Ange Postecoglou

True. The stamp of a man who was drinking in hun holes, up at their games making himself busy when a fellow professional was under pressure..

A rat and a very sleekit one at that..

 

Loved the questions and answers where Ange was talking about football and tactics, rather than the usual soundbite fishing pish he gets asked.

 

love him

 

It’s the equivalent of junk time mate… what a man!

 

Ange Postecoglou irked by Celtic scrutiny talk as boss turns deaf ear with 'doesn't penetrate' retort
Ange Postecoglou has shot down any notion that his Celtic side are open to scrutiny following a run of just one win in four Premiership matches either side of being declared champions


Celtic were held to a 1-1 draw at Parkhead by Motherwell last month before clinching the title with a 2-0 win at Hearts on May 7. Since then, they have lost 3-0 to Rangers at Ibrox before again dropping points at home to St Mirren in a 2-2 draw.

It is a sequence of results out of keeping with a scintilliating season for Postecoglou's side, who will attempt to get back to winning ways against Hibs at Easter Road on Wednesday night before finishing the campaign at home to Aberdeen on Saturday when they will be presented with the league trophy. But any notion that Celtic’s form is under the microscope due to the demands on the club during the meaningless end of season fixtures ahead of next month's Scottish Cup final against Inverness was given short shrift by the Australian head coach.


“I don’t know, mate. That doesn’t penetrate my world," Postecoglou said. "I don’t know what the analysis is but from my perspective, we have won the league again. That was fantastic and we won it in stronger fashion than we did last year, which was the objective. Now we have a cup final to look forward to. Beyond that, we are in a position where we have accomplished what we need to and we are enjoying the fact we are champions again. If people want to try to take the joy out of that in some shape or form, then that’s their prerogative. But it won’t affect the way we feel and what we do.


We are in that space of where we have done what we needed to do and won the league. We want to enjoy our last few games and that’s what we will do, while also preparing for the final. We have only one game, mate. We haven’t lost 15. It’s not like we have to go back too long to know what a win feels like. It’s just a matter of getting through the next few games, enjoying them and then getting game-time for the guys."

 

Ange Postecoglou has insisted he won’t let killjoys spoil the fun of winning trophies with Celtic.

A somewhat prickly Parkhead boss came out swinging on Tuesday after his side’s form came under scrutiny following a defeat and a draw in back-to-back matches against Rangers and St Mirren. Postecoglou takes his side to face Hibs away tonight in the league while focussing on the end of season showpiece of a Scottish Cup Final clash with Inverness Caley Thistle.

And, although he’s been boosted by the return to training of Alistair Johnston ahead of that Hampden showdown, Postecoglou appeared irked by suggestions that his team may have hit an end of season wobble. Asked about the reaction following successive blips he said: “I don’t know, mate. That doesn’t penetrate my world. I don’t know what the analysis is but from my perspective, we have won the league again. That was fantastic and we won it in stronger fashion than we did last year, which was the objective. Now we have a cup final to look forward to.

“Beyond that, we are in a position where we have accomplished what we need to and we are enjoying the fact we are champions again. If people want to try to take the joy out of that in some shape or form, then that’s their prerogative. But it won’t affect the way we feel and what we do.”

Postecoglou - who was crowned Glen’s SPFL Premiership manager of the season - also reacted sharply when quizzed by broadcasters about the rebuilding work currently underway across Glasgow at Ibrox.

He said: “I don’t know why that would even concern me to be honest. I think this time last year Rangers were in a Europa League final and a Scottish Cup final and they strengthened after the season didn’t they? So, does anyone really care? Like seriously?

“We didn’t start favourites in my first year, probably weren’t overwhelming favourites this year so people will say what they want mate. Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched on the nose and you reassess from there.

“When we start next year, everyone will see who’s really strong and who isn’t strong and all that sort of stuff. Right now, league wise anyway, it’s the equivalent of junk time mate. We just get on with it.”

Full-back Johnston has been out of action since limping out of that 3-0 Old Firm defeat but is on course to be passed fit for the final. Postecoglou said: “Alistair is back in training and won’t be ready for the Hibs game, but should be okay for the weekend.

“It’s good to have him back. We will see how he goes the next few days and take it from there. It was a sore one at the time but he has worked hard in rehab with the medical team.

“Thankfully it wasn’t too serious and with the cup final at the start of June, he was keen to get back as quickly as possible.”

And the Celtic boss spoke of his delight at receiving yet another individual work for his outstanding work with the champions.

