Celtic have already had three managers this season.
As Wilfried Nancy desperately searches for his first win in charge, many are wondering how Celtic have managed to get so drastically worse in less than a calendar year.
It was only in February when Brendan Rodgers almost took the Hoops to extra time over two legs against Bayern Munich, with an especially commendable performance in Germany.
Ten months later, Celtic have lost four consecutive matches for the first time in over 40 years, as an unhappy atmosphere continues to surround the club.
But despite Rodgers’ success, one SPFL manager can’t help but compare Celtic to the man that came before.
SPFL manager on Celtic under Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou
Ange Postecoglou only spent two seasons at Celtic Park, but it’s fair to say that he left an impression.
Inheriting a broken Celtic team which had finished 25 points behind Rangers, he instantly oversaw a rebuild of the team, and won five of the six available domestic trophies in his spell.
READ MORE: Efe Ambrose reflects on infamous Celtic performance that was slated by Neil Lennon
And for former Dundee player and manager James McPake, who coached against Postecoglou and played against Rodgers, the former set the standard.
He told the Go Radio Football Show: “One thing I know that Wilfried Nancy will be looking for from this system – or I believe, anyway – is when you play this system properly…
“Auston Trusty’s taking touch, touch, touch. I bet what [Nancy’s] trying to drill in – again, just my opinion as a coach – what I’d be wanting my outside centre-backs to do when they’ve got 20 or 30 yards of space is driving into the space with the ball.
“It does my head in when a centre back’s taking touch, touch, touch. Just go. That brings energy into the game.
“I’ve faced Celtic as a manager under Ange Postecoglou. They were full of energy. I think, at times, we compare. And we’re comparing the way that team pressed and got the ball in quick, to the way that Brendan came and played.
“Brendan – in his first spell at Celtic, his teams were electric and blew teams away. He didn’t have the personnel latterly. We all know that.
“So then, the comparison – always, in recent times for me, goes back to that Ange Postecoglou team.
“They put the frighteners into you, with the pace, the way they get after you. Now, the quality has fallen off.”
Do you think Big Ange will ever come back to Celtic?
Brendan Rodgers vs Ange Postecoglou at Celtic
Postecoglou was Celtic’s de-facto head of recruitment until the arrival of Mark Lawwell – the Aussie’s expertise of the J-League helped the Celts hit the jackpot.
It would be unfair to discount the excellent signings that the Hoops made under Rodgers, but the manner in which the Northern Irishman left tells you everything about recruitment towards the end of his time.
Both managers won trebles, but only Rodgers went invincible. Both managers played in the Champions League, but only Rodgers qualified for a Champions League knockout stage.
Regardless of who you think was better, many Celtic fans would happily take both over Nancy at the moment.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
