Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou doesn't miss 'deliberate' sniping with latest media knockout

By John McGinley

April 1, 2023

Ange Postecoglou has robustly defended his role at Celtic and the success that is coming the club’s way after recent sniping from the sidelines.

It’s well covered by now that Rangers boss Michael Beale referred to the Celtic manager as a ‘lucky’ character because of the club’s spending power recently. Meanwhile, Hibs manager Lee Johnson publicly pondered whether Postecoglou was getting bored because everything is getting ‘too easy’ for him in Scotland.

Referencing both comments in a new media missive to any detractors, Postecoglou made it clear that he is earning everything coming to him at the Bhoys. It’s a brilliant defence.

Ange Postecoglou lays into ‘deliberate’ language

He said [The Scotsman]: “Every manager is allowed to use their platform in any way they want and say what they want. I don’t think it’s accidental that the words ‘lucky’ and ‘easy’ are used. They aren’t words I would use to describe any manager. If you are in this job, irrespective of anything, the one thing you know is that it’s not easy.

“If people think I come in here at midday, spend a couple of hours, have a cappuccino and then go home to the family, then they are kidding themselves on. I think they know that, but the use of those words is probably deliberate. That’s fine. If that is what people believe, they are allowed to do that. What I know is that within this building, nothing comes easy for us.

“We need to work hard and there are a lot of expectations on the players and the staff every day. That’s what we do. Whether that impresses others or doesn’t, the only thing we care about is our supporters – and they are pretty happy with how we are going. It’s pretty much known that we are playing under huge pressure every week. If other people think that’s easy in some way, then that’s their opinion.”

There’s been a lot of this nonsense since Celtic turned things around under the Australian. Talk of budgets and diminishing achievements. Nobody was calling his task easy when he first arrived in Scotland. In fact, I seem to remember a few pundits suggesting it was going to be a disaster for him and the club.

Postecoglou knows his Celtic side in a position of strength, but it’s difficult to stay there. Everyone wants to knock the Bhoys off their perch, and that’s fine. But the suggestion that anyone should feel bad about what is being achieved is plainly nonsense. Thankfully, the manager knows when to offer a few barbs back.

In other news, Celtic watch on as Rangers head for another ‘nuclear’ row with the SPFL.