Ange Postecoglou was a massive success as Celtic manager. When the appointment was made, not many people gave him a chance. After all, he was pretty much an unknown in European football despite of his successes in Japan and Australia. It did not take him too long to prove himself at Parkhead though.
Ultimately, he went on to win five trophies over his two seasons at Celtic Park. And days after guiding the Hoops to a domestic treble, he decided to leave in order to join Tottenham Hotspur.
That decision did not go down well amongst a lot of supporters. But at the end of the day, it is important to recognise that Postecoglou is 57 years of age. He was probably never going to get another chance to manage a ‘Big Six’ Premier League team.
Some of Matt O’Riley’s recent comments regarding Brendan Rodgers’ arrival raised eyebrows though. As reported by Football Scotland, the Danish youth international said:
"“He’s not reluctant to come and sit with us at lunch, have a chat which is quite nice. It’s a nice, refreshing change in a sense to have a bit more openness about the place. I’m looking forward to that.”"
Postecoglou appears to take dig at Celtic player
Many interpreted that as a bit of a dig at Postecoglou’s methods. The Australian himself has never made it a secret that he likes to keep his distance from players and does not want to get too close to them, as he also has the responsibility to make the right decisions for the team as a whole.
And Postecoglou appeared to respond to O’Riley’s comments. As reported by the Daily Record, the Tottenham Hotspur manager said:
"“It’s really important for the players that they know that I have their back, that I care for them.“But that doesn’t always have to come by me sitting down with them at lunch and talking with them about how their day was. It’s just not who I am.”"
It just seems too much of a co-incidence for Postecoglou to mention sitting down at lunch with the players in this context, unless it had something to do O’Riley’s comments. And at the end of the day, the Australian’s methods did bring unquestionable success to the club, winning five out of the six domestic competitions his side played in.