After 105 days of managerial limbo following the sacking of Neil Lennon, Ange Postecoglou waltzed through the Lennoxtown doors; greeted by a majority of cheers but also a minority of jeers by the Parkhead faithful.
As a manager who hasn’t boasted the most exciting of portfolios – the key role being manager of Australia from 2013-17 – there is somewhat a cloud of negativity that seems to loom highly over the Greek-born boss, although those who are in the loop, such as Australia’s Scott Ollerenshaw, are more than convinced he will make a mark in Glasgow.
And Ange believes that although he has a task on his hands, the early signs are there for the start of what must now be considered the Celtic overhaul, given the amount of players that are rumoured to be leaving this summer.
FC Midtjylland have been announced as his first competitive fixture in the famous green and white, which will take place in just over a month’s time, but Ange believes that is ample time to cooperate and go into the game with a winning strategy.
Speaking to Celtic FC, Ange said: “It’s obviously a very significant fixture for us and it comes pretty early. It’s exciting for me, for the players and the whole club. I’ve been hard at work already and it’s been great to connect with everyone at the club and get to know everyone.
I’m really excited about the fact that we’ve got something to look forward to and a bit of a target there over the next four or five weeks.
“I’m keen to hit the ground running and try to get as much work done before I get there, but my own view is that we can’t be more prepared than what we are at the moment in terms of the conditions we’ve had to face.”
“I’m fully confident that once I hit the ground, we’ll get started and I’m really excited about the fact that we’ve got something to look forward to and a bit of a target there over the next four or five weeks.”
Celtic will face a familiar foe in Erik Sviatchenko when the Danish Superliga side visit Paradise. Erik, who joined Celtic from July’s opponents in 2016 under Ronny Deila for £1.5million, had a decent start to live in Glasgow.
But, after suffering a knee ligament injury in 2017, he lost his place in the Celtic side under Brendan Rodgers – forcing him back to the MCH Arena. Ange will also see a familiar face as he faces Awer Mabil; a player he knows well from his time in the Australia setup.
“I know Awer well. He’s a fantastic young man and a great talent, he’s been there for quite a while and because of that I know the club quite well. I’ve followed his progress and the club’s progress, and it’ll be great to see him again. And the Celtic supporters will welcome big Erik as well, so it’ll be a great fixture.”
“There’s a lot of work been done already and certainly, in the first few days, the staff there are really keen to set the new tone and the agenda that I’ve got. So I think the players will feel a difference straight away, but, obviously, for me, the real impact will come when I get there and I can talk to people.”
Skippy will put Slippy back in his box. 52/ 1 – Incoming.