Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou rubbishes prevalent myth about his career

By Euan Davidson

August 3, 2021

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has fired back at a long-held myth about his managerial career.

The Greek-Aussie boss has perennially been viewed as a slow starter with new clubs. As a manager, Postecoglou has unwittingly garnered himself a reputation as someone who takes a long time to implement his tactical ideology.

His undermanned Celtic side have got off to a slow competitive start. Defeats to FC Midtjylland and Hearts have definitely concerned supporters. While new faces have taken an age to come through the door, and Celtic are still weak in key positions, there are worries that Postecoglou’s slow build is in effect.

However, Postecoglou has bristled at any suggestion he’s going to take a long time to put his tactical imprint on the Bhoys, and win trophies.

Speaking to Sporting News Australia, the Celtic manager said:

“I won a Championship in my second year with both [Brisbane Roar and Yokohama F Marinos]. So I’m not really sure – I think people paint a narrative about how much time it actually takes.

“I don’t worry about those things. There’s a certain way I want the team to play, I do that from the first day I take over, and we build towards that.

“Wherever I’ve been, that’s ended up being successful, so it’s what I’ll do here.

“We have to keep building on what we’ve been doing. Our performances have been okay, again, it’s no secret we need to reinforce the squad.”

A slow start is no disaster for Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou, but developing a winning habit is vital

While the results of the first couple of weeks will sting, supporters won’t mind if the end results of 21-22 are positive.

And while perhaps he’s right to be annoyed at the contention that his teams take a long time to get going, the stakes are different in Scotland. His side are expected to win matches. Even a draw is a considerable disappointment for a club of Celtic’s size.

As Celtic manager, Ange Postecoglou will probably be aware of the expectations by now. But he isn’t a miracle worker; this Bhoys squad was left in a sorry state. Bereft of confidence and lacking depth, it was always going to be a process with growing pains.

Those growing pains, it turns out, are losing to both Hearts and FC Midtjylland.

Nobody is putting the pressure on Postecoglou yet, though. Not from the Celtic support. A positive result on Thursday against Jablonec, though, would restore some of the feel-good factor brought by Postecoglou’s initial arrival at the club.

In other news: What’s going on with Celtic’s Europa League squad?