Anton McElhone On Elite Performance, Postecoglou’s Celtic, Spurs, MLS And Besiktas | OneFootball

An interview with Anton McElhone, by Callum McFadden for WFi.

You’ve held a number of high-profile roles in football, but your time at Celtic under Ange Postecoglou stands out. What did your role as Head of Sports Science involve on a day-to-day basis, and what does that period mean to you personally?

“My journey into football started when I got injured at 19 as a youth player. I believe that I was a decent player, but that injury changed everything. During my rehab, I really fell in love with exercise, rehabilitation, strength and conditioning, and the science behind performance.

“Through rehab, I fell in love with exercise, strength and conditioning, rehabilitation, and sports science. That became my pathway into football. I wasn’t a pure academic, my background was always coaching-led.

“I studied at Paisley University, and my physio at the time was Brian Scott, the former Celtic physio. Through that connection, I found myself at Celtic Park in 2002, just before the UEFA Cup Final in Seville. The Head of Sports Science then was Dr Kenny McMillan, who’s now working in the Middle East. Kenny told me very clearly: if you want to work in football, this is the route.

“From about the age of 22, my ambition was to work at Celtic as a sports scientist. It took 17 years for that opportunity to arrive, but when it did, it came at the right stage of my career.

“I’m a Celtic supporter, so working at the club you grew up supporting is a massive honour. Ange recruited me, but I was employed by the club, not by him personally. I was brought in through a recruitment process, interviewed by Michael Nicholson, with Ange fully supportive of the appointment.

“My remit was clear: improve fitness, address injury issues, modernise the use of data, and provide leadership across the department. I joined three months into the season, which made it even more challenging.

“I oversaw around six staff across the first team, B team, academy and women’s team. I’d worked in the Premier League and MLS, and that experience was what Ange wanted, someone who understood the demands of high-intensity football, congested schedules, and European competition. The role was wide-ranging and relentless, but it was a perfect fit culturally.”

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Celtic were coming off a difficult season before Ange arrived. How challenging was it to implement change, and how did success begin to take shape?

“It was extremely difficult at the start. Everything was done remotely, and I joined in mid-September after Celtic had just lost away to Livingston. They’d already lost three league games.

“Ange hadn’t brought in his own staff, the club already had excellent people in place, like John Kennedy, Gavin Strachan, Steve McManus, and Stevie Woods. Nobody had been sacked in my department, the previous leader of the department chose to leave the club to pursue other opportunities, and the club had just come off a season that followed years of dominance.

“That made the challenge even bigger. How do you change culture in a club that has already been successful? How do you convince players like Joe Hart and Callum McGregor that things still need to improve?

“My role was to support the manager. Ange was my direct line manager; I reported to no one else. We spoke daily. My responsibility was to ensure he had fit, robust players capable of executing his football.

“The first three months were extremely tough. We introduced new interventions in training, recovery, and match-day preparation, but we also went through a major injury crisis. Leading into the League Cup Final, we were picking up one or two hamstring injuries almost every game.

“The final itself was pivotal. Kyogo Furuhashi had a grade 2B hamstring injury and was, in theory, ruled out. Ange asked whether there was any chance of getting him back within ten days. It was a massive ask, but it was a final.

“We worked collaboratively as a department. I led the rehab, having managed similar cases at Tottenham. Kyogo came back, scored twice, and we won the final. That moment bought Ange time and belief.

“From there, we stabilised, got to the winter break, and gradually returned the squad to full fitness. From late 2021 into 2022, we went a year unbeaten in the league. I’m not claiming credit, but we provided Ange with a consistently fit, available squad. From that point on, Celtic became the dominant force again and went on to win the treble.”

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“John Kennedy led training periodisation, and he was outstanding. My staff and I worked closely with him. If players needed managing, if workloads needed adjusting, we’d discuss it constantly.

“We influenced warm-ups, gym work, conditioning, and individual training, but we didn’t dictate sessions. Ange wanted front-foot, high-press football, so our job was to ensure players could sustain that physically.

“It was a genuine collaboration, performance, medical, and coaching staff working together.”

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What was Ange Postecoglou like to work with up close?

“He’s a colossus. A legendary leader. His clarity, people management, and understanding of the game are elite.

“You always knew what was required. He held people accountable but trusted staff to do their jobs. If he’d stayed longer at Celtic, I genuinely believe further European success was possible. We went to places like Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen playing fearless football.

“He’s a Premier League level manager, and he’s proven that.”

“Tottenham shaped me. I spent ten seasons there, and the environment was exceptional.

“I worked under Harry Redknapp, Andre Villas-Boas, Tim Sherwood, and Mauricio Pochettino. John McDermott, Alex Inglethorpe, and Chris Ramsey, the level of coaching talent was outstanding.

“Mauricio Pochettino was phenomenal. He showed us what elite football truly looks like: standards, organisation, intensity, culture. His staff, Jesus Perez, Tony Jimenez, and Miguel D’Agostino, were exceptional educators.

“What’s remarkable is how many coaches came through Spurs and are now working at the highest level: Kieran McKenna, Matt Wells, Ryan Mason, Justin Cochrane. It was a genuine breeding ground for coaching talent.

“European coaching structures are different. Assistants aren’t always ex-players, they can be performance coaches, analysts, or sports scientists. Jose Mourinho himself started as a fitness coach. That shaped how I see football leadership today.”

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“Boston was a phenomenal experience for my family and career. New England Revolution is one of the original MLS clubs, owned by the New England Patriots, which brought elite standards.

“MLS is often underestimated. At the time, players like Alphonso Davies and Miguel Almiron were in the league. Brad Friedel was a fantastic leader, it was his first managerial role, and he wanted front-foot football.

“The league presents unique challenges: travel, climate, recovery, time zones. But it’s incredibly competitive. There are now 30 teams with top facilities and financial parity, something you don’t see elsewhere.

“Brad also played a key role in taking me to Besiktas. Professionally and personally, MLS was a hugely rewarding experience.”

“Unbelievable. Istanbul is stunning, and Turkish football is tribal, emotional, and relentless.

“Working with Giovanni van Bronckhorst was a privilege. He’s a top manager and person. We beat Galatasaray 5-0, qualified for Europe, and developed young players like Semih Kilicsoy and Mustafa Hekimoglu.

“The club had finished 40 points behind Galatasaray the season before we arrived. Our job was to stabilise, rebuild belief, and close that gap.

“Turkish football is unforgiving, you can lose your job after two defeats, but we knew that going in. I’d love to have stayed longer, but that’s football.”

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“To work with good people at the highest level possible. I’m open to working abroad again, it’s always about timing and opportunity.

“I want to win, play proactive football, and enjoy the game. Football is an entertainment sport, and it should always be enjoyed.”