Ange Postecoglou will lift the Premiership trophy at Parkhead today and his thoughts will immediately turn to Hampden and next weekend’s Scottish Cup final. The Celtic boss is on the verge of a treble and making it five trophies out of six in his two thrilling years in Scotland.
But the backdrop is growing uncertainty surrounding his future, with English Premier League club Tottenham identifying the Aussie as a serious contender to become their next manager. As Postecoglou picked up yet another award with the Scottish Football Writers Association manager of the year gong, he sits down to answer the questions fans are asking.
It’s been a hugely successful two seasons at Celtic, do you still have more to achieve here?
"There’s always stuff to do. I’m still enjoying what I do, I’m passionate about it and football provides you with so many challenges as you go along. Wherever I have been I have always tried to conquer the next mountain. They’re always there. You have success and then you want more. You don’t have success and then you want it back. There’s always a challenge.”
Does the Celtic job still satisfy you, are you happy and content?
"Yeah, I still enjoy what I do and I’m passionate about it. I’m really passionate about building teams and what we’ve done in the last two years, it’s easy to think it’s been a seamless transition back to success. But we know it wasn’t. It’s taken a lot of hard work to get us to this point. In many respects, it’s still the early stages. For a lot of the boys they’re only one or two years into a career at this level. The best is ahead of them, so you kinda go, ‘Okay, let’s see what potential they can reach?’ That takes the whole club to another level.”
English football usually tends to look down on the Scottish game?
"Everyone thinks that where they are is the centre of the universe. The one thing I’ve learned is that the Scottish league isn’t an easy league. I keep referring to Gio van Bronckhorst. He won the league with Feyenoord, then got to a Europa League final with Rangers and won a Scottish Cup final and finished second in the league. And he gets the sack.
“People don’t understand the sort of pressure that exists here for Rangers and ourselves. That’s pretty unique and the effect of that is that every week you are facing an opponent who sees you as a big scalp. And if you’re off it, as we have been for the last couple of weeks, that’s what happens.”
So you never take this job for granted?
"Exactly. I’ve never taken it for granted, never looked too far ahead and never worried about the next step. I know that if I don’t worry about what’s happening here right now my future gets taken out of my hands. I don’t get to decide anything, other people decide it. I have been determined my whole career to have my destiny in my own hands. i wouldn’t like to lose control of that.
You said after the Viaplay Cup Final people would be surprised how long you were here, is that still the case?
"I don’t put timelines on things. If other people are trying to then it’s purely guesswork. I start every year and every job I do I do it as if I’m going to be here forever. The reality is that I’m not going to be. But every decision I make is a decision I think will be good for this football club or any football club I work for.
“I’m pretty proud of the fact that every club I’ve worked with, even after I’ve gone, has had success. No one has fallen off a cliff just because I’ve left. Every football club I left had success directly after I’ve gone and I’d like to think that what I’ve put in place is long-lasting. From my perspective I don’t put timelines on how long I am at a football club. I just treat every year as a separate year and a chance to build.”
But you know supporters get unsettled by speculation?
“I understand that. It’s only natural and I guess it’s the same with players. As a manager I love to think that we will keep all our players for the start of next year but the reality is that it probably won’t happen. I think it’s the nature of football and we understand that. But whatever the future holds for me or anyone else this football club continues to exist, it continues to be successful. That doesn’t change.’
You never know what’s around the corner in terms of offers?
"It’s not even about what offers I get. It’s about sort of how I feel or how the club feels. If we don’t start well next year and we are second and you guys start putting the heat on me then the club starts thinking about my future. That’s the reality of it, that’s the truth.
“I don’t live in some universe where I think I am untouchable. That’s the reality and you deal with it. And that’s why I have always made sure that my efforts and consciousness is focussed in the here and now. I don’t worry about tomorrow. Look at the Premiership this year and how many managers started and finished the year? Not many.”
But sometimes you need to seize the moment?
"I think I’ve done that in my career. It’s about how you feel and when you get to the end of the year how you feel about the next challenge. That doesn’t mean you do it because it is there. There have to be reasons for it to happen. What’s important for me is the here and now. I’ve never planned anything in my career. I’m not going to think about anything else other than the two big games we have this week. Whatever happens in my career from here will happen because I am doing my job very well.”
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