"In the presence of greatness"; Opposition coach stunned by interaction with Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou

By John McGinley

March 10, 2022

Livingston assistant manager Marvin Bartley has described his experience of meeting Ange Postecoglou after the recent game between the two sides as like “being in the presence of greatness”.

Bartley is part of David Martindale’s coaching set-up at Livingston and made an appearance on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard on Wednesday night to give his views on the week’s Scottish football news.

Inevitably thoughts turned today Sunday night’s game and Bartley was effusive with his praise for both Celtic and Postecoglou.

He said: “I was lucky enough to get a couple of minutes with Ange after. And you just felt like you were in the presence of greatness. It sounds weird. He has this kind of aura about him.

“I have to be honest, they were unbelievable. You talk about their players. I’m a great believer in Callum McGregor and the ability that he has. But Tom Rogic was unplayable. Some of the things he was doing with the ball were absolutely unbelievable. I thought he was absolutely fantastic. James Forrest was brilliant as well.

“Maeda as well. He’s a player I’ve looked at a couple of times, like against Hibs. He didn’t have too many touches but his movement was frightening in that game.

“For me, if Celtic perform like that there’s not a lot you can do. It’s one of those games I’ve watched back twice or three times because you need to learn from games like that.”

These are quite similar to comments made by former Dundee manager James McPake and his meeting with Postecoglou earlier in the season. The Australian is making a big impression on young coaches in Scottish football.

It’s not much of a surprise of course. The Celtic boss gives off heavy paternal vibes – it’s resonated with the support so much that many are now hanging on his every word.

To hear another coach in the Premiership speaking like this publicly is quite rare though and just goes to show the kind of impact that Postecoglou is making this season. He’s quickly become the man everyone looks up to.

In other news, Video: Karamoko Dembele’s fantastic technique and finish in Celtic Glasgow Cup rout.