“We have to be careful with the narrative of who brought me to the club,” Ange Postecoglou said after his side’s 3-0 win over Ross County at Celtic Park this afternoon. The mainstream media wanted to know what the Australian had to say about Dom McKay’s shock Celtic exit on Friday.
“I was surprised as anyone that Dom resigned but I am going to be respectful of him and his family. When people cite personal reasons, there’s reasons for that. Michael Nicholson is now in charge and that’s good because I already know him,” the Celtic manager said, as reported by Scottish Sun
Michael Nicholson has operated very much in the background at Celtic but will now have to come forward and speak to the support – who have invested heavily in the club once again this season – and outline his own vision for the way forward. Is that too much to ask?
Conversations were raging among supporters about McKay’s departure from Celtic at the game this afternoon and in cars, buses and trains as the fans made their way to and from Paradise. And the Green Brigade had their own take on the dramatic boardroom events with this banner displayed before the match got underway.
And Ange was asked for his comments on the protest banner unfurled by the Green Brigade this afternoon. Postecoglou said: “We are all transient figures at this great club. The constant is the fans and they expect us to get on with it.
“I’ve done that throughout my career and will continue to. Everyone is allowed to express opinions in whatever way they choose to, our job is to send the 60,000 who are here home happy and that goes for the millions around the world.
“Sometimes it’s good to be kept on your toes and I am sure our supporters will do that.”
A consequence of the major impact that Postecoglou has made on everyone at the club in his ultra-impressive start to his tenure as Celtic manager is that the need for a Director of Football to be recruited to assist a coach is less pressing and you get the impression that this is not what Ange wants to happen anyway.
And with Nicholson being his main day-to-day contact throughout the transfer window there’s possibly less urgency around this even with McKay stepping aside for whatever personal reasons existed.
“I’ve never said anything about a Director of Football,” Postecoglou said. “Do I need one? What I need is to continue to build a football club and a football team that can bring success to this great institution.
“What