A marriage made in heaven
The dulcet tones of Karen Carpenter echoed
around the Hydro in Glasgow this week as Celtic Manager, Ange Postecoglou took
to the stage. The 13,000 Celtic fans present took up tune with gusto and belted
out their own version of ‘Top of the world,’ with a slightly amended lyric… ‘We’re
on the top of the league looking down on the Rangers and the only explanation I
can find, is the form we have found since Ange has been around, Ange has put us
on the top of the league.’ The big man smiled as they serenaded him and
embraced him with their passion and affection. It was a moment few Celtic
Managers have experienced and is testament to the job Ange has done at Celtic Park
over the past two seasons.
The Hydro, that symbol of modern Glasgow with
its luminous outer cushions of shimmering light, sits on the banks of the river
Clyde just a few hundred metres from the Broomielaw dock where many of the
forebears of those attending the event at the Hydro poured off cattle boats
from Ireland in the dark years of the mid-nineteenth century. They often had
little more than the clothes they wore and a determination to make a new life
for themselves. One of them was a teenage boy called Andrew Kerins, who arrived
in Glasgow over 170 years earlier. In time he’d train as a Marist brother and
teacher, and come to realise the potential of football to help those with
little or nothing. Not only did it give them the opportunity to raise money to
help a very poor community, it also gave them a sense of pride and a vehicle to
help begin the slow process of assimilating into Scottish society.
Perhaps that son of Greek immigrants to
Australia taking the applause at the Hydro gets Celtic so well because he knows
the struggles his father endured to make a better life for his family in a new land. He said on
Australian TV a few months ago…
‘This club was formed to feed poor Irish
immigrants. There was a purpose to this club which stayed with it to this day.
For me that resonates strongly being an immigrant in our own country. South
Melbourne, Hellas Melbourne, Melbourne Croatia, Sydney Croatia, all of these
clubs were set for similar reasons. They weren’t set up solely to be football
clubs, they were set up to help people to adjust to life in their new land.’
Ange Postecoglou has huge admiration for his
father, Jim (Dimitri) who could speak no English when he arrived in Australia
after spending thirty days on a boat from Greece. He recalls one incident which
illustrates the things his father endured to make a start in Australia…
‘There is the story of my dad being alerted
by a neighbour that there was a mattress out the front of this house for
whoever wanted it. They picked it up and were lugging it on their shoulders put
forgot where home was and were literally walking the streets for hours because
they could not even ask for directions. (He spoke no English) My dad used to
tell that story and get a lot of laughs but I am sure when he was lugging that
mattress on his shoulders it wasn’t funny.’
Those hard times formed strong characters
and the no nonsense man in the Celtic hot seat was formed in those years.
Watching the genuine pleasure he gets from the adulation of the fans, it’s easy
to see that this is more than just a job for him. When his mother and father
were working all the hours God sent to make a life in Australia for their
children, Ange was beginning his football journey. His father gifted him the
love of the game he enjoys to this day. His father pushed him to improve all
the time and never to settle. That has rubbed off on Ange’s approach to
management and his players know that to stand still is to go backwards. The
constant push to be better, to improve, to keep evolving as players and a team
comes from those early lessons his father taught him.
There is footage of Ange after winning
the Australian Grand Final as a player in 1990. His father, who was in his 50s
then, actually scaled the fence with other fans to celebrate on the pitch with
his son. It meant that much to him to see his son succeed. It meant much to
Ange that his father was proud of him, even if his old man didn’t say it in so
many words. He recalled travelling home from Japan when his father was nearing
the end of his life. They talked together and his father finally told him how
proud he was of him. Ange knew it, of course, but it was nice to hear it.
In some ways, Ange Postecoglou and Celtic,
is a marriage made in heaven. He understands the journey Celtic have been on
and the tradition of fast, attractive football they became famous for. He has
patience with fans who all want a minute of his time and deals with the snares
our sporting media lays for him with ease. Like Jock Stein, Billy McNeill and
other managers before, Ange gets Celtic. Stein famously said, ‘unlike many
other Celts, I cannot say that Celtic were my first love, but they will be my last.’ Gordon
Strachan said, ‘when I came here, I wasn’t a Celtic fan, but I was when I left.’
I think Ange will have a similar feeling when the time comes. His footballing
philosophy was summed up when he said…
‘I have never seen it as
a job, something where I can make a living. It has always meant something more
to me. We are in a ruthless business but for me it is never just about results,
just about winning, it is about putting smiles on people's faces, doing things
that are memorable.’
The big guy is sure putting smiles onto the
faces of Celtic fans. His brand of football is exciting and good to watch. You
get the feeling that whatever challenges lie ahead, he’ll meet them head on
with his usual confidence and that determination to succeed instilled into his
as a young immigrant in Australia.
As the crowds drifted out of the Hydro after a
joyous night, strains of ‘top of the league’ were still to be heard echoing
around the huge hall. Some were doubtless thinking of that other hit of the
Carpenters and hoping it pertains to Ange Postecoglou and Celtic. It’s called; We’ve
only just begun.
