Ange Postecoglou inherited a backroom staff when he came into Lennoxtown last summer and just got on with it. Much to the dismay of many supporters (myself included), the former Yokohama F. Marinos boss decided against the cries for him to have his “own men” or at least one whom he could confide in and use as a sounding board for what would be a monumental task whipping this club and playing staff back into some sort of semblance of shape.
Never a shirker, Postecoglou believed he could work with the chaps who were already on the books at Celtic Park even after the manager had left. John Kennedy, Gavin Strachan and Stephen McManus were given the role of aiding the sanguine Australian coach in his pursuit of growth and development during his first year in Scottish football. The start was slow, the signings staggered and the chances slim.
But somehow we trundled on. Sorry, Ange did – we watched and prayed for a miracle. We gave our faith in the mantra of ‘trust the process’ and in due course it unbelievably delivered yet more success for the European Cup winners. Postecoglou had performed nothing short of a minor miracle wrestling the Scottish Premiership back from the grasp of Ibrox at the very first time of asking, as well as a League Cup to add for good measure.
This pre-season the coach has made several changes to the playing staff, yet more importantly – one could argue – he has freshened up the coaching team with the addition of fellow Aussie and Socceroos legend, Harry Kewell. Kewell came into the club back in June and has had a chance to work with the players during the tour of Austria, getting to know the group in the meantime.
Postecoglou has now revealed the reasoning behind his decision to appoint Harry to his backroom staff and has insisted he doesn’t want the players becoming too comfortable in their settings and surroundings as we aim to retain the league title this year. He said: “We have brought in Harry and made a couple of subtle changes to the coaching staff, so people don’t get too comfortable in terms of the voices that they hear.
“You are always trying to make those subtle changes because, from the first day of pre-season, you don’t want the players to think, ‘OK, we’re just going to roll out what we did last year’ and expect success to come. That’s not how it works. I always try to maintain a dynamic environment where there is an enthusiasm and freshness around the place.
“Sometimes that’s new voices, sometimes it’s subtle changes around where you train or the way you train. It’s not about one person. It’s just about making sure players and staff continue to improve.You need that uncertainty there to motivate them to improve.”
The Hoops’ manager wanted to diversify and bring something fresh and vibrant to the staff this year and he thinks Kewell has that contrast. He said: “He offers something different to our coaching staff. He has had some experience of managing his own sides and before that had some incredible experiences as a player working under some fantastic managers.
“He has some great personal experience to draw upon when dealing with the players and he is at an age where he is closer to their generation. All those things help, but he is also here to develop. My job is to ensure he keeps developing, keeps improving. My job is to challenge everyone here, but he’ll also learn from the likes of John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan and also Stephen McManus and Darren O’Dea. They all help each other.”
Paul Gillespie
It'll be good to see the skipper unfurl the flag today. Callum McGregor has really grown into the role as captain of the side. A few doubted he was skipper material given his quiet nature but it's obvious he's leading the team well. pic.twitter.com/vdLYWh5RNz
— Lisbon Lion (@tirnaog_09) July 31, 2022
