Ange Postecoglou had a fair idea his success at Celtic was making waves Down Under - but it wasn’t until he used the international break to return home that he realised just how big a deal his work in Scotland had become in Australia.
The Parkhead boss spent some time in New South Wales last week promoting Celtic’s participation in next month’s Sydney Super Cup and was interviewed on a host of TV and radio programmes as the Aussies lined up to ask him to reflect on his 16-month adventure in Glasgow’s East End.
It’s obvious Postecoglou has come back refreshed and ready to write another chapter or two in what has been a remarkable success story so far. “Yeah it was good, mate,” he answered when asked if the trip had been worthwhile. “It was great to talk to people about the tour and about the club. Everyone has a great interest in how I’m going over here and it was great to spread the message over there. There’s a real excitement about the club’s visit which is great to see. It’s fair to say Celtic caught the imagination of people back home.
“Celtic have always had a really strong supporter base and a really strong connection with Australia but obviously, with my involvement, that’s been strengthened. They are following the progress of the club really strongly now and they are really excited to see the team in person. It will be at a time when there is a real focus on football in Australia. All the other codes are finished, so at that time of the year the World Cup will be about to start and the A-League will be going, so there will be a real football focus. Everyone is really excited about seeing the team.”
Closer to home, 60,000 will be excited about seeing their team face Motherwell today as Celtic try to get over the shock of losing a year-long unbeaten league record to St Mirren last time out. Postecoglou is philosophical about the defeat but has been in these parts long enough to know that only a win today will be acceptable.
He said: “We are only in the second year of rebuilding a side, we have only had three transfer windows. So we’re by no means the finished product. There is still improvement in us, we know that, and we knew that after every game that we won because that’s the way we analyse it.”
A hectic schedule between now and the break enforced by the World Cup in Qatar kicks in and Postecoglou believes his entire squad will be called upon. But one near constant will be his captain Callum McGregor, who joked that playing 70 games a season doesn’t bother him.
The gaffer laughed: “If he plays 70 good games then I’ll have no problem with it. The reality, and why Steve Clarke and I keep selecting him, is his level of performances have been outstanding.
“He’s been doing it for a while and in the past year and a half he’s taken his game to another level. He’s shown real leadership in the role he’s taken, within our club and in the Scotland camp. You ask any manager in the world, it’s about performance, and if someone is performing you keep playing them. If there was ever an indication that Callum’s level of performance was dropping then he’d be the first to acknowledge it.
“If we need to bring him out, we will, but his performance level is testament to the way he prepares and looks after himself on and off the field. If he’s performing at his current level, whether it is myself or Steve, we will keep selecting him. Between now and the break we’ve got 13 games in 43 days. That’s why we’ve built a squad and tailored our training.
We’ll be playing every three days or so, we are going to need the majority of the squad performing at a good level. The cancellation of the Livingston game was a big disappointment for us, it would have helped us get some game-time into the guys and it created a bit of a gap for us.”
First up is Motherwell and the Aussie admits he has been impressed by the manner in which new Fir Park boss Stevie Hammell has quickly adapted to his new role as a gaffer. He said: “Stevie’s gone in and made changes to the way they play. When you look at them, they are definitely more of a goal threat.
“I know they lost 3-0 to Hearts but when you look at the game they had quite a lot of opportunities. It can be hard when you come into a position during a season, you are inheriting a group of players and changing the style pretty drastically can have an effect on the team. But he’s certainly moulded the team to the way he wants to play and credit to him, good on him. Hopefully he continues on that path and they will provide a good challenge.”
