Mr Motivator

Matt: Ange made us feel invincible in Brisbane so he can whip Hoops back into shape after horror season

- Paul Murphy

Former Brisbane Roar skipper Matt Smith claims Ange Postecoglou made his team feel “invincible” when they were the dominant force in Australian football a decade ago.

Under the new Celtic boss, Smith went from starting out in professional football at the age of 27 to earning three caps for Australia and winning three A-League championships.

And Smith highlighted Postecoglou’s qualities as a motivator and tactician when he said, “The amount of belief he instilled into that group made it feel we were invincible.”

It was quite the turnaround for the English-born center-back who spent seven years in Portsmouth’s academy before taking an unconventional route to success under Postecoglou almost 10 years later.

Smith earned his first full professional contract when former Rangers midfielder Ian Ferguson took him to North Queensland Fury in 2009. While Smith is forever grateful to Ferguson for taking a chance on him, it was Postecoglou who transformed the way he played.

“A lot of how I play and understand the game now was due to the impact that Ange had on my career,” said Smith.