Ange Postecoglou’s interview with Australian broadcast media Stan Sport is being shown in segments via social media this morning (Celtic Park time)….
Ange Postecoglou’s success in turning the fortunes of Celtic around in the space of a few short months has resulted in the manager being lauded by the Celtic support, but speak to any Celtic supporter and you can almost be guaranteed that it’s not just the brand of football that endears Postecoglou to the Celtic support.
The fact is it also down to the manager recognising a match in Celtic’s charitable origins, and as a beacon for an immigrant population, in his own story as a Greek refugee who was taken to Australia by his father, as his family sought to find a better life for the next generation of the Postecoglou family.
It is something Ange has spoken at length about and it is something he again touched on in an open and inspiring interview with Australian media outlet Stan Sport.
“I found a real affinity with the club. We all know the club. We maybe surprise people over here at the beginning because we seem like we’re a million miles away and almost on another planet. But we’ve always been more than aware of the great clubs around the world and Celtic is one of them.
“Their whole background and why the club was actually formed – to feed the Irish immigrants. There was a purpose behind this club that’s stayed with it right to this day. For me that obviously resonates strongly being an immigrant in our own country.
“South Melbourne Hellas, Melbourne Croatia, Sydney Croatia – all these clubs were set up the same way. They weren’t set up solely to be football clubs, they were set up to actually help people adjust to the life in a new land.”
The Celtic story is clearly known the world over and it is something the Celtic manager is proud to be a part of, and he rarely wastes an opportunity when speaking to the international media to highlight Celtic as more than a football club.
It’s easy at times to point to players and managers at Celtic who we consider as ‘getting’ Celtic, indeed we’ve been burned in the past by some who professed to, but instead their actions told a different story.
In Ange Postecoglou there is little doubt Celtic have a manager who is just as proud to be part of a club with a historical back story that resonates with his own upbringing as he is with any work he may be doing to give us all a football team to be proud of. And as Celtic supporters we certainly recognise Ange Postecoglou as a fine football manager but also as the sort of human being we love to have represent our club. He genuinely does get it.
A simple mission for Ange when he joined Scottish giants @CelticFC 💪
Ange Postecoglou, speaking exclusively on Stan Sport FC.#StanSportAU pic.twitter.com/H6xknVY94D
— Stan Sport Football (@StanSportFC) February 14, 2022
Here’s Ange on social justice and the Celtic core values that match his own…
Social justice. Ange Postecoglou 🤝 @Craig_Foster #StanSportAU pic.twitter.com/d3gLQZDYqs
— Stan Sport Football (@StanSportFC) February 14, 2022
Ange on the challenge he faced when arriving at Celtic, being comfortable in that space and the tremendous support he’s enjoyed from both the Celtic support and those inside the club. “A football club like @CelticFC can’t go two seasons without having success,” Ange says.
“A football club like @CelticFC can’t go two seasons without having success.”
Ange is going alright 👌#StanSportAU pic.twitter.com/eou8FDmugB
— Stan Sport Football (@StanSportFC) February 14, 2022
Ange on having no idea what to buy when he’s in a shop with his wife. “I’ve got no idea”. Fortunately for Celtic, when he’s shopping for players he clearly knows what he wants…and another mention on treating the four boys from Japan as individuals…
“I have an absolute clarity about how I want my team to play” Ange says…
Getting the right players is key 🔐
“I have an absolute clarity about how I want my team to play”#StanSportAU pic.twitter.com/We0tygcNsi
— Stan Sport Football (@StanSportFC) February 14, 2022
Ange on the A-League, the Aussie boys doing well at Hearts and possible scouting in his homeland For Celtic…
Ange still has his eyes on the @aleaguemen 👀#StanSportAU pic.twitter.com/xILPkSo8Ar
— Stan Sport Football (@StanSportFC) February 14, 2022
Ange on his frustrations for the national team in Australia and not becoming the footballing force he knows that they can be…
“I want us to become the football nation I know we can become,” Ange says.
“I want us to become the football nation I know we can become.”
Ange discusses his national team ambitions 🇦🇺#StanSportAU pic.twitter.com/Tpu2qo3hmz
— Stan Sport Football (@StanSportFC) February 14, 2022
