Ange Postecoglou has been very successful at Celtic by many measures. Whether it be bringing the winning mentality and silverware back to the club, with the Australian manager already lifting three trophies in Scotland. Or whether it be getting the fans on his side so quickly, when he was an unknown to most of them at the time the appointment was made. There is a gap in his record though that needs to be filled.
Nobody really knew what to expect when Postecoglou was appointed in the summer of 2021. With a significant squad rebuild needed and having finished 25 points behind the Rangers in the previous campaign, most Celtic fans weren’t expecting to be league champions anytime soon, never mind winning a double that very season.
Postecoglou is well underway for a second successful season with the Hoops. The Scottish League Cup is now in the bag, there’s a nine point lead in the Premiership and a Scottish Cup quarter final coming up against Hearts. So the future looks bright.
But there is a strange gap in Postecoglou’s record which he is unlikely to be happy about. This weekend’s league match brings that into focus. St Mirren Park is the only Premiership ground where Celtic haven’t won a game under the Australian manager, yet. Even more surprisingly, his high scoring side haven’t managed a goal there either.
Celtic must end Postecoglou nightmare this weekend
The most significant result for Postecoglou at St Mirren is of course the 2-0 defeat last September, the club’s only Premiership loss this season till now.
Coincidentally, in December 2021, Postecoglou took his team to St Mirren Park for their first match after winning the Scottish League Cup against Hibernian and only managed a 0-0 draw. Let’s hope that that is not repeated this time around.
That draw in 2021 did come at a time where significant injuries had struck the squad hard and came before new signings Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda, Yosuke Ideguchi and Matt O’Riley arrived in the January window.
There have been several more exciting signings since, the squad is looking in good shape and Postecoglou must be feeling confident that his side can overcome their record there. At the same time, they cannot take things lightly and must take their A-game to St Mirren Park.