Celtic defender Stephen Welsh ponders Ange's dynamite one-liner

By Euan Davidson

December 8, 2021

Ange Postecoglou said he’d have loved to have played against Betis tomorrow night, but Celtic defender Stephen Welsh isn’t quite as sure.

Postecoglou was a right-back of some repute in Australia. In all, he had 4 caps for Australia, and won trophies with Ferenc Puskas at South Melbourne. Not a bad player at all, although he did admit he wished he wasn’t a right-back in an interview with Open Goal.

Admittedly, though, he is 56. And by his own admission, is overweight with a dodgy knee. It’s probably better to play Croatia international and Celtic defender Josip Juranovic.

Asked about the killer quip at today’s pre-match press conference, Stephen Welsh gave his thoughts on Ange’s patter, and whether he’d still get a game these days.

Welsh responded [Celtic FC]:

“Aye, he does [have a great sense of humour]. I never actually saw the gaffer play, so I couldn’t comment on that…

“But aye, he’s a great coach out on the training pitch. I think the intensity probably comes from him with the coaching, that breeds into how we play as a team.”

Celtic defender Stephen Welsh clearly enjoying life with Ange Postecoglou

You’ve got to imagine it’s fun working for Ange Postecoglou. For so many elite managers, there’s a broody seriousness; not celebrating goals, playing defensively to grind out games and so on.

Or there are managers who are largely absent from the training pitch, the kind of coach you don’t ever really see until match days. For younger players, that lack of one-on-one time with the gaffer can be crucial.

Postecoglou isn’t either of those. His approach to life in general has been massively refreshing, and has been a gift for the headline writers in Scotland. What’s more, his players seem to eagerly respond to his coaching, which is predicated on high intensity, expression and attacking.

That’s surely got to be enjoyable. While yes, he demands a lot of from his players, only managers who command respect can get the required reaction. Given the effort players, like Celtic defender Stephen Welsh, are putting in? The admiration is there.

And he’s funny. He just is.

That said if we see him warming up on the touchline tomorrow night, we might be in some danger.

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