“I’m the manager, I’m not a fan. Our supporters don’t expect me to have the same emotion going into a big game. They don’t want me to be nervous or anxious or angry…. they want me to be under control and make sure I am preparing the team,” Ange Postecoglou.
Ange Postecoglou was at Hampden today alongside Mick Beale theRangers manager and before both held their own respective media conferences ahead of Sunday’s Viaplay League Cup Final, there was this strange set-up where both managers sat together and faced the hacks and neither it has to be said looked particularly comfortable in the other’s company. Ange was however in good form and there’s plenty of interesting observations here. Might have a listen to Beale’s too to compare and contrast. Here’s how Ange got on speaking to the mainstream media at Hampden earlier today…
Q: Can you tell us about the magnitude of this game and how much you are looking forward to it?
Ange Postecoglou: “I am looking forward to it. It is a cup final and there is a trophy on the line. It is one of three on offer domestically and you want to make sure that we are ready for the day and that we perform well and hopefully, we get the job done.”
Q: Both teams are in great form going into this. Will it be a better spectacle or does the form book go out of the window?
Ange Postecoglou: “I don’t know. In terms of the spectacle cup finals are one-off games and you just don’t know how they are going to go. Sometimes they are decided on moments and sometimes it’s pretty tight. Other times one team is pretty dominant but what you do know is that it is a game of great consequence and both teams will be up for it and it will be a fantastic atmosphere. I expect the tempo and intensity to be pretty high when the game starts and then you have just got to wait and see how it unfolds.”
Q: Michael Beale was saying that both teams are better placed than they were in January. Do you feel that is the case?
Ange Postecoglou: “Mate, I can only talk about us. We certainly feel since the break that we have been stronger. We feel that we had a good first half of the year to be fair but we have consistently improved in recent weeks. That is just because we have a stronger squad and added some players in January. They have helped us not just in terms of matches but in training also as the levels and the quality of our training have been raised. We haven’t had a midweek game for two or three weeks which has helped us as well. I think our performances have gotten stronger since the mid-season break.”
Q: This is one of three potential trophies that a team can win do you mention the word ‘treble’ and make the players aware of it or do you not need to do that?
Ange Postecoglou: “Mate, you have got to win one before you start thinking about winning two or three. That’s talking about stuff that is totally out of our control right now. All we can do is prepare well and be ready for a big game on Sunday and try and win a trophy. Beyond that come Monday we will be preparing for another game and that will be our focus.”
Q: These big finals when cups are on the line to what extent does that bring out the best in you as a coach and leader of the club?
Ange Postecoglou: “I enjoy it and it is why we are involved in the game. When I started I wanted to be a successful coach and you can only be a successful coach if you win things. You enjoy that part of it but for me, it is more about making sure the players are prepared for the challenge that lies before them at the weekend. That’s my role and the rewards if you are successful, everyone enjoys it together but in the build-up to it what is important is to make sure our focus and training are really good and to make sure that everyone is in the right frame of mind for a big task.”
Q: This trophy got the ball rolling for you in your first year at the club what do you think defending the silverware will do for you for the rest of this season and beyond?
Ange Postecoglou: “I don’t know what it would do for me but I know what it would do to our football club as it would add another trophy to us. Whether we won it last year or didn’t win it is irrelevant. The expectation when you go into a new season, especially at this football club is that you try and challenge for everything. What has happened the year before doesn’t matter as the trophy is either in your room or somebody else’s. It doesn’t carry on to this final and the responsibility you have representing this football club as the manager means that we have got to a cup final and there is a chance for us to win it. If we win it then it adds another trophy to this football club and once that is done you have to focus on the next challenge before you.”
Q: You have not lost domestically since September and the results are consistent what are you seeing in the performances that are pleasing you the most?
Ange Postecoglou: “Just that it is the consistency of performance as we have had to overcome challenges as it is not like it has been smooth the whole way. We have had different challenges along the way. The players have found a way to overcome those challenges before us. There have been some games where we have dominated in terms of the scoreboard and other games have been a little bit tighter but we have still found a way of getting the job done. The level of performance from the whole squad has been the most pleasing thing. We have had some guys who have had outstanding years and we have not relied on one or two as just about everybody in our squad has made a meaningful contribution. For a sequence of weeks, one or two players have been really strong and then two others come to the fore and that has been really important to us. Over the course of the season, not everyone is going to perform to their absolute optimum all the time and if that doesn’t happen and you have other guys who can step up that leads to the consistency we’ve had.”
Q: In the weeks leading up to such a big game is there a difference in the atmosphere generally around the training ground?
Ange Postecoglou: “I think I have said before I am not in the dressing rooms to know. This is not a normal week and you have got to embrace the fact that it is a cup final week. There is more attention on it and there are more things to do. I am not sure they are getting more attention from the people around them whether that’s in terms of cup final tickets or wishing them well or feeling anxious for them. It is par for the course and you have to embrace that part of it and understand that it is a different week. When they are in it the focus has been good. The training has been good for the past couple of weeks and that is the most important thing for me that they are preparing themselves and looking after themselves and understanding that it is a different kind of week but that should not derail us from what we know is the best possible preparation.”
Q: You walked across the Hampden pitch. How does it look compared to the semi-final and the last time you were here?
