Sunday’s League Cup final carries huge significance for the Australian coach, but Hibernian can play with nothing to loseRecent history dictates the claiming of trophies alone is not sufficient to protect a Celtic manager. Ronny Deila, recently catapulted back into the spotlight at New York City, collected three major honours in Scotland but was never convincing in a role he held for just two years. Neil Lennon, already a decorated Celtic player and manager, was at the helm as the club won five trophies after his second tenure began in early 2019. By late 2020 angry fans were rampaging outside an empty stadium, demanding Lennon’s removal.There is also the issue of how much of an achievement the winning of domestic...
First Old Firm derby of the season gives Ange Postecoglou the chance to test his side’s Japanese-inspired progress Every revolution has its icon. What helps Ange Postecoglou is that the pin-up boy during Celtic’s steep rise was plucked from the Japanese market which is fundamentally understood by their manager. All the data analysts and scouting algorithms in the world are irrelevant when a manager knows the specifics of a player who should fit his regime.Postecoglou has been at the helm as Celtic have gathered that crucial football commodity: momentum. But Kyogo Furuhashi’s seven goals in as many starts means supporters have a new cult hero. Celtic have become exciting again, with Kyogo at the epicentre of this relentlessly attacking –...
First Old Firm derby of the season gives Ange Postecoglou the chance to test his side’s Japanese-inspired progress Every revolution has its icon. What helps Ange Postecoglou is that the pin-up boy during Celtic’s steep rise was plucked from the Japanese market which is fundamentally understood by their manager. All the data analysts and scouting algorithms in the world are irrelevant when a manager knows the specifics of a player who should fit his regime. Related: Postecoglou will need to work Celtic miracle to deny Rangers another title | Ewan Murray Related: Europa League: Leicester draw Napoli, West Ham land in favourable group Continue reading...
Ange Postecoglou is not gregarious by nature but looks quietly troubled by what continues to transpire in front of himWhen once presented with a question about his philosophy, Martin O’Neill told the story of the new manager who lost his first three fixtures 3-2, 4-3 and 5-4. By the time a fourth high-scoring defeat in a row arrived, boardroom purring over style had given way to edginess and questions on whether victory was likely at any point in the future. O’Neill’s Celtic side would never win awards for artistic merit but the Irishman’s generally successful tenure meant supporters had little cause to bother. As Tiger Woods puts it, winning takes care of everything.Celtic do not make a habit of losing...
Steven Gerrard has elevated his team to a point where they could sell players and still be too good for the competitionCeltic must rue the part they have played in the ludicrous modern-day promotion of pre-season friendlies. On the same weekend as West Ham swaggered to a 6-2 win at Celtic Park, Rangers defeated Real Madrid at Ibrox. In football terms, neither result is remotely relevant; these outcomes did, however, fuel the narrative of Glasgow’s green half being in disarray as those in blue seek to turn last season’s title win into a period of dominance.When the real stuff started, Midtjylland followed the trend set by Ferencvaros, Cluj and AEK Athens by bundling Celtic out of the Champions League at...