What a difference a year makes.
On this day in 2021, Celtic were preparing for a home game against Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership that would evenutally finish a disappointing 1-1 draw, emboldening claims from pundits and fans alike that Ange Postecoglou wasn’t long for the Paradise hotseat and would be relieved of his duties before the Hogmanay fireworks.
Now, a year on, the Aussie has rebuked suggestions that he would follow suit of another Celtic manager in Brendan Rodgers and move mid-season to a Premier League club, after it was suggested that he was on a short-list to replace Graham Potter at Brighton, a role subsequently filled by Roberto De Zerbi.
Rodgers, of course, made the move from Celtic to Leicester, followed two and a half years later by his opposite number in Glasgow, Steven Gerrard, both opting for mid-table Premier League jobs after winning silverware in Scotland.
Whilst this would appear a smoking gun for the argument that a move south is inevitable for all who excel in Scotland – Postecoglou chief amongst them. However, both managers had strongly established prior links to the Premier League, and arguably both had unfinished business, neither having won a league title at Liverpool.
In the UK, the Premier League is considered the epicentre of the footballing world, arguably even more so than the Champions League. As the most-watched league globally and with ever-increasing financial backing (from some pretty dubious sources in many cases), the popular consensus is that it is the top of the footballing pyramid, and participation in it is the ultimate aim for any discerning player, or manager.
Inarguably, it possesses an absurd wealth of talent at present, its resources make this an inevitability, and it has endured as an excellently-marketed product, with ex-pro pundits and all manner of media seemingly contractually obligated to sing its praises at every turn.
By comparison, Scottish football has been undercut and undersold by those at its helm for some time, with comparatively dire television deals – when compared with similarly viewed sports – and frequent inexplicable organisational decisions, such as the call to introduce VAR midway through this season.
From the outside, it’s a hard sell to convince someone like Postecoglou to commit long-term, particularly with the financial benefits and glamour offered south of the border, and some Celtic fans may find it hard to be smitten by Postecoglou having been burned so recently by another coveted manager in Rodgers.
Of course, Postecoglou won’t be at Celtic forever, and has rarely overstayed his welcome in a managerial role. He himself described his role as someone who is “passing through”, his influence Celtic paling in comparison to the “generational support” in the stands, following last December’s 2-1 Premier Sports Cup final victory over Hibs.
However, he’s also unlikely to be swayed by Scottish football’s inferiority complex, certainly not with the bonus of regular Champions League participation is on the table, and to suggest that he’d be willing to jump ship after a year at a club he’s rebuilt from the embers could charitably be considered myopic, at best.
Celtic and their direct rivals dominate Scottish football in every conceivable way, but even outside the Glasgow bubble there is a league not yet sullied with the artificiality of England’s upper echelon; a host of clubs who first and foremost serve their local communities rather than sport-washers and venture capital.
Moreover, anyone who has read his book Changing the Game will be aware that Postecoglou has been openly critical of the corrosive influence of business in modern football. Whilst a move to any top five league would break barriers for Australian coaches in Europe – another motivation of his – there is little that drives him like passion, something that is reciprocated in spades at Celtic Park and wider Scottish football.
He could well end up in the Premier League one day but Scottish football can do without wishing their best and brightest away, there’s plenty on the outside to do it for us.
In other news: Former Celtic hero on road to management return after damaging sacking
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