Given that many Celtic supporters have been unsettled by the speculation linking manager Ange Postecoglou to Tottenham Hotspur, it’s natural to think that kind of anxiety may stretch to the players.
The Bhoys boss hasn’t been out of the headlines over the last week as a variety of reports from different outlets suggest he is the frontrunner for the vacant Spurs job.
Alistair Johnston, one of the most vocal members of the dressing room, hasn’t run away from that speculation when asked about it this week. He hasn’t given a soundbite pretending the news isn’t noticed by the players, but has also insisted it hasn’t distracted them from the task at hand.
Johnston on Ange Celtic to Spurs links
The right-back said [Football Scotland]: “Trust me, we all hear the noise. We’ve got Sky Sports on and it seems that every other story running is that one. Again, it comes from the top down. Cal (McGregor) doesn’t let any noise in and the gaffer definitely doesn’t let any noise in.
“This ship is steering right where it needs to go towards that cup final. We just don’t let that sort of stuff creep into the building in terms of letting guys’ heads turn. That’s super important and it goes to show why this club has been so successful.
“You can always tell when someone’s head has turned or there is something going on, they’re a little bit off or they just don’t feel truly there. But that’s not been the case at all in my time here. Even when the guys left in the January window, everyone was still training as sharply as possible right up until the day they left. I found that very impressive.
“You’re not allowed to have a wandering eye here. If you do, you’re going to get found out because this squad is so deep and you’ll be out of the squad as quickly as that. That’s what we have here and I think it’s really special.
“I know there’s a lot of talk but we’re not bothered or worrying about that. We’re just thinking about this cup final. That gaffer has been as I’ve always known him this week. I don’t think anyone was expecting anything different.”
We should have no concerns about the squad’s mindset heading into the Scottish Cup Final, then. The message is clear. This group want to win a treble and they want to focus things on they can control.
That has been the mantra throughout Postecoglou’s time in charge of the Bhoys and it’ll remain so until the day he leaves. With other experienced leaders such as Callum McGregor and Joe Hart kicking around, no one is going to be distracted.
Hopefully, that is evident in the way the team go about their business against Inverness Caledonian Thistle. If they play as they did against Aberdeen last week, Celtic could be unstoppable against the Championship side.
In other news, Fabrizio Romano’s Ange Postecoglou and Celtic latest doesn’t add up with what we know.
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