As Ange Postecoglou penned a four-year deal with Tottenham Hotspur, Celtic were already looking ahead to replacing the man whose Celtic side dominated Scottish football during his two-year tenure.
Celtic had endured a torrid time during Neil Lennon’s final campaign in charge, which quickly spiralled out of control after Leigh Griffiths came back from pre-season overweight for a tilt at ten-in-a-row, followed by Boli Bolingoli going AWOL, and then, well, you know the rest…
ANGE THE JOKE
When Ange came in the following season he was viewed, in his own words, as something of a “joke” but the former Australia national boss quickly steadied the ship before steering us out of stormy waters and towards success.
Despite the bitter disappointment of Ange’s departure, we cannot forget how he turned Celtic around in such a short space of time.
Celtic fans took to Ange instantly, which is something he pointed out after wrapping up a treble at the weekend. His humour and often abrasive way of dealing with the media even saw supporters of other clubs having something of a soft spot for the Greek-Australian.
His ability to understand exactly what the fans were looking for in a manager and in a squad, while always seeming capable of saying the right thing created a clear and apparent love affair between Ange and the Celtic support.
He was exactly what we were looking for after the disappointment of losing the much sought-after ten-in-a-row.
He could often be seen after games, pounding the Celtic crest on his chest, which led some fans to proclaim that, “he just gets it.”
But just because he was passionate and was genuinely able to connect with Celtic fans, doesn’t mean he is a mercenary for leaving the club for the EPL.
NO MERCENARY
Talking about Ange on the ACSOM Bulletin, Liam Carrigan explained how Postecoglou was when managing over in Japan:
“I think he gets fired up, if you look back to when he won the league with Yokohama, their first title in 15 years might I add, he was exactly the same.
“He’s a whole-hearted, passionate guy and wherever he goes it’s 100%, he buys into it.
“And that is why I think so many Celtic fans are essentially in a mourning period right now because he bought into us.
“While he was here, he fully bought into what Celtic was all about, and we bought into him.”
His mentality was always clear, he was ambitious and always wanted the best for himself and, whilst he was here, he wanted the best for Celtic too.
The culture he created at Celtic was something severely lacking when he arrived at the club. This is something that you’d hope could be continued by the next man picking up the reins.
The fitness levels throughout the squad vastly improved, the work rate was consistent, and each player looked to adopt his winning mentality.
We often heard the manager using the phrase “we never stop,” and that was clear to see in the team he built.
Talking about the departure of Ange, Liam Carrigan went on to say: “We knew this was coming, it’s come earlier than we thought it would, but we go on.
“We are getting a new manager in, but we are getting a new manager in a much, much better place than when Ange came in, and we have Ange to thank for that.
“Let’s just remember that when we critique what’s happened over the last few days.”
BOBBY GORDON
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