Ange Postecoglou

I get your reasoning, but I don't think it'll pan out that way.

At 55, Ange is at the pinnacle of his career, having landed the Celtic job. I think he'll stay on for as long as he thinks there's any chance at all to turn things around. That of course hinges on him being given time. Lots of time, by the looks of it.

 

That makes it all the worse, I don't even know where the * they come from, they are that insignificant and will still do a job on us if we don't improve drastically

 

Yip.. I've repeatedly said he needs more time. We're going around in circles now. He needs more time but can get criticism for some of his decisions yesterday and previously and if we continue to lose games and he makes * decisions he will continue to get criticised by me at least.

 

Had the board showed some ambition and brought in our top target in Eddie Howe, and properly backed him, you may well have seen all of the above. As soon as he walked away, and then Kennedy and Strachan remained in place, it didn’t take a genius to work out what the issue was. Now we see how the transfer window has gone and it just backs up why Howe isn’t here. That is all down to the board, and should be what we are all angry about. Take Postecoglou out of the equation.

 

I think it's understandable people are questioning the tactics, substitutions, the team's defending, the results so far, all of that. That's just what supporters do, whether it be a European qualifier, the first game of the season or a meaningless friendly. Ange himself admitted last night that they need to be winning that game, and that conceding that set piece goal wasn't good enough.

However, any criticism should be tempered with an honest appraisal of the situation we're in. Last year we finished 25 points behind, so clearly the squad as a whole wasn't good enough. And of that already lacking squad, how many have left: 12? And they've been replaced by 3 first team players, only one of whom was realistically ready to appear last night. So currently the squad's in a worse position than last season, with a new manager trying to implement a different style of play. I know this isn't news to anybody, yet it seems to be discounted by some. Despite what some of my countrymen would have you believe, he's not a magician and that is a big, big task for any manager.

It's clear that the time it took Ange to build his Yokohama team won't be afforded to him here, not by the fans and presumably not by the board. It already feels like a win is desperately needed, not only because the games coming up are crucial to achieving any relative success this season, but also as some sort of sign that what he's trying to implement can work here.

Incidentally, I don't fully buy that this group of players can't play his system. He got Australia playing fast, attacking, pass and move football, and we were made up of predominately A-League level players and big oafs like Mile Jedinak, who weren't particularly great on the ball. Obviously new players are needed and two new fullbacks in particular would help, but ultimately whether it works or not is squarely on him, not the players, because if he persists with this style of play (which, spoiler alert: he will) results have to come from it regardless of the personnel, and soon. But crucially at the moment, he doesn't have options to change things up. If one player doesn't fit, it doesn't look like he A) has the authority to ship that player out and B) he doesn't have the depth in the squad to replace them in the starting line-up. That part of it is squarely on the board.

I think the fans who raised the point early on about expectations here being way different from anything he's previously experienced were spot on. Not because he can't cope with the pressure, but instead that the nature of this job is just hugely different from anything previous.

Brisbane Roar were bottom-dwellers before he lead them to consecutive titles, so he was afforded time to implement his methods. Australia had never really done anything on the International stage, so reaching the World Cup and performing admirably was seen as a success, even before winning the Asian Cup. Yokohama was a somewhat similar situation to Brisbane, being a mid-table club who hadn't won for 15 years.

Although there is expectation in all those jobs, it's not the same as a job where finishing second is a catastrophe and anything less than that, unthinkable. Make no mistake, his reputation is on the line here, and this not working out could mean it's his one and only shot at managing a decent side in Europe. He's not an idiot and will be fully aware of this. Whatever you say about his tactics or substitutions, one thing not in doubt is that he'll be working his * off to make this work: hopefully the board, however unlikely, give him the support he needs. Because if he's backed and ultimately fails, fair enough, he wasn't good enough. But essentially being set up to fail is a bitter pill to swallow.

 

If they sold both, they would be in trouble. But Morelos' aggressive personality is helping them- it's driving away suitors. They are betting on getting out of debt with regular CL money, over 4-5 seasons.

 

Which is why the board will get it stinking next week for the first of what I assume will be many protests against them..

I'll hazard a guess that most of them will be nowhere to be seen..

 

Do you honestly believe that nobody would have criticised him for starting 18 year old Murray and 21 year old Welsh away to Hearts if we'd conceded similar goals and Starfelt was there sitting on the bench? I don't buy it.

 

Welsh has been our best defender and he got dropped for the guy who has let us down badly already this season, and failed to mark his man for the goal to lose 2-1.

That lack of judgement is a bigger problem. Check before the game when the squad was announced. We all knew Bitton would be an issue.

 

Think it’s Kennedy picking the team. Until we get rid of him and Strachan nothing will change IMO.

 

Once isn’t really good enough though.

Thing is for me we had enough quality to beat Hearts last night and we didn’t.

That falls on the manager regardless what the board are doing we had enough in our locker to beat them and we didn’t.

Thing is you can’t compare him to Rodgers if I’m honest, he not managed in Europe or even in a top league.

I get what you are saying about the board using him as a buffer but if they don’t get him the players in yes they are at fault but that doesn’t mean he is free from being criticised.

He got so many things wrong last night it falls on him, board causing issues or not.

 

But he didn't start them and the two defenders he picked * up and we lost so he gets the flack. You might not have noticed but that's how it works in football management. The better managers usually get more of these calls right than wrong.

 

The way they see it spending before Champions League qualification is too much of a risk to take. It doesn't guarantee qualification and instead if we fail and we then go on to make a loss the shareholders are up in arms and Directors answer to them. We are run as a risk averse business where the bottom line is guaranteeing a decent dividend. The fans still buy merchandise, season tickets and a whole host of all things Celtic. The Board will only respond if this becomes an issue

 

The fans must make the shareholders sell their shares, then.

 

He needs his own support team in to help him .
Tha 2 idiots Kennedy and Strachan should have told him that Jamesy is the worst left winger in the world .

 

Id have said thats as poor a hearts side as we have played at Tynecastle in a long time though.

 

The huns just won the league undefeated with only a plan A. They drilled that into them and mediocre players adapted.

If we sign a LB and a RB then we still need Taylor and Ralston to be able to slot in and play the system to an ok standard, you only achieve that by playing the system.

If you want to go back to Lennon being manager and having no identity, no system, no plan, then go ahead.

 

Nope. Kyogo played for Vissel Kobe. Ange was at Yokohama Marinos

 

I watched both theirs and our game yesterday.

They didn't field their strongest team. Yet, based on what was on display yesterday, how many in Celtic's starting XI would walk into theirs?

They are no great shakes, but the state of Celtic's squad at the moment is outrageous.

Ange needs backing. In this window, as well as the next to begin with. The same of course applies had the club hired someone else.