‘Blew my mind’ – Joe Hart on How Postecoglou Transformed His Tactical Understanding at Celtic

Former Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart has explained how beneficial it was to work under Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers in Glasgow, admitting the Aussie blew his mind with his tactical nouss.

The veteran stopper joined the Hoops in 2021 amidst a wholesale rebuild after the fabled Covid season.

There were natural question marks over the Englishman’s acquisition, but throughout his tenure at Parkhead, Hart proved to be a reliable stopper who, in the twilight of his career, gave his all for the Hoops.

Previously in his playing days, particularly under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, Hart was snubbed because of his inability to play out from the back.

At Celtic, though, Postecoglou and Rodgers helped develop said side of Hart’s Game, proving you can teach an old dog new tricks after all.

Indeed, the 37-year-old, who retired at the end of last season, has admitted Postecoglou’s way of working ‘blew his mind’ and helped him comprehend the modern way of Football much more clearly, which his previous managers didn’t.

“My last three managers in England, David Moyes, Sean Dyche, [and] Jose Mourinho, were very much [about] hard work, dedication, learning what you need to do and going out and performing,” explained Hart (BBC 5 Live).

“Then I went and had three years – two of them with Ange Postecoglou and one of them with Brendan Rodgers. Ange Postecoglou blew my mind because he really opened me up.

“I always thought playing out from the back, does that mean I have to do Cruyff turns, pick passes? No, it doesn’t; it means I need to stand on the ball and make sure my centre halves are on either side of me; my six is showing.

“I’m not playing out for the sake of it. I’m playing out to score.

“All these things come together, and it’s a totally different Game.

“I feel truly blessed because I would be out of my depth sat here three years ago trying to have this conversation [about playing out from the back].”

The significant impact Postecoglou and Rodgers both had on Hart during his time at Celtic improved him not only on the pitch, but in his ventures into media and punditry.

The ex-shot-stopper has been a breath of fresh air on commentary, radio, and the like since his retirement and undoubtedly has a prosperous post-playing career ahead of him.