Paul Lambert spent a day with Ange Postecoglou at Lennoxtown early last week and got a close-up opportunity to check-out the mood in the Celtic camp ahead of Sunday’s visit to Ibrox for the Glasgow Derby.
And the former Celtic captain came away with a strong belief that judging from what he’d been watching, Celtic would go to Ibrox and pick up all three points to open up a 6 points advantage at the top of the cinch Premiership.
Lambert explained in an interview with Daily Record today. “I was just having a watch for a day or so and, coming from that, I had a feeling Celtic would win as there was a great atmosphere.
Celtic Manager Ange Postecoglou arrives at Ibrox Stadium before the cinch Premiership match on Sunday April 3, 2022. Photo Steve Welsh
“I’d met Ange before. I was doing a game for Celtic TV at one stage and we had a brief meeting. He invited me up to go and see him. I felt he had a good persona about him and the way he comes across, even with media, he seems pretty calm.
“You can just tell. Even when you watched the training, the tempo was good. Many of the guys weren’t there as they were away with their national teams at the time, but it was still strong and, as I said, the atmosphere was terrific. I think Celtic have the best team this year and now it’s just down to finishing off the great work that has already been done.”
Lambert reckons that a Celtic title win this season is on a par with the 1997-98 first season triumph achieved by Wim Jansen, when the Dutchman came to a struggling Celtic in major transition and stopped Rangers FC winning 10 in a row.
9 May 1998: Celtic Coach Wim Jansen and Murdo MacLeod celebrate after a Scottish Premier League match against St Johnstone at Celtic Park.. Celtic won the match 2-0 to become the league champions and stop Rangers FC winning 10 in a row. Phot0: Shaun Botterill/Allsport
And Lambert reveals right from the start he had a feeling that Ange Postecoglou could match the achievement of Wim Jansen by turning around the club and delivering the title in his first season in charge.
I just had a feeling he was right for the club with his demeanour. The way he went in and was really calm. He would have realised he needed to win games due to the size of the club.
“But, without pre-empting anything, if they can keep doing what they are doing and manage to get over the line, it’d right up there with that achievement of Wim. I’d compare it to that Wim era. He took Celtic over at an incredibly tough time and I’ve said before it was a genius stroke that he pulled off.
Paul McStay poses with the league championship trophy prior to the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Hearts at Celtic Park on May 19, 2019. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
“Paul McStay, who in my opinion is one of Celtic’s greatest ever players, had left. Paolo Di Canio had left, Pierre van Hooijdonk had left, Jorge Cadete had left. Andy Thom stayed, but for Wim to get the better of that Rangers side of that time which was really good was an incredible achievement.
“A top Rangers side with Gazza and Brian Laudrup, Richard Gough, Andy Goram. What Wim did was incredible and I’d put Ange’s achievement up with that. How Wim did it was phenomenal. And he lost his first couple of games. Pretty similar with Ange losing some games early on.
“The great thing is that he brought the three or four Japanese lads into the club and he knew exactly what he was going to get. He knows what type of guys they were, what type of ability they have and the probably best of those lads hasn’t even played recently in Kyogo.
“Reo Hatate, who looked tired at Ibrox, he’d been in Japan the week before, but he worked his backside off and Daizen Maeda was even more so. Just runs and runs. Ange knew what he was getting and that was similar to Wim when he took Henrik. He knew what he was getting.
“The thing Wim has is that he had to stop Ten in a Row. That’s the only difference I see. But what Ange has done with the start he had, the turnover of players and his demeanour, it’s been magnificent.
“The club has always been good structure wise. Obviously, Peter Lawwell did an incredible job and Michael Nicholson is now in and taken it on. It’s always been in a brilliant place, it just needed a manager with calm to turn it over and they have done great.”
Celtic chief executive Michael Nicholson (centre) Photo: Jeff Holmes
Lambert is of course correct, we can’t count our chickens, anyone who remembers winning at Ibrox in 2005 then throwing it away with a 3-1 home defeat to Hibs and a 2-1 loss at Motherwell in Black Sunday to gift wrap the title for them playing out the game at Easter Road.
Celtic’s focus needs to be on the game on Saturday against a St Johnstone side still battling for Scottish Premiership survival. Three points please Celtic, eyes on the prize. Three points…
