Ange Postecoglou

Could you be a little bit more matter of fact?

 

I notice Eddie Howe said that the reason he didn't accept the Celtic job was that he couldn't get his backroom team together and didn't want to take on such a big job by himself.

Meanwhile, Ange moved halfway around the world and is doing the job with Kennedy and Strachan ffs

 

Dream team

 

Ange Postecoglou insists he’s not peering over the fence at Ibrox as his focus in on his Celtic rebuilding mission.

The Hoops boss – who bagged the cinch Premiership manager of the month award – is refusing to get distracted by Rangers being thrown in to turmoil with the almost certain departure of Steven Gerrard for Aston Villa.

Celtic ’s big rivals are set for a major upheaval but Postecoglou is adamant his priority is to keep his own house in order.

The Greek Aussie said: “I am fully focused on our own back yard. There is enough here, there is a lot to do and we have been pretty good so far at making sure we don’t take our focus away from what is important.

“For me, right at this point of my tenure at the club, it’s just all about Celtic.

“What anyone else is doing, or what noise is around the place, it’s just not of interest to me.

“They are the kind of distractions I avoid, to be honest. I’ve been really laser focussed on here, and will continue to be.

“I’ll try to get everyone here to do that as well, but that hasn’t been too difficult.

“I’m just making everyone really aware we can’t get distracted by anyone or anything else.

“We are trying to build something here. When you are trying to build something and be successful, you can’t afford to look over your fence at what other people are doing.

“We have to build our house, make it nice and beautiful and then see how it stacks up against the rest of the neighbourhood.”

Postecoglou’s more concerned about his own plans – and he revealed Tom Rogic and Carl Starfelt are fighting to be fit for next weekend’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final showdown with St Johnstone.

But the Hampden clash will come too early for long term crocks Christopher Jullien and Greg Taylor.

Starfelt and Rogic are nursing hamstring strains but could be back in business at the National Stadium.

Postecoglou said: “Carl and Tommy are trying hard to make the semi-final next weekend.

“It’s obviously an important game but we also have an important one four days later.

“Tommy is probably a little bit ahead of Carl at the moment, but I wouldn’t rule either of them out right now.

“We won’t put them at risk so it’s probably going to be one of those touch and go ones.

“If they don’t make the semi-final, I’d think they will probably be ready for the Leverkusen game.”

Defender Jullien is back in training after 10 months out with a nightmare knee injury while Taylor is recovering from two months on the sidelines following shoulder surgery.

The pair are edging closer but Postecoglou said: “Chris and Greg won’t make the semi-final and it might be into December for them.

“I don’t like putting an end date on it, as they could surprise me and come back earlier, or they could get a setback and be longer.

“But they are both working hard and they are both looking good.

“They have different hurdles to overcome. With Greg it’s about getting clearance for his shoulder.

“We have had good news on that. The last update is that it has healed well, so as soon as he gets the all-clear he is pretty much ready to play.

“With Chris it’s a little more difficult as he will need some sort of game-time and it’s about picking the right moment to put him in.”

Postecoglou was thrilled to bag his first manager of the month award since landing in Scotland in the summer.

The Hoops boss was unbeaten in October as Celts moved to within four points of Premiership leaders Rangers, progressed in the League Cup and secured European football for beyond Christmas.

Postecoglou said: “The award is a sign of the progress the team has made in the last period.

“I am under no illusions that this isn’t just my doing.

“All the staff, all the football staff and all the players deserve credit.

“It’s been a really good spell for us. A good period of performances with some great football.

“Most importantly, that’s been followed by results.

“So it was almost a perfect period for us at a critical time and I am super proud of everyone’s efforts and it’s great to get the recognition.”














AS he has made clear from before even being linked with the Celtic job, Ange Postecoglou is a man who deals in the long game.

So, just as he wasn’t too downbeat when some pundits were calling the title race after a shaky start to the campaign from Celtic back in September, neither will he be getting carried away by the manager of the month award for October that tops off his team’s recent revival.