Ange Postecoglou: “It has improved, definitely. It had to. It looked in better condition. Hopefully, the weather is kind to us this week and it gives a chance for both teams to play at a good level. It is not just about the fact that the pitch stops us from playing our football, the pitch is part of the event, and the stadium is part of the event. Everyone will be watching, not just in Scotland, but around the globe and you want our football to be presented in the best possible light. In a cup final, the pitch is an essential factor in that event. So it looked like they have done a fair bit of work on it which is pleasing, so it looks okay.”
Q: This derby is always about passion and the fight and both managers work with technical players and implement systems do you think this game does something to those technical players where it is harder to implement those systems?
🍀 “You gotta win one before you even think about winning two, or even winning three…”
No treble talk for Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou ahead of Sunday’s Viaplay Cup final against Rangers 🔽 pic.twitter.com/CznsvxoG4H
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) February 21, 2023
Ange Postecoglou: “I don’t think so. I am the manager of the football club. I am not a fan. Our supporters don’t expect me to have the same emotion going into a big game like this. They don’t want me to be nervous or anxious or angry or whatever it is they feel at a particular time. They want me to be under control and make sure I am preparing the team. That’s what they want from the team and that’s what we do. That’s the way we have approached every game and I understand the games of consequences such as a final we have tried to go out there and play our football but nothing really changes. The intensity and tempo will be up for sure and the atmosphere will be great but you are dealing with human beings. All the boys will have their emotions heightened but within that context, we have still got to play our football. Ultimately if we are going to be successful that’s what we need to do. The players have been pretty good at whatever challenge has been laid before us they have found the solutions in the football we have played.”
Q: The fans will be here in equal numbers does that enhance the fixture or are you oblivious to that?
Ange Postecoglou: “I think it does (enhance it) It is a different atmosphere, it is a real derby atmosphere. When we play at Celtic Park or Ibrox the atmosphere is very parochial in one way, for the home team. I think it is an advantage absolutely. We feel that when we play at Celtic Park, having our supporters there, 60,000 of them, helps us. But in terms of the spectacle and a derby, having it split, particularly in a cup final adds to the theatre of it. I believe that and I think the players and everyone involved enjoy that because you get a bit of everything in there.”
Q: Winning a trophy is important, defending it shows staying power, does it not?
Ange Postecoglou: “It depends on what context you are talking about. We won this trophy last season but to me, the goal was to be champions. It wasn’t about winning a trophy and resting on our laurels. We went on and won the championship and it will be the same this year. It is not about winning a trophy and thinking the job is done this year. The staying power you talk about is us as a football club and us as a team. This team want to be relentless in our approach of trying to win every football match and trophy we are involved in. That doesn’t always happen but the intent is always going to be there. We have shown that already in the context of the games themselves but we are never going to be a team and I will certainly not have us be a team that winning something allows us some luxury that we don’t have to go out full pelt to win the next one.”
Q: Your players often talk about your message saying make the next game your best individual and team performance the best one. Managerially what do you do to be the best manager you can be?
Ange Postecoglou: “I am not a big one for talking too much but behaviours and actions are probably more important than words. That is the way I try and present myself to the boys. They see me there every day and I am in there early. I am at every training session. I am preparing myself for what is going to happen at the weekend. When you do that and portray those behaviours and give them the words to back it up and they follow that lead then that’s my job. I treat every game as an opportunity, I say that to the players. Age and experience give you wisdom, I know what it’s like when your playing career ends, you miss it all. You miss training, you miss the bad days, the bad coaches, and you’d have it all back. You don’t just miss the big games or the big moments, you miss it all. That’s what I try and tell the players every day. Don’t waste a day, because one day it will all end and you don’t want to look back and ask if you made the most of it. When I talk to them about trying to make every game the best game of their career, there is nothing that says that can’t happen whether that is this Sunday or next Sunday. Don’t just use it as a game where you get the win and get it out of the way because you could be missing a little nugget of gold that will make it all worth it and give you comfort on the days when it’s all gone.”
Q: Embracing the pressure and picking the cup final eleven is what you relish most, right?
Ange Postecoglou: “I enjoy all of it. The only bits that people assume you love the best are when you win things. But winning things is very rare even for the most successful coaches even if you win something every year. You’ve got to hang your hat on something other than that. I enjoy the hard graft when you’re building a team, you’re in the trenches and it’s coming at you from all angles. I enjoy that bit as you can see what you are trying to do. As I said, from when I started 26 years ago, I wanted to be a successful manager and you won’t last very long in the game if you’re not successful. Every time there’s an opportunity to win something, I’ve tried to make sure the team I’m in charge of has been prepared well to do that.”
Q: You talk about the importance of being under control have there been any moments in these games when it has got to you or you have felt a fan reaction?
Ange Postecoglou: “Not really. I’m still a human being. I want us to win and I’m not happy when we do. Part of being a fan is allowing yourself to lose yourself in moments. If you want to shout abuse, you have to do that, and if you want to lose yourself in delirium, you have to do that. But I don’t think that’s what they want or expect from their manager. They want me to be clear-headed and try and prepare the team in the best possible way. I’m very passionate, don’t take defeat well, and love winning. It just depends on how you look at it. It’s been my job for 26 years. When a pilot lands a plane, he knows what he’s doing, you’re not making that up as you go along. I like to think that after 26 years I know what I’m doing.”
