Ange Postecoglou has revitalised everything about Celtic Football Club during his time in Glasgow. His side are back-to-back champions, a cup win away from another treble, and heading towards a potential club record goals tally.
When Ange was announced as the new manager of Celtic, it certainly turned heads to say the least. He was written off by many fans and pundits alike. Two years on and he is on course to cementing himself as one of the finest managers to ever grace Celtic Park.
The Australian came in with no scope to bring in his own backroom staff, something that supposedly made Eddie Howe turn down the position, but this didn’t bother Ange. He knew how big the prospect of managing a club like Celtic was and was happy to work with the staff already at the club.
The phrase “he just gets it” often gets bandied about in football and it definitely has been used a lot when talking about Ange. But what does that mean? What does he get?
Ange was born in a suburb of Athens, Greece. Due to the 1967 Greek military coup, his father Dimitris lost his business. This led to Ange and his family emigrating to Australia by boat in 1970 at the age of five. Ange is extremely proud of his heritage and both his Greek and Australian roots. His history and the life he has lived is one that certainly resonates with many Celtic fans around the world.
Ange has spoken before about contributing to whichever country he works in, and it is more than fair to say he has certainly contributed to Scotland and its football. His time in Japan and knowledge of the market certainly opened a few eyes and has since made other clubs tap into it. His exciting style of play, unique and witty approach to dealing with the media and understanding of what the fans want has made him a real stand-out manager in the SPFL.
It seems that whenever a job becomes available down south Ange is one of the first names mentioned in the running for it, the most recent being the Chelsea job. Ange’s style of play alongside his terrific player management has definitely made him someone to look out for. There is no doubt that he has what it takes to manage at the very top level.
However, Celtic will undoubtably do their best to keep the former Australian international for as long as possible in the hope that he can be the man to bring European success that the fans so desperately crave.
After Celtic’s league win yesterday, we saw Ange fighting back the tears in an emotional post-match interview that once again showed that this man “gets it”. This connection and understanding of Celtic’s roots and heritage is what sets him apart. He is only part of the way through a journey, and the allure of English Premiership megabucks won’t derail him in his tracks.
BOBBY GORDON
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