Getting the Celtic managerial job over the summer, even Ange Postecoglou was aware that not many around Scottish football knew who he was despite his considerable success in both Japan and Australia. That has all changed within a matter of months. It was a bit of a shaky start for him, but he has quickly turned things around, going on to win the Scottish League Cup and now he seems destined for more success at Parkhead.
For their part, the Celtic fans should be commended for welcoming him with open arms despite questions being raised in the media about whether he was good enough. And now both Postecoglou and the support appear to be loving life, after the 3-0 Glasgow Derby win over Rangers put the Hoops at the top of the Premiership table for the first time since September of 2020.
While the results have been great as of late, perhaps the most impressive thing about Postecoglou’s time at Celtic is the connection that he has built with the fans.
So, what has been the recipe for such a great fan-manager connection? More than anything else, it has been his honesty. Postecoglou isn’t hiding anything and comes across as completely authentic. He knew he had to win the fans over and he has done exactly that in a short span of time.
Postecoglou’s brilliant comment about Celtic fans
Postecoglou made a brilliant comment about what this Celtic side are looking to do. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, he told BBC Radio Scotland:
"“We’re upholding the values of this football club, not just in terms of winning but the way we play our football. I want them to be proud of us. I hope they are proud on the journey home tonight. I am sure they will enjoy tonight, I don’t know how work will go tomorrow for most of them.“As I said to the players, we had 60,000 in tonight and I’m sure a lot of them walked in with some problems in their life. For this 95 minutes we made them forget that and feel good and that’s something special.”"
That in a nutshell is why Postecoglou has quickly become so popular amongst the Celtic fans. He is just brilliant, not only as a manager, but beyond it as well.
Celtic could have gotten a manager more familiar with the club and Scottish football, but it’s hard to imagine anyone else would have been able to turn the Hoops around as quickly or as efficiently as Postecoglou has.
The squad has gone a massive overhaul, and a number of the new signings have already made big contributions. Now, the aim should be on winning the Premiership, with Celtic back on top of the table. Let’s see if they can get it done.