Former Ange assistant Kevin Muscat lauds Celtic manager for creating opportunities

By Euan Davidson

March 22, 2022

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou can certainly be described as a trailblazer – just ask Kevin Muscat.

The Celtic manager has opened doors and made sweeping changes wherever he’s been. At Brisbane Roar, he changed the perception of how A-League football can be played. With Australia, he won silverware, and gave the Aussies an “us v the world” mentality.

In Japan, he showed that Australian managers can get opportunities to thrive elsewhere. Ange Postecoglou led Yokohama F Marinos to a fantastic J-League triumph in 2019. Again, in doing so, he won over neutrals and made important contacts with his brand of attacking, entertaining football.

It was at Yokohama where he hired a former famous hatchet man, ex-Rangers defender Kevin Muscat. Never in a million years would anyone who watched Muscat play associate him with Ange-esque football. Yet, he took over from Postecoglou at F Marinos – and now he hopes Ange’s impact at Celtic can be “transcendent” for Australian coaches.

Muscat said [Capital Sports]: “It’s not doing any harm that Ange is at the forefront of people’s minds now and hopefully that transcends.

“It’s been highlighted because of the nature and the size of Celtic, but hopefully, over a period of time, more Australians get opportunities not only in Europe but also in Asia.”

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou is inspiring the next wave of Australian coaches

Obviously, there’s going to be huge attention on what Ange Postecoglou does at Celtic.

The international interest in the Hoops is consistent, no matter who’s in the dugout. But for Australians watching, and Asian football fans too, the impact of what he does is seismic. Let’s be clear – it wouldn’t be unfair to say that if Ange Postecoglou failed at Celtic, the problems wouldn’t be exclusive to us.

Ange is the guy in terms of Australian football coaching. If it didn’t happen for him at Celtic, with the eyes of the world watching him, it could’ve been disastrous. There’d be little precedent for the next generation of Australian coaches after him. It would’ve damaged the reputation of Australian football; and if that sounds dramatic, it really isn’t.

So, to see Ange Postecoglou succeeding at Celtic, and not compromising on his values, is a big boost for the likes of Kevin Muscat. Whether it’s coaches that have worked with Postecoglou directly, or the ones inspired by him, success at Celtic represents an open door.

To say this in 2022, when we’ve seen generations of excellent footballing talent from Australia, seems strange. It’s not as if the game is new to the land down under, or anything like it.

Yet, a reputation pervades, and Ange Postecoglou’s work at Celtic is helping to rectify that.

The stakes are high, not just for Celtic, but for Postecoglou’s legacy and those who are inspired by him. Suffice it to say, things look good right now.

Read more: Ange Postecoglou lays out his exciting UEFA Champions League goal at Celtic