Chris Sutton tells Robbie Savage he’s ‘missing the point’ about Ange Postecoglou and Celtic

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If there is one thing Celtic fans love as much as winning, it’s entertaining football.

Winning trophies and dominating Scottish football is great, but the fans demand a certain style of football in the process.

Martin O’Neill and Neil Lennon delivered fast exciting football in a successful period of Celtic’s history where the club swept all before them.

And when Ange Postecoglou arrived at Celtic, he tore up the rulebook on attacking football and the Hoops fans loved him for it.

So when Robbie Savage tried to claim that style of football doesn’t matter, Chris Sutton was having none of it.

Savage told Celtic fans want attacking football as well as results

During Ange Postecoglou’s two seasons at the club, the Australian won five trophies out of six which included the record-breaking eighth domestic treble playing fast, attacking football.

And after Savage’s Macclesfield suffered a 4-2 defeat at the weekend he said that fans don’t care about being entertained, it’s the result that matters as he strangely brought Celtic and Postecoglou into the argument.

Savage said on BBC 606, “It doesn’t matter how you win. If you play more entertaining football, it’s good on the eye, it’s all about results, Chris.

“And I would have swapped the position we were in yesterday to play like Tamworth did, because they’re very effective what they do, and into the first round [of the FA Cup] proper.

“But that made me realise it doesn’t matter. There’s all different ways to win football matches, and how you win it, that’s the most important thing. It’s about results.

“So when you talk about Spurs, entertaining, you know, Ange Postecoglou will be judged on winning football matches, not entertainment value.”

Sutton: “And he has 25 years plus in management. Hang on a minute, and he’s won things, so I don’t know why you’re bringing him up. So he’s had a hugely successful coaching and management career, where he’s always won. Why are you bringing his name up?”

Savage: “But at Celtic, they should win.”

Sutton: ‘“We’re not talking about just at Celtic, we’re talking about 25 years in management.

“No, but you’re missing the point there because that’s what certain club’s fan base want.”

Why Savage is wrong about Celtic fans just wanting winning results

In a way, I can see what Savage is talking about. Results are important. But he’s missing the point, especially with Celtic fans and Ange Postecoglou, is that even when Ange was going through a tough start at the club, the supporters could see what he was trying to build.

In his first six fixtures at Celtic, Postecoglou lost three and won three. But in that the Australian recorded two 6-0 wins over St Mirren and Dundee playing his attractive style of football.

Even in the three defeats to Hearts, Rangers and Livingston, the Celtic fans could see what Postecoglou was trying to do with his style of play.

And ultimately, it worked out. Because when it clicked, Celtic were unstoppable and won a superb double in what was meant to be a rebuilding season and then followed that up with a treble.

So whilst results are important, the kind of results Postecoglou got at Celtic, and the sellout stadiums every second week, would never have happened had he not stuck to his principles and played with a style the Hoops fans love and demand.