Give him the tools

 

Give him the tools

In September of last year Celtic lost at Livingston to a goal in the 25^th minute of the game by Andrew Shinnie. Celtic languished in sixth place in the title race after losing three of their opening six games. It was clear that Ange Postecoglou knew what he wanted from his team and wouldn’t be diverted from playing his non-stop, quick passing style of play. They had 79% possession and 16 shots on goal on that day at the Tony Macaroni Arena and couldn’t find the net. Some said they were lightweight and lacking real punch up front. Others suggested Postecoglou’s style of play wasn’t suited to the rough and tumble of the Scottish game. Most Celtic supporters could see what he was trying to do though and were prepared to back him while he constructed a team. There were encouraging signs of progress in those early weeks of the season. I wrote myself at the time…

‘I’m excited by the start Postecoglou has made at Celtic and the improvements we have seen in the few months he has been here. He deserves time, patience and two or three transfer windows to transform Celtic into the side we all want them to be. Rome wasn’t built in day and good football teams are nurtured and built over several seasons and not a few months. Give Ange the tools he needs and I remain convinced he’ll do the job well.’

Ange’s way of dealing with the media also endeared him to the fans. He saw through their negativity and easily sidestepped the snares they set for him. He shook his head at preposterous suggestions the league was over in September by saying to the reporter involved, ‘You like to call it early here. Nothing is decided this early in the season.’ He has since proved that to be the case. Celtic will no doubt have told him about how the media in this country works and not to put to much stock into what the so called ‘pundits’ say. The word ‘pundit’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘pandit’ which in India means a wise man or teacher. Once he listens to the likes of Kris Boyd, he’ll understand that they’re not all wise.

Watching the improvement in the side since that loss at Livingston has been very encouraging. Celtic have now gone 30 league games without defeat and if Ange has made errors along the way, he acknowledges them and learns from them. He possibly does regret not using Kyogo through the middle in the match they lost 1-0 at Ibrox. Once Kyogo switched in the second half, Celtic could easily have snatched a draw. Odsonne Edouard looked disinterested that day as he awaited his move to England but the money his sale brought in, along with that received for Kris Ajer, was spent wisely by Postecoglou. His recruitment has been very successful when contrasted to that of recent seasons, which was at best patchy.

Postecoglou famously said after a loss in Europe, ‘there is no plan B, if plan A isn’t working, then we need to do plan A better!’ As the season progressed, it was obvious that his team was doing things better. They secured victories at Pittodrie, Easter Road, Tynecastle and Ibrox as they overcame a deficit which was seven points at one time to climb to the top of the league. Their 3-0 thrashing of Rangers at Celtic Park in February was perhaps the epitome of what Ange is trying to do. In the first half of that game, Celtic played the sort of fast, attacking football that simply swept their opponents away. It was display full of pace and movement and one which let Rangers know that their predicated stroll to the title wouldn’t be happening.

Yesterday’s 4-1 win all but completes a remarkable turn around this season and the plaudits for Celtic’s 52^nd championship win should be laid at the feet of Ange Postecoglou. This is a man who stepped off a plane last summer with little more than his suitcases and a head full of ideas about how the game should be played. He had no backroom staff of his own but this vastly experienced coach quickly assessed what needed to be done to revive Celtic after last season’s shambolic goings on. After making the worst start in a league campaign since 1998, Postecoglou organised and galvanised his side and made rapid progress with the much needed rebuild.

He has said that this is merely phase one of the reconstruction of Celtic. If that is the case then Celtic fans can rightly feel excited about what the future holds. The team will find itself in the Champions League in the autumn for the first time in a few years and much as it looks a daunting prospect for his new side, he’ll doubtless approach it with his usual confidence. This young team is inexperienced at that level and will need learn fast in the big boys’ playground but most fans will be happy if the club makes a good fist of it.

Celtic is on the up, Scottish football is on the up and there are some exciting times ahead. With Ange at the helm, we can be confident as we approach the future.  His mantra will be the same in the season ahead as it was this year…

“Just get it into your heads: we never stop. We never stop. We’ll stop at half-time and we’ll stop at the end of the game when we celebrate. But during the game, we don’t stop”

That’s the sort of boss I want in the dugout and the training pitch. Give this man the tools and he’ll do the job.