Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou's media stance explained after Friday absence

By John McGinley

February 11, 2023

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou had pre-planned his press conference absence more than a week in advance of yesterday, assistant boss John Kennedy has explained to reporters.

Kennedy’s presence at yesterday’s pre-St Mirren press conference took many fans by surprise, having expected to see Ange field his usual round of questions.

But it seems the Australian had always eyed this week as a break from those duties and it was Kennedy’s responsibility to step in.

No concerns surrounding Celtic boss

As quoted by The Scotsman, the Celtic coach said: “There are no problems. He’s in the building and he took training. To be fair, it was planned over a week ago that I would do press duties to save him from answering the same questions.

“He just wanted a wee break from it, so it was my duty to stand in. This was planned before any speculation. He’s been his normal self this week. He’s been good.”

The media duties switch up all came amidst continuing speculation surrounding the vacant Leeds United post, which led to further chatter, but it seems this was a decision made well before that really took hold – it isn’t connected.

Postecoglou is often bombarded with similar questions and angles. Sometimes, you can even see him visibly fed up with what he’s getting from the Scottish media.

If he isn’t in the mood to deal with that for a week or two, there’s no harm done at all. It also gives Kennedy more experience in dealing with the media.

I’m sure we’ll hear from the manager before too long. What matters most this weekend is picking up a big Scottish Cup win over St Mirren.

In other news, Celtic team news: Anthony Ralston returns to contention, squad update vs St Mirren.