Jamie Carragher has admitted to being mightily impressed by Celtic under Ange Postecoglou, in particular the last Glasgow Derby, where the Hops blew away theRangers with a devastating first half performance.
It’s something that hasn’t gone unnoticed south of the border. Living down here myself it was clear there was a real sea change in attitudes towards Celtic when Steven Gerrard took over at theRangers. With Gerrard taking over his first job in management the high-profile nature of Gerrard as a player piqued interest in the Scottish game, but much of that came with an unusual groundswell of support from many towards the Ibrox club.
Now Gerrard has moved on, Scottish football was going back to being rarely discussed down south. Yet that Glasgow Derby played on a midweek and with no other English fixtures up against it on TV, saw a definite rise in interest once again, particularly in Celtic’s performance and Ange Postecoglou’s fast paced and breathless style of play.
And Carragher, who no doubt himself had kept an eye on his former teammate’s progress with theRangers admits he wasn’t surprised Celtic went for a left-field appointment in Ange Postecoglou, however he was more than impressed by what he saw for Ange’s team in the Glasgow Derby.
Asked if he was surprised if Postecoglou was given the job, Carragher, as reported by Football Scotland said –
“Not really. “It’s difficult for Celtic and (the)Rangers. They are institutions, huge football clubs, they really are, but the league doesn’t have the financial rewards to entice the big-name coaches.
“The reason (the)Rangers got Stevie Gerrard is because it was his first job, he wouldn’t have gone if it was his third or fourth job. Obviously there’s always going to be a bit of scepticism – who is this guy, we don’t know too much about him. But no, he’s done brilliantly culminating in the last Old Firm (sic) where it wasn’t just the result, it was the performance as well.
They Absolutely demolished (the)Rangers in that game! It was one of those games where it doesn’t always happen, where it felt like the whole of England was watching and I think it just reminds everyone how big Scottish football is, certainly with the two Glasgow giants.”
Celtic certainly put on a show in the Glasgow Derby and it was ideal timing when it came to reasserting Scottish football’s profile down south, helped in no small way to the fact the fixture was given the prominence in the SkySports schedule it doesn’t always have, often clashing with other English matches. Meanwhile mid-day or 12.30 kick offs often mean the match is overlooked.
This is one issue the SPFL and Sky Sports may well worth revisiting. Midweek games or evening kicks off under the lights create a special atmosphere at Celtic Park. If you add in the type of performance Ange Postecoglou’s side produced in the last Glasgow Derby, then there has to be a re-think as to how Scottish football, and not just the Glasgow Derby, is marketed during its contract with Sky Sports – at the moment it appears it is being undersold.
Niall J
