Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has talked up the “mutual respect” he has with Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou.
The two have been snapped bumping into each other out in the public eye in recent weeks. This has led Ange to state that the Ibrox boss is a “nice guy” and that he enjoys running into him because of their united passion for football [Football Scotland].
It’s a level of civility that won’t go down well with some in this country. But it is, in truth, refreshing to see some open respect being shared by the 2 managers.
And as he spoke in an interview with Sky Sports this afternoon, Rangers manager van Bronckhorst wasn’t shy in hiding his own appreciation of meeting Ange:
“I have much respect for him. I think it’s mutual. We met each other a couple of times at Celtic and it was always nice speaking to him. I think it’s good to have the rivalry but also the respect for each other as coaches. We are both professional. Tomorrow we are enemies so we will do everything to get the best result for our clubs.
“We’re playing away so he has to invite me! [Up for a post-match drink]. But at the moment I don’t think we are thinking about a glass of wine or whatever, we are thinking about the points for our teams.”
Celtic vs Rangers tomorrow night won’t have any room for civility
It’s always nice to think that there’s room for respect in amongst this rivalry. And in truth, there are of course things more important in life than this fixture. However, come kick-off, it’s extremely difficult to pinpoint what those are!
This is a fixture that is fueled by a disdain for each other. It always has been and it always will. This fixture is just different.
That’s why we can look at these comments from van Bronckhorst and appreciate them now, but totally forget them when that first kick of a ball is made tomorrow night. It’s why we can look at Ange’s praise of van Bronckhorst and call it classy whilst completely forgetting about respect for the opposition tomorrow night.
So come kick-off tomorrow, there won’t be many friendly chats going on throughout the 90 minutes. No pats on the back or friendly words once we’re underway. The nature of this rivalry just doesn’t allow that level of civility to creep in.
Ange and van Bronckhorst both know that. Even in the Rangers manager’s comments today you can still see that he is trying to distance the friendly remarks. He’s happy to acknowledge them, but doesn’t want to dive into them too much. He knows how his support will react if he does.
Tomorrow night simply couldn’t be of any greater importance for Celtic and Postecoglou. And a win would only further enhance that burgeoning reputation.
In other news, Ange Postecoglou explains what Celtic have been doing to prepare for Glasgow derby
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