I can totally understand why many Celtic fans are perplexed with the prospect of an Ange Postecoglou era at Parkhead.
I absolutely get it. From the outside, it looks as though we’re prioritising the appointment of a manager untested in Europe. A manager who, for many, hasn’t won anything that makes them overly impressed. For some it’ll be another sign that the board simply aren’t taking the overhaul seriously enough. Not much is known about Postecoglou this sign of the world, so he’s like to be a failure, right?
It depends on who you are as an individual and what this makes you believe. Everyone will have differing opinions. For me, I’m incredibly disappointed we didn’t bag Eddie Howe. Not just because of what he’s achieved, but because there will have been so much prep work on new players now down the drain. All of a sudden, our rebuild has been pushed back.
It’s the last thing supporters wanted. It reflects woefully on the board who need to use the summer window to win people over. For many, Postecoglou’s potential appointment feels like another slap in the face.
But for me, I’m genuinely excited about delving into the unknown. We wanted change at Celtic this season, and my goodness it looks like we’re going to get it. We’re going down a route we’ve never been down before and potentially appointing a man who is untested in the football hotbed that is Europe.
Yet what consistently gets ignored is the fact that Postecoglou couldn’t have done much more to earn his chance over here. He’s been a winner and a success story absolutely everywhere he’s been.
Ange Postecoglou has quite the honour roll; it’s clearly caught the attention of Celtic
Stretching back to his first gig in management back in 1997, he’s won a grand total of 16 competitions. 15 of those came in jobs based in his homeland, with an impressive J-League title to his name with Yokohama back in 2019. That’s despite having a lower budget than many in the league.
He has the longest undefeated streak in Australian sporting history with his run of 36 games without defeat with Brisbane. He has four manager of the year awards and one manager of the decade gong. All he’s known in his management career has been success. Why can’t he apply what he’s learned at Celtic and make a success of it?
That honour list is genuinely impressive. No, the competition is hardly knockout in Australia, but it’s a solid professional level. He’s shown he’s ready for the next step, and it excites me wondering whether he can replicate his trail of success at Celtic.
He also has an impressive list of admirers out there too. From sports writers to football players, there are plenty who admire what he brings to the table as a coach. Speaking to 67HailHail, Sydney Morning Herald reporter Vince Rugani stated that Postecoglou is “Probably the best coach Australia as a sporting nation has ever produced. I don’t say that lightly.”
You have the likes of Brendan Rodgers who has been impressed with him in the past too. The likes of Pep Guardiola and Tom Rogic have had their say on him in recent years also. He’s impressed plenty. I know there’s the general unwritten rule of diplomacy when talking about other professionals in football, but some have gone out their way to big him up.
Postecoglou’s footballing philosophy looks ideal for Parkhead
He also plays a style of football that’s synonymous with Celtic as a football club. Postecoglou spoke to the Fox Football podcast, and said the following on how he likes to play the game:
“From my perspective, there are just certain fundamentals in the teams that I coach that have to be there, and most of it centres around the ball. Making sure that my team has the ball, that my team is the one trying to score goals, my team’s the one playing in the opposition half.
“How you get to that point varies at different times. Systems are constantly changing and evolving. The basic core of it is that I think the most successful teams in the world tend to be the ones who are set up to win games of football rather than stop the opposition.
“They are the teams that I’m attracted to, they are the teams I like watching and they are the teams I like producing.”
What sounds so promising about this is that Postecoglou doesn’t seem like the kind of manager who sticks with one system. Under Neil Lennon, the lack of a Plan B and C was borderline infuriating. That doesn’t look like it will be an issue under the Yokohama boss, if he gets the role.
So these are all of the reasons as to why I’m excited ahead of the new campaign under Postecoglou. Does it mean I’m overly enthused with the board? No. Does it mean I have no fears about the rebuild or doubts over the new man? No. Will he definitely be a rousing success? There are no guarantees.
But there’s just something about this potential appointment that captures the imagination.
As a Celtic supporter, I just can’t help but look forward to what a Postecoglou Celtic team will look like.
In other news, Inter Milan are reportedly interested in Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard.
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