Ange Postecoglou expects raucous Ibrox reception as Spurs face Rangers

Ange Postecoglou says he knows what kind of reception to expect when the former Celtic manager leads his Spurs side out against Rangers on Thursday.

The Australian is back in Glasgow on Europa League duty and hoping Tottenham can take three valuable points as they look to book a place in the last 16 of the competition.

Postecoglou won five of the six domestic trophies available to him in his time at Celtic manager but his record in games at Ibrox wasn’t quite as dominant. In four trips across the city he had one win, one draw and four defeats and he admitted the experiences were mixed, though he savoured the occasions.

Asked if he expected a special reception on Thursday, he said: “I think you know what kind of reception I’ll get.

“I loved it. It was different experiences, mixed.

“I think the first one we were here we lost and then the next one when we only had 500-600 in the building we won and that was pretty special. But I’ve enjoyed all the games against Rangers, all the derbies, the big games here at Scotland obviously and usually very significant games.

“They’re either title deciders or cup knockouts. So they’re always big games and I enjoyed them all. I enjoyed the atmosphere. Obviously European nights here, it’s going to be something you want to be a part of and hopefully overcome.’”

He believes that the passion and noise are an integral part of the spectacle of football and that he would always prefer a hostile atmosphere to none at all.

“Once you experience football in empty stadiums, you realise how meaningless it is,” Postecoglou said. “As much as you think it could be hostile tomorrow, that’s what we love about the game. That’s what brings it to life. Ultimately it is a game the evokes passions and emotions.

“Like every human being, you’d love it to be positive but it’s not going to happen. You definitely want that as opposed to playing the game somewhere sterile where you don’t have that.”

Recent results have put the Spurs boss under scrutiny but he knows that a positive result would be significant for their European ambitions and that this was a game he had been anticipating since the start of the competition.

“When the draw came out, it was the one that was of most interest to me because of my history up here,” he said. “It should be a good game and in the context of where we are in Europe, it’s an important game for both clubs.

“A positive result gets you a good way to getting through to the knockout stages so I’m looking forward to it.”