He said: “It’s nice to win and great recognition for all the hard work. We had a challenge to improve on a great first season and we had to build on it.

“The way we have embraced that challenge has been outstanding. We have won two trophies and now we have a chance to get a third and make it a really special season.”

“Beyond that, we are in a position where we have accomplished what we need to and we are enjoying the fact we are champions again. If people want to try to take the joy out of that in some shape or form, then that’s their prerogative. But it won’t affect the way we feel and what we do.”

Postecoglou - who was crowned Glen’s SPFL Premiership manager of the season - also reacted sharply when quizzed by broadcasters about the rebuilding work currently underway across Glasgow at Ibrox.

He said: “I don’t know why that would even concern me to be honest. I think this time last year Rangers were in a Europa League final and a Scottish Cup final and they strengthened after the season didn’t they? So, does anyone really care? Like seriously?

“We didn’t start favourites in my first year, probably weren’t overwhelming favourites this year so people will say what they want mate. Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched on the nose and you reassess from there.

“When we start next year, everyone will see who’s really strong and who isn’t strong and all that sort of stuff. Right now, league wise anyway, it’s the equivalent of junk time mate. We just get on with it.”

Full-back Johnston has been out of action since limping out of that 3-0 Old Firm defeat but is on course to be passed fit for the final. Postecoglou said: “Alistair is back in training and won’t be ready for the Hibs game, but should be okay for the weekend.

“It’s good to have him back. We will see how he goes the next few days and take it from there. It was a sore one at the time but he has worked hard in rehab with the medical team.

“Thankfully it wasn’t too serious and with the cup final at the start of June, he was keen to get back as quickly as possible.”

And the Celtic boss spoke of his delight at receiving yet another individual work for his outstanding work with the champions.

He said: “It’s nice to win and great recognition for all the hard work. We had a challenge to improve on a great first season and we had to build on it.

“The way we have embraced that challenge has been outstanding. We have won two trophies and now we have a chance to get a third and make it a really special season.”




















UNLIKE his previous attempts to earn a managerial job in Europe, the end of this particular interview did not feel like the end of the line.

When the Irishman reached for the red button to terminate the Zoom meeting, Ange Postecoglou’s screen went blank and his mind attempted to process the enormity of what had happened.

Unless he’d imagined it, he was the man Dermot Desmond wanted to be the next manager of Celtic Football Club.

A left-field choice after working in Japan with Yokohama F. Marinos for three years, those who questioned Desmond’s instincts back then have long since eaten their words.

Defeat Inverness Caley Thistle in the Scottish Cup final a week on Saturday and Postecoglou’s status as a Celtic legend will be secured — if it isn’t already.

Viewed as an absentee landlord by his critics, Desmond’s central part in the success of the past two seasons may be something of an inconvenient truth.

But the debt Postecoglou feels towards the club’s powerbroker for hiring him and having his back throughout has always been a matter of record.

Reflecting on that remote meeting two years ago this week as he was crowned SPFL Premiership Manager of the Year yesterday, Postecoglou said: ‘Dermot was the first person I spoke to with regards to the club.

‘He’s very influential and has been very supportive of me, personally and within the club — particularly when we didn’t have the smoothest of starts.

‘It didn’t last very long but it was still a difficult beginning. During that time, he was immensely supportive.

‘I knew that he and the club would have my back and support me until I got the club to where we needed to be.

‘I enjoy a great relationship with Dermot and his family. He’s a very important part of Celtic and has been for a long time.

‘It’s been great that I have been able to repay that faith he showed me right from the start.’

When the pair were pictured at Celtic Park last week, the image almost broke the internet. A man who prefers to work in the shadows without feeling the need to explain himself, proof of a meeting came with an assumption that something big was coming down the track. But not every picture tells the right story.

‘We are in regular contact with each other and that’s because Dermot loves Celtic, he loves talking about the games and how the club is going in general,’ Postecoglou added.

‘It’s not like I have to update him with everything. That’s what I do with Michael Nicholson.

‘He lets us get on with our roles of running the club but Dermot is really passionate about Celtic and about football.

‘I don’t know if he’s in contact with me more or less than previous managers. I don’t know if I’m a favourite or not! But he has treated me very well.’

Several matters clouded many people’s judgment on Postecoglou when Celtic confirmed he was the man to lead them in 2021.

His lack of experience at a major European club was a legitimate concern yet ignored the fact that he’s enjoyed continual success in Australia and Japan.

