During the international break we aim to provide something different with a range of special episodes in place of our usual weekly show. This week Tino spoke with sports journalist Vince Rugari of the Sydney Morning Herald to discuss Ange Postecoglou’s story so far and to get his take on how the manager’s settling into life at Celtic Park.
Ange Postecoglou officially marked 4 months as Celtic Manager this week and there’s no doubt the journey has had it’s up and downs so far. From scintillating performances at home against the likes of Dundee, St Mirren, qualification for the Europa League via a nail biting tie with AZ Alkmaar, to disappointments against Rangers, Hearts and Bayer Leverkusen – it’s been a choppy ride to date.
It can’t be forgotten however that he inherited a team in complete disarray, one devoid of all confidence following the failures of last season, and a squad which quickly had to adapt to the loss of serial winners Kris Ajer, Ryan Christie and Odsonne Edouard.
Building culture as well as a winning machine takes time – that can’t be debated – and with around ten new first team players arriving at Celtic Park in the summer it would be foolish for even the most optimistic of us to expect a quick fix.
The signs are there however that – given the required time – Ange may just be the man to get the club back on track. With a track record such as his, this is a movie that Vince Rugari and many of his peers have seen before, with Ange carrying out impressive rebuilds at several clubs before he even came on Celtic’s radar.
Vince provides detailed insight into Ange’s various successes at club level in Australia, particularly at Brisbane Roar, as well as the impact he had on the Australian National Team before then heading on to Yokohama F Marinos in Japan where he picked up another league title – their first in 15 years.
He was officially appointed Celtic Manager on June 10th and we discuss the various stages of the Ange success cycle at his other clubs and on where he currently is on that cycle here at Celtic after 16 competitive games in charge.
Spoiler Alert: This is exactly where Vince and others expect Ange to be at this stage – “Ange Year 1, like clockwork”).
Like most of us, Vince and his compatriots are fascinated by the Ange story and have shown a real passion in following his journey here so far.
He’s suggested that with a little bit of patience and a little bit of faith in Ange and his methods, that we’ll see serious success in the months and years ahead – if he’s given that time to do so!
We also cover:
– Ange’s Obsession With Football
– “(He’s) the best coach that this country has ever produced”
– His bizarre enjoyment of the pressure of football management
– “The Velvet Hammer”
– Winning the Champions League with Southend United! (on Football Manager)
Listen to “Ange Uncovered – The Story So Far” here:
The Celtic Exchange Podcast is available weekly and we also broadcast The Final Whistle podcast immediately after all Celtic games. Find us on Spotify, Apple, Android and wherever you get your podcasts by searching “The Celtic Exchange”