Ange Postecoglou claims that there will always be difficulties for Australian football.

• Tottenham manager shares views on state of game in Australia
• ‘I don’t think too much has changed,’ says ex-Socceroos coach

TFD – Ange Postecoglou, former Socceroos coach, shares his views on the enduring challenges in Australian football and the remarkable success stories like Central Coast. Despite facing funding issues and criticism, he believes those who can navigate these difficulties are well-positioned for global success.

Former Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou believes Australian football is still riven by the problems that influenced his decision to leave the country, but those who can succeed in the tough environment are well placed for global success.

Ahead of Wednesday’s friendly against Newcastle United at the MCG, the Tottenham manager remarked, “Sometimes in the most barren ground, mate, the most beautiful things grow and I certainly think that’s the case for football,” at a business lunch in Melbourne.

Postecoglou stated that he still keeps a close eye on Australian sports, adding that most mornings he will watch A-League matches from his office at the Spurs training complex. However, he hesitated when asked what he thought about the situation of football in his country.

He asked, “How long have we got?” to the room’s hilarity. “I don’t think too much has changed, I think there’s great endeavour to keep improving the game, and there’s obviously some challenges here. They may remain there indefinitely as they have always been.

In the past, Postecoglou has criticized football for receiving less funding in Australia than other disciplines and claimed that detractors discredited him while he was the Socceroos coach.

A decision to lower the amount of money teams will receive from league organizer APL has presented new hurdles for the A-Leagues in recent weeks. In a related development, three Macarthur players were arrested on Friday for suspected betting corruption.

Despite the challenges that Australian football faces, Postecoglou stated that those who can weather the storm will be well-positioned for success abroad.

Postecoglou remarked, “I’ve always felt it’s not the most fertile ground, but whatever does the ground, is pretty nice.” “Anything that breaks through in this football scene is really amazing because it has an impact all over the world.

Australians have enjoyed success in Europe recently. Matildas players feature for several of Europe’s best sides, Socceroos captain Jackson Irvine and teammate Connor Metcalfe helped St Pauli back to the Bundesliga, and defender Alessandro Circati was a regular as Parma won Italy’s Serie B.

Postecoglou expressed his excitement for this weekend’s A-League grand final between Melbourne Victory and Central Coast.

“Central Coast have been a great story, not just for their success and the manner they’ve done it, a lot of young players through, [former coach] Nick Montgomery did an outstanding job, and the new manager [Mark Jackson] has come in and taken over and progressed it even further,” he said. “This ought to be an exciting game.”