The Eddie Howe factor also came into play. The former Bournemouth manager would have been a popular appointment to take the club forward and there was an understandable sense of bemusement when three months of talks came to nothing.

Postecoglou later described himself as the ‘next cab off the rank’ and the fear among the fanbase was that a second-choice manager might prove to be second rate.

Howe, bluntly, would have done well to have made a greater impact in Glasgow than the man who did take the job. Yet he’s also now demonstrated exactly why Desmond initially pursued him.

Eleventh in the Premier League last year, Howe’s Newcastle currently sit third and cannot finish lower than fourth. For the first time in 20 years, Champions League football is coming to Tyneside.

‘I absolutely admire the job Eddie has done at Newcastle,’ said Postecoglou. ‘You can see why this football club wanted him to take charge here.

‘He’s a very impressive person, as well as a manager. He has done an unbelievable job and I also felt he did a great job at Bournemouth.

‘Eddie has worked his way up, he has done all the hard bits you need to do as a manager and has had to earn everything along the way. It’s great for Eddie and for Newcastle that they are back in the Champions League.’

As unlikely as it is, a meeting between the sides in the knock-out stages of the Champions League next season would hold huge appeal.

‘Yeah, that would be nice,’ said Postecoglou. ‘Knowing the passions of both sets of supporters, those would be two games nobody would want to miss out on — home and away. There would be an unbelievable atmosphere at both.

‘The Champions League is where you want to be involved. It’s going to be exciting again and right now you are ticking off the champions in each league and seeing who else is getting the spots.

‘Once the season is over, we will start looking at potential draws. No matter who we get, you can guarantee it will be another exciting draw for us.’

Postecoglou’s side will hope to go into that draw as Treble winners, with Inverness now standing between the Parkhead side and a clean sweep when the Scottish Cup final is staged on June 3.

Their hopes of lifting the trophy have been given a timely boost with Alistair Johnston returning to training.

‘Alistair is back in training and won’t be ready for the Hibs game, but should be okay for the weekend,’ said the manager. ‘It’s good to have him back.’

Meanwhile, Postecoglou’s assistant John Kennedy is understood to be interesting Hearts.

Steven Naismith is in charge of the Gorgie club until the end of the season but his future could depend on the team securing third place.

Previously linked with Danish side Midtjylland, Kennedy has spoken in the past about wanting to be a manager in his own right one day.

 

Taking no prisoners at his presser the day

Sounds like a man who has a budget and a vision for the CL next season. HWFG

 

Very excited to see what he has up his sleeve for next season. It’s going to be a very interesting summer.

 

See the disdain he has for them the now, it just screams out of Ange the now. When Van Bronkhorst was their manager I think he had a bit of respect for him as someone who had done something in the game but the mouthpiece they have now just seems to have * him off.

It’s all very indirect but just subtle little reminders of the reality of the situation.

 

Gio was a decent bloke to be fair. Too good for them. Warty Smith on the other hand....

 

Thats a massive reason why the fans wanted him and Wilson gone, being seen with ange for a few minutes in a coffee shop they are warped!

 

Just cold hard facts from the Big man.. Two comps in the bag and one to play for.. simples

 

Do love the word sleekit.

Conjures images of grinning like a rat with a gold tooth...

 

We never stop?

Whole team, and Ange, has * chucked it the last few weeks.

 

Unacceptable the way we've crumbled in the last few games. Was willing to laugh it off but it's just embarrassing now. All the soundbites in the world don't make up for that dross.

People are still paying their hard earned to watch these games ... league won or not.

 

Think @Blochairnbhoy might be right Ange has downed tools

 

We need to build some sort of form for the cup final, I think he's rotated far too much recently, and it's cost us.

I still think we'll be more than fine for the cup final, but what a terrible way to end the league campaign. At least we know what players are up for it next year.

 

I might have said this a dozen times but his squad rotation is woeful.

Plays the same 11 twice a week all season, then will occasionally field half a B team in a random away game. It's an incredibly poor way to get your second-string and youth players game time and experience, they come into a disjointed squad lacking sharpness, motivation and home support.

It's worrying that he will apparently not learn from this, there's no one that thinks this approach is a good idea.

 

Eddie howe no need a new job yet?

 

Was * hour with keeping Maeda on man, was obvious to everyone he was getting sent off.

We've been a joke the last couple of months, absolutely pish. Needs to gut the * out our squad.

 

Not sure if like Liverpool, were getting a bit found out, we're way too dimensional, passing for the sake of passing, and teams are starting to read our style.