Ange Postecoglou’s latest one-liner shuts down Celtic hype

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Ange Postecoglou is the latest Celtic figure to play down talk of a treble this season, after Joe Hart’s press conference on Thursday.

The Bhoys are in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup and could book another Hampden with victory away to Dundee United on Monday night.

Also three points clear at the top of the table and with a League Cup in the bag, naturally there is a bit of hype building about what can be achieved in Postecoglou’s debut season.

However, when asked about the possibility of a treble, Postecoglou shut it down in a typically succinct fashion, telling The Scottish Sun: “I just don’t think that way.”

We absolutely know by now the message from the Celtic camp is focusing on one game at a time and not getting too excited about potential trophy wins before the hard work has been done.

This quest for gradual improvement has been a very consistent message ever since Ange walked in the door last summer.

It’s not that he doesn’t have the hunger to deliver more silverware. In fact, speaking this weekend, he discussed how much he enjoyed Celtic’s previous trips to Hampden.

As quoted by The Scottish Sun, he said: “I celebrated, but it will sound pretty boring to what you guys might have in mind as a celebration. I had a couple of quiet Scotches to myself and that was the extent of it.

“I wanted to make sure the players celebrated their efforts because I think it was a fantastic day. The semi-final and the final at Hampden were sensational days and my experience of them as Celtic manager. I enjoyed them immensely.

“It helps when you are successful, but it was a great atmosphere and occasion. For us it was important because it showed people we had made progress. We didn’t rest on our laurels and say, ‘OK, we’ve won a trophy, we are OK for the rest of the year’. If anything it whet the appetite for more.”

I have no doubt motivation levels will be high at Tannadice. If the team can approach the upcoming fixture with the same intensity we witnessed in West Lothian against Livingston then you’d expect it to be a long night for United.

Postecoglou knows better than anyone that all comes with the right mentality though. Turning up thinking of trebles and assuming the match is already won would have Celtic in trouble.

In other news, Ange Postecoglou shares why he arrived at Celtic from Japan alone and what he told Lennoxtown staff.