Ange Postecoglou could see Celtic went down a storm Down Under but he reckons the next step could be to conquer the Far East.
The Hoops boss believes the club’s trip to Oz has been a huge success in terms of connecting with fans from Australia and grabbing a few dingo dollars along the way. But he’s already plotting the next move and it is increasingly likely the Celts are going to go from his home country to his former adopted homeland of Japan in the summer.
Postecoglou is a hero in the land of the rising sun following his title winning time in charge of Yokohama F Marinos and believes the nation could be the next frontier for the Parkhead side. He said: “Absolutely. I know how big a market that is as well. That’s not me driving it, that’s Michael Nicholson, Chris McKay and the commercial and management team.
“They understand it but we have to buy into it as a football department. We have to acknowledge it helps us in the long run. Sure, it puts some extra demands and it would have been easier to give the boys an extra week off.
“But this has been an important week for the football club. This is the third time now that the club has been here in the near or distant past.
“The club realises that its reach is global and in every part of the world there are Celtic supporters. You have got to share the love around and we may go to other areas first.”
Celtic lost to Sydney FC and then went down in a shootout against Everton while in Oz. But while Postecoglou demanded performances on the pitch he knows what was really at the heart of this jaunt across the globe – connecting with the fans.
Sydney was a Hoops theme park for a week with local punters coming out in big numbers and plenty others arriving from all over the country and beyond. It was an exhausting few days for the boss with numerous events, hands to be shaken and selfies to be posed for.
But Postecoglou said: “It’s been great. Obviously there’s been stuff about this being a kind of homecoming, but that was a little bit of a sidebar to what’s really important. The passion the supporters have for this football club from the other side of the world is just brilliant to see.
“I am well aware of it, but for the players to see it then if they didn’t get it before they would now. They’ve gone half way around the world and the passion exists everywhere. That gives the players even more of a feeling they are part of something really special.
“It’s good for our club. There are not many clubs who can travel and get this kind of support.
“It’s an important part of who we are and we need to keep growing the club. The more we visit these places and give a little back, we’ll get more in return in spades.”
And that also can mean shedloads of cash. Postecoglou gets it. Celtic made a hefty seven figure fee for their Aussie adventure and the manager understands the club needs to find ways to maximise their revenue streams if they want to compete with the likes of Everton and their mammoth TV deals.
Postecoglou said: “It is that too. We know the financial disparity that exists between us and the teams we want to compete with, particularly in Europe.
“Everything we can do commercially to make this club stronger, the more revenue we generate. The club doesn’t put the money in the bank, it’s about making the club stronger.
“I’m all for these kinds of things that make our club stronger – because that’s how we bridge the gap. There are plenty of clubs who have a stronger financial base than us but don’t have the worldwide support that we do.
“Why not tap into it? That’s how big clubs operate and that’s what we have to want to be. That’s’ what we are, we just need to be disciplined about what we do and not get sidetracked by other things if we are to be the club we know we can be.”
Postecoglou has an eye for the business of the game but it’s all about building the best team he can on the pitch.
The manager has spoken about the need to move players on and given the way his side gave Everton the run around for long spells on Sunday in Sydney, there are already a fair few who could cut it in the Premier League. Postecoglou said: “That’s not for me to judge. I certainly don’t want them to go at the moment.
“Again, that’s part of who we want to be as a football club. I said it a few weeks ago, all these things need to be designed to be stronger every year.
“We can’t plateau. We can’t just be a dominant team in our own backyard. We want to be more than that. To do that all these other things are important because that’s how we bridge the gaps and have an advantage over other clubs who don’t have this access to worldwide exposure.”
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