Ange Postecoglou's class supporter reminder ahead of Celtic Park derby

By John McGinley

April 30, 2022

Ange Postecoglou has called on supporters to create a ‘special’ atmosphere for tomorrow’s Celtic vs Rangers match, but has reminded his players they have to earn it.

Celtic have the chance to effectively seal the Scottish Premiership with three points in the derby, even if it wouldn’t technically be achieved until a little while later.

Celtic Park will have an expectant atmosphere, greatly outnumbering the Rangers fans in the away end due to the current allocation situation.

Postecoglou knows the noise and colour that can be created – just look at the February derby. However, he also knows it is all dependent on his players setting the tone too.

The Bhoys boss told The Scottish Daily Mail [30/04 print edition, page 119]: “Particularly at home, against any opposition, I can’t imagine there would ever be a scenario where we would ever not go for three points. That’s what our supporters would expect — and it’s our expectation, too.

“I’m sure there will be a fantastic atmosphere at Celtic Park again and our supporters will create something special for us, but all of these things depend on the outcome. We have to play our part.

“With that night at Celtic Park, our performance and the way we played added to the atmosphere You need a combination of both. The off-field atmosphere has to be matched by energy and intensity on the field. For it to be another special day we have to play our part.”

It’s naive to think fans won’t play a part tomorrow. You could argue that the largely partisan crowd at Ibrox helped Rangers start the game so well against us in the last league meeting.

However, as shown that day, it doesn’t make the home side invincible. As Postecoglou says, the players need to live up to the bargain and give fans something to shout about beyond that initial pre-match and ten-minute frenzy.

This is the message he’ll be trying to drum into his players between now and kick-off.

In other news, Giovanni van Bronckhorst is missing 6 first-team players for Celtic clash.