that mantra of winning well that formed the basis of Ange’s coaching principles.

This was the opportunity Ange needed, and it was one he would take in some style.

Almost needing to prove himself as a coach once more, the Australian ventured north up the Gold Coast to Brisbane Roar and headed into the club ready to make wholesale changes.

Having agreed with the owners of the club before taking charge that major alterations and adjustments needed to be made to the squad and personnel, Ange rewrote the script at Lang Park and made history.

After a difficult first few months as he got to grips with implementing his vision, making seismic changes to the playing staff and changing the style, the results started to come.

Setting out his front-footed approach, a new attacking style came to the Roar; his team played on their own terms and played not just to win games, but also to entertain along the way.

And that saw them dominate come the 2010/11 campaign as Brisbane lost just once that campaign and went 28 games unbeaten - a run lasting from the second month of the season to its final game as they won both the league and the Grand Final.

That unbeaten run was even extended into the next campaign and to a national record of 36 games before defeat to Sydney in the December. They then contrived to lose all bar one of their games that month but, after the turn of year, their form returned as they went onto enjoy a near-perfect run until the end of the season and claim a consecutive Grand Final triumph.

At the end of that campaign, and having won all he could with the Roar, Ange decided to return home to Melbourne as he took over as manager of Melbourne Victory ahead of the 2012/13 campaign.

Again, there was significant upheaval when the Australian arrived at the Docklands Stadium as he looked to set out his stall for the new campaign but, once more, success was found.

In the first transfer window alone, 21 players were moved around with 10 arriving while 11 departed, leaving Ange with almost an entirely new squad to work with.

Once more though, that brought about a slow start with three defeats suffered in his first four league games however, with time and patience, he managed to turn the ship around.

After a rocky first month, Ange's ideas and principles started to take effect and, by the time the New Year dawned, Victory had suffered only one other defeat - and it was mid February before another home loss was tasted.

Ultimately, two wins in their final eight games of the regular season saw Victory miss out on a place in the A-League's top two, however they did reach the Grand Finals once more. Unfortunately, they bowed out in the semi-finals with a narrow 1-0 defeat to the Central Coast Mariners.

Yet, despite no silverware in the season, the campaign had once again shown Ange's ability to turn around a team.

Into the new campaign, and after taking on Liverpool in front of a crowd of 95,000 at the MCG in the summer, Ange enjoyed an unbeaten start to the campaign. His quality in the technical area was again clear to see and that got heads turning, especially with his nation struggling on the pitch.

A month later, Ange was appointed as the new Head Coach of Japanese J1 League side Yokohama F. Marinos.

In what was another complete change in culture and environment for the Australian, it provided another chance for him to gain further experience and education as well as challenge himself in a stronger domestic league.

While he adjusted to his new surroundings, getting to grips with a new country and language while he began to mould his squad, it was naturally a slow start to life in Japan for Ange but, of course, he would turn it around.

In his first season, he suffered a mixed bag of results and ultimately led Marinos to 12th in the league however, performances were improving as his style of play was bedded in, and that showed in the J1 League Cup as the Japanese club enjoyed their best run in the competition in 17 years, finishing as runners-up to Shonan Bellmare following a narrow 1-0 defeat in the final.

And, with further tactical changes, came even greater success in his second season in Yokohama.

Despite finishing 12th in his first season, it was a completely transformational second term as his side took the league by storm.

Once more, it was a slow start to the campaign as the Marinos built up their rhythm but, once they hit the mid point of the season, there was no stopping them with wins almost a weekly occurrence. That was particularly apparent in their final 11 games as they dropped just two points in their run to the title.

That included a 3-0 win over their nearest rivals on the final day to secure the championship - their first title in 15 years. That title win also secured them a return to the Champions League for the first time in six seasons.

In the middle of that season, Ange had the chance to go head-to-head with Premier League opposition as Manchester City visited Japan for a friendly. Pep Guardiola's side ran out 3-1 winners at the Nissan Stadium but Marinos certainly made known their quality under Postecoglou with his opposite number describing the Japanese side's play as 'incredible'.

After three-and-a-half years, Ange decided to depart Yokohama to take on a new challenge, but what was noticeable was the impact that the Australian had made in Japan. His approach to football was so different to what the country had previously seen that his time there could almost be described as revolutionary. He had an enormous impact on not just the Marinos, but the country as a whole.

Having achieved all he could domestically in Scotland, a new challenge was needed for Ange and, on Tuesday (6 June), that new venture was confirmed.

Appointed as our new Men's First Team Head Coach earlier this week, Ange put pen to paper on a four year deal with the Club ahead of officially getting started in north London on 1 July.

Set to become the first Australian to ever manage in the Premier League, Ange set out his stall on Friday afternoon (9 June) in his first message to supporters.

Speaking to SPURSPLAY cameras on his first visit to Hotspur Way, our Head Coach expressed his excitement ahead of embarking on his first campaign in England and stepping out at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time.

Ange also intimated his plans for pre-season and what he hopes to build in his first few months in north London.

"Hi everyone, it’s great to finally get started as the manager of this great football club," he beamed. "I’m really looking forward to our task ahead.

"I think it’s an exciting opportunity for us to now set off in a new direction, play football and create an environment that embodies the values and traditions of this fantastic football club, hopefully a team you can all be proud of and, more importantly, get excited by.

"I can assure you that, right through pre-season, we won’t leave any stone unturned – myself, the staff and the players – to make sure that, when the league comes around, you’ll all be as excited as I am about the season ahead.

"I really look forward to seeing everyone at the stadium, in particular at our first home game, and look forward to the journey ahead."