Scott Brown says Ange Postecoglou deserves plenty of Celtic credit for changes that aren't easy to implement at the snap of a finger.
The Australian came into the club off the back of the season behind closed doors, where Parkhead dreams of 10 Premiership titles in a row came crashing down, and captain Brown ended his trophy-laden run. Callum McGregor was appointed skipper and reclaimed the title last May, and are in pole position to win again with a nine-point gap.
They've also won two League Cup crowns and Fleetwood Town boss Brown - who will spend a night in front of supporters at the Hydro with Mikael Lustig in May - says Angeball has brought about emphatic changes. He told Celtic TV: "I was watching and I still wanted the club to do well and win trophies and as soon as it all started to click into place, it was a delight to watch.
“You’ve got inverted full-backs, you’ve got pace up top, you’ve got unbelievable work-rate and that doesn’t come overnight. That comes a lot from hard work on the training pitch, belief in your assistant managers and coaching staff, but also your captain as well.
“Cal’s been unbelievable and, for me, I couldn’t have hand the armband down to anybody better. He’s an exceptional footballer, he’s got the drive to go forward and he loves the club to bits, and it’s what you want as a captain.
“You need somebody that’s got that trust of the fans but also he’s got the fans’ back as well. He knows what they want and he produces it week-in, week-out.”
Brown has enjoyed success in his first year as a boss, going on a historic FA Cup run at the Cod Army. And there have been - as revealed on the Off the Record Podcast - three former bosses he's gone to for guidance.
He added: "It's been great since coming down here and having that learning curve from all these managers. I speak to Brendan Rodgers, I speak to Gordon Strachan and I speak to Lenny (Neil Lennon) as well, it's good to phone these people and get that understanding.
"I need to learn as much as I possibly can because I knew it would be a shock here. I retired and becoming a home dad isn't really for me, I love being in a changing room, and we are in a better place than we were last year."
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