THE list of names who sing the praises of Celtic Park reads like a who’s who of the world’s top players over the past 20 years. The likes of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Paolo Maldini are among those who the famous old ground has left a lasting impression upon.
Their warm words about the atmosphere are always genuine and well-meaning, but Ange Postecoglou wants the stars of Real Madrid to leave Glasgow having not only been bowled over by the club’s supporters, but to fly home waxing lyrical about the team they came up against on the pitch too.
“Spot on,” Postecoglou said. “That is our objective as a club.
“You want people talking about this football club as a real formidable opponent. That’s not going to happen one day to the next.
“Our record in recent years hasn’t been great [in the Champions League], so you can’t go from that to being totally dominant.
“But on the road to being that team you have got to make your mark and make an impact. Our job is to make an impact.
“The arena sets itself for anyone to want to perform, irrespective of whatever club you play for or what heights your career has reached.
“Walking out here [on Tuesday] night there won’t be a player on that field who doesn’t want to play well.
“Brilliant, that’s what we want. We want to be up against the best.”
That being said, Postecoglou fully understands the role that the Celtic supporters will play if his team are to have any chance of pulling off a remarkable win over the European champions, and he is also fully cognisant of the sacrifices many of them will have made to be there this evening.
With that in mind, a suggestion that he may wish to temper expectations following his side’s recent blistering form were met with a trademark grin and a dismissive riposte.
“So you want me to burst everyone’s bubble? You want me to bring a downer to this whole experience?” he said.
“No, I’m glad our supporters are buzzing about it, I’ve got no problem with that, that’s what we love about the game.
“My job is to stay even-tempered through it. So in terms of my expectations, and what I’m communicating to the players and to the group in terms of what we need to do to progress, then that’s a different story.
“But I want our supporters dreaming about big games and big wins and winning things, that’s the role of us as a football club.
“I’m sure they get enough of their bubble burst in their normal lives on a daily basis, it doesn’t need me to bring them down and tell them not to come here too excited tomorrow because it might not go well.
“I don’t think that’s my role. My role is to make sure they come bouncing in, and hopefully we send them bouncing out.
“That’s what football clubs are all about. We get 60,000 in here every game and have 60,000 season-ticket holders.
“It is hard-earned money they are putting in and what they want with that hard-earned money is not the satisfaction of them paying a bill.
“It gives them something in their life that money can’t give them anywhere else. Tuesday night is a night for that.
“That’s the reward of them coming in here. As I said, whatever struggles they may be going through, this gives them a little bit of joy.
“It’s irrespective of their background or what their current situation is. They are as one in here and experiencing the same thing.”
The experience will undoubtedly leave an impact on Postecoglou too, who understands what it means to his country to have an Australian finally coaching at such a level.
In among the frenzy of it all will be a thought for all of those back home who have supported him, and most of all, a moment’s reflection for his late father.
“Whether it’s just 30 seconds of just making sure I appreciate where I am, and you do think about the people who got you to that space,” he said.
“My father isn’t around anymore, but he was a big pillar in my life in terms of putting me in this place where I am now.
“But I’ve got family now, loved ones and friends who will be in Australia getting up in the middle of the night to watch it, and you do reflect on it because it’s been a hell of a journey.
“I’ve come from the other side of the world, and I’m sitting here right now, so you reflect on that and you hope they take pride in that, I’m sure they do.
“I hope they feel part of it, because like any other person I’m the end product of a lot of influences and a hell of a lot of love and support, and you want those people to share in whatever happens.
“Look, I’ve just turned 57 so it’s not like I’m beginning my managerial career. But that’s part of what’s been my challenge. I guess that’s built a resilience in me that means I’m not daunted by anything.
“Having come from the other side of the world, and be sitting here now, I’ve had to overcome some fairly significant challenges, the biggest one being my passport to prove to people I could perform at the highest level.
“So I’m trying to make sure that while I’m here now, I make the most of it.”
