Celtic won the Scottish Cup with a 3-1 win over Inverness CT, sealing a historic treble for the club. And yet, there was a cloud of uncertainty hanging over Parkhead amidst all the celebrations. In fact, one could argue that the mood was somewhat dampened due to the rumours surrounding the future of Ange Postecoglou.
Rumours have suggested that Tottenham Hotspur are set to open talks with Postecoglou. The Premier League giants are believed to have made him the number one candidate to be the next manager of the club.
No Celtic fan will want to see Postecoglou leave any time soon, having seen him deliver five trophies in his two seasons at the club till now. Yet, they have been left fearing the worst following the manager’s emotional message to the supporters following the Scottish Cup triumph.
As reported by the Daily Record, Postecoglou said:
"“I have appreciated the support I’ve had from day one. Because of the way I came into the football club.“Without beating about the bush I was a joke. A lot of people made fun of me. But the supporters, for their own reasons, put their collective arm around me and said: ‘No, he’s one of ours’.“It was up to me to repay that faith. The reason they feel so close to this team and so close to me is because, while others may have mocked, they stood behind me.“I think they deserve a lot of credit for what has happened because it would have been easy for our supporters to have been just as sceptical, given the reaction to my appointment.“That would have made my job a lot tougher, especially in that early period when results weren’t there. I think they feel part of my journey here.“They deserve to feel good about the fact that, while a lot of people ridiculed it, they stood by the person who was representing their football club. That’s what makes them special as supporters.“For me, I have tried to repay that in my own way by hopefully producing a team that has brought success and one they are going to be proud of. That has always been the most important thing.”"
Celtic boss sends emotional message after Scottish Cup win as fans fear worst
Many interpreted that as a tribute and a goodbye message to the supporters. And as the Tottenham Hotspur rumours continue to pick up pace, Celtic fans will remain worried about the situation until some official announcement is made.
Postecoglou has quite certainly built up a special bond with the fans over his time at Parkhead. And it did have a lot to do with the circumstances in which he arrived.
He was written off by many even before he had touched down in Glasgow. On top of that, Celtic were in a terrible position at that point of time. They were coming off of a trophyless campaign and had finished 25 points behind the Rangers as well.
All things considered, the expectation was that it would take Celtic two to three years just to get back to challenging the Rangers for the league. Instead, they won the Premiership and League Cup double in Postecoglou’s debut campaign at the club and have gone one step further this time around, securing the treble.