Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou reveals the real Celtic reason behind urge to inflict derby pain upon Rangers

Ange Postecoglou has revealed his ultimate Celtic desire behind wanting to beat Rangers.

The Tottenham boss is preparing for the North London derby this weekend as Arsenal face his Spurs team. He knows all about the importance of derby day bragging rights, having just traded Glasgow for the English capital, where he was involved in many Rangers vs Celtic bouts.

His Old Firm record reads as won six, drew two and lost three. Those three defeats came at the start of his Hoops rebuild, in a Scottish Cup semi-final after extra time and at Ibrox when his team had already clinched the league.

Postecoglou spent two years at Celtic before joining Tottenham last summer, winning five of the available six domestic trophies on offer at Parkhead. The reasons for wanting to beat Rangers extended beyond derby day though, with a keen eye on title glory come the end of the season.

He told Football London: “I want to win and I understand the importance of winning against your rival. I’ve just come down from Glasgow. I’ve got a fair idea about what derbies mean to supporters.

“I never believe your motivation should revolve around the demise of somebody else. Your motivation should be about yourself. I want to win because I want us to achieve something.

“I want us to progress. I want us to be in a position fighting for the title. That’s what drives me, not the demise. If that’s your kind of measure, always peering over the back fence to see what your neighbour’s building you could both have the worst houses in the street because everyone else is building beautiful places and you’re looking over the back fence.

“I never wanted to win those games because it meant Rangers would lose. I wanted to win as I wanted us to win the title.”