“It’s like how we watch TV these days,” Postecoglou mused. “People binge a series in one night because we don’t want to wait a week for another episode. We used to do that in the old days.


“I have felt like people wanted to binge this season too. One result and it’s over. One good result and it’s done.”

As patently ridiculous as those notions of Celtic having already blown their chance of wresting the title back from their city rivals just a few games into the campaign, they still remain four points adrift of the Ibrox side as fans enjoy - or endure - the latest international break.


Postecoglou is all too aware there will be many twists and turns to come in the Premiership, not least of which appears to be the departure of Steven Gerrard as manager of Rangers.

For him though, the prevailing wind suggest that his approach of keeping his focus on improving every area of Celtic on a daily basis is working, and that it will be his club’s best chance of success, no matter what happens at Rangers or anywhere else.


The award is a sign of the progress the team has made in the last period,” he said.

“I always look to certain indicators in terms of how the team is progressing. I feel we have been pretty consistent all along.

“There have been games, in Europe especially, where we have conceded goals, and there are others where we haven’t created as much as we’d like.

“But overall I have seen progress in those areas and I look at the key indicators. Are we playing our football? Are we scoring goals? Are we taking chances and stopping the opposition from creating them?




“When those things stack up, even if you have one or two bad results, you know that over the course of time these things will even themselves out, and results will follow.

“This is a good sign of our progress but we also need to keep at it. I still think there is more to come from us and the team.”

That focus on the collective effort was reflected in Postecoglou’s insistence on being pictured with his backroom staff when collecting the award. And he also insisted on a barb for those who saw his arrival minus his own backroom team as a sign that the coaches in situ, like assistant manager John Kennedy, had been forced upon him by the club.

“I am under no illusions that this isn’t just my doing,” he said. “All the staff, all the football staff and all the players deserve credit.

“It’s been a really good spell for us. A good period of performances with some great football. Most importantly, that’s been followed by results.

“So it was almost a perfect period for us at a critical time, and I am super proud of everyone’s efforts and it’s great to get the recognition.

“It’s working well and that’s why I wanted the guys in the photo. Unfortunately, Gavin Strachan had a family commitment and couldn’t make it. But that’s the main coaching staff with me in the photo, the ones who work alongside me, and they have been hugely important to me and what we want to build.




“There is the rest of the staff, the sports science team and the analysts and I have enjoyed working with them.

“I know people have been a little bit anxious about my wellbeing coming in on my own without a crew of people to support me. But I have never felt the need for that and I have enjoyed working with this group of people.

“I love the fact they want to embrace the direction that we want to take the team into. That sort of stuff energises me. I said when I walked through those doors that my first and most important task was to get people to believe in me, rather than my ideas and what I want to do.

“That’s what I have tried to do and if it wasn’t working then we wouldn’t be getting the results, or performances.

“Ultimately, the rest of the staff spend more time with the players than I do. It’s right that they get the recognition as much as I do.”

Next up for Postecoglou is a chance to move Celtic a step closer to silverware, as they go up against last season’s cup double winners St Johnstone at Hampden for a place in the League Cup Final.

But even when considering the opportunity of short-term success, Postecoglou – typically - has one eye on the long game, with sustained success under his guidance the ultimate aim.

“There is no doubt that this club has a history and tradition of success,” he said. “That’s the bit I totally understand



“When you go to Celtic, people will say ‘Oh you are expected to win every week’ but I don’t buy that. Nobody measures up to that. Not even the greatest managers win every game.

“But what is expected of you at a club like Celtic is that you bring success. Any opportunity we have to do that, whether it’s in the third or fourth month of my tenure or, hopefully, the tenth year, that can never be diminished.

“We have an opportunity to get to a final and to get to a stage where this club loves to be.

“We don’t want to pass up the opportunity to do that.”

 

If Slippy does go then there will still be a * of a lot of work to be done to win the league, it’s not just gonna magically happen and Ange will know this. Gotta come back from this break with the same momentum we are on and not let anything across the City distract as in any way.

 

https://www.sportingnews.com/au/foo...ve-with-aston-villa/iuil6nhl5yw615c2m1euotpv9

I think Celtic better offer Ange an extension.

 

that’s just the counter hun media to deflect that Gerrard is off to Villa…

 

Lickspittle: hi Ange, I need some clickbait for Huns, could you give an opinion on Steven Gerrard leaving Rangers? What do you think.

Big Ange: next....

* LOVE him. He didn't even mention their names, or the name of their manager.

Went into detail about US.

These "journos" must on the verge of dropping a bag and putting a hit out. He quite literally gives them NOTHING.

 

Also, again mods, pls replace that * awful Ange emoji... Look, I even found you a better photo to change it to...

 

The flack was still warranted and will be again should a similar situation arise again.



Sent from my MAR-LX1A using Tapatalk

 

yeah, somehow I doubt under Ange the situation of being short on squad numbers that was especially felt by 8-9 injuries will happen again.

but I see even after all this time, the context of the issues in August and September is still seen through a reactionary lens.

 

Mmmmm yeah course.... Also lennon came in after Rodgers left and kept us relatively stable for that initial period so the same could happen to the huns. So we keep the pressure up amid the upheavle and it should garner some extra points.

January window coming up, gerrards lies for 3 seasons that he'd take them to the Premier league will be in the back of the mind. Could mean nothing, could mean upset. What we need is a manager for them that plays a new style. Always a disaster with no pre season to implement that.

 

Julien (who he's never had the luxury of using), kyogo, McGregor, Forrest, Mikey (same as Julien), not quite 8 or 9.

We know the context in which we were reduced in squad numbers and we know that's had an effect on the performances. No one is doubting that.

It's the inability he had at the time to try do anything different to over come that situation.
And now it's the apparent acceptance we all will need to make if we end up in a similar position say in December.

It's apparent some folk still don't grasp the size of this club and the expectations involved.


As a continued fyi, I'm fully behind Ange and love his style, attitude, everything (almost), but that doesn't all exclude him from being questioned when performances drop. Specially when it is seen that he doesn't do much to help the situation.


Sent from my MAR-LX1A using Tapatalk

 

Anyone know what that Brazil guy has said about Ange lately? The one what thought it was funny to mispronounce his surname?

 

Brazil mispronounces everything except "fettucine" by the look of him.

 

We certainly get the sense of a settled happy squad right now - confident in themselves and believing in the manager. That has meant some assured and comfortable performances in the recent past with the likelihood that will only continue. So from that perspective, it will be interesting to see what happens to der hun if/when Gerrard leaves. It would take one * of a powerful personality to come in and keep them on an even keel from the off. Let's hope for a period of chaos.

Unlike Ange, I do like to look over the fence and jeer at every opportunity.

 

* bridges started that *. he is a *.

 

It wasn’t warranted, if it dragged on yes definitely but a team that was gelling lost its two most important players at the same time in Kyogo and McGregor, while trying to bed in a new defence. We always said it needed time, how quick he has turned it around is mental.

 

Agree to disagree then.

For me (and many others) it was warranted.
We understand the situation, but the issues arising from it was blatent and nothing was done to mitigate the injury losses at the time.

If it happens again (lossing kyogo and McGregor for example), do we just accept that for s run of games we are likely to drop lots of points?

Sent from my MAR-LX1A using Tapatalk

 

It's night and day from last season and we're a work in progress, no doubt..

Ange won't be swayed by any outside noise which is really important as we're about to go from underdogs to favourites for the title and that pressure will feel a little different.

However, can't see anything changing with us and the way he wants us to play. He's handled everything with a touch of class so far, underpinned by a toughness and clear vision in what he's trying to do with the team and the club.