Ange Postecoglou’s classy response to Rangers defeat; reminds players of Celtic ‘expectations’

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I think it’s fair to say that whilst the defeat in yesterday’s Glasgow Derby was disappointing, the performance of the team was more worrying than the result itself.

Even though there were many changes in the Celtic side, the demands placed on the players to produce a performance does not change.

And Ange Postecoglou quickly reminded all the players of that after the 3-0 loss to Rangers yesterday.

Ange said post-match [Daily Record], “It’s not about being critical, it’s just about the expectations of this football club. When you represent it, as a player and a manager, you are expected to win every week. There is no mystery around that. So when you don’t you have to accept it, try and understand it and embrace the expectations around it.

“And make sure it doesn’t happen again. It’s about making sure the players and everyone understand that these are the expectations around this football club. Today was an opportunity for some of our guys. It is a tough place to get an opportunity.

“They need to understand what this club’s about. You don’t get an easy ride, you don’t get a cushy introduction into life as a footballer.

“It is demanding from the moment you put on a shirt to the moment you leave. It is fair to say it wasn’t just about the guys who came in. Obviously, the changes I made didn’t help but I just thought the general performance, and the level of performance, wasn’t there.”

What I liked about these comments is that the manager doesn’t point the finger at any one player after such a big defeat.

In a game that saw Yuki Kobayashi, Alexandro Bernabei and Hyeongyu Oh all handed their first Glasgow Derby start, it would have been an easy out to do that. But he doesn’t. He even takes a portion of the blame onto himself.

Whether we win or lose, results must always be achieved by playing to a certain standard. Ange has always been consistent about that from day one.

And not one player in the Celtic side reached anywhere near that standard yesterday. Even when we lost heavily in Europe, the Celtic manager consistently said that it was the performance that mattered as the results would follow.

The players will learn from this and so will the manager. And whilst the result at Ibrox yesterday will sting for now, Ange Postecoglou will still be proud of what his players have achieved and are set to achieve this season.