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...
The club should apologise for a Dubai trip that has disfigured a season already notable for toil on the pitch and mess off itCeltic: The Implosion. The imagination of a scriptwriting genius would have been necessary to piece together a chain of events which are now far enough removed from fiction as to fatally undermine what was billed as a history-making season. Grand plans relating to a 10th title in a row are long gone; instead, Celtic’s collective decision-making has reduced the club to a laughing stock. Their supporters, normally so fiercely defensive of reputation, have been united in horror at the unravelling of a setup which appeared untouchable 12 months ago. It really didn’t take much to topple this...
If Celtic stumble against St Johnstone on Sunday the board will be forced to act to try to halt the tailspinWhat the recent scenes at Celtic Park might have been like had supporters been allowed into the stadium, we have been left to ponder. As an unruly element wasted valuable police resources, mid-pandemic, with protests after last Sunday’s defeat by Ross County, it was easy to think Celtic’s players had got off lightly.Tens of thousands have not been allowed to howl disapproval during defeat to Rangers, embarrassment at the hands of Sparta Prague or a League Cup exit to a club with one-20th of Celtic’s wage bill. Related: David Martindale's journey from prison to leading Livingston Continue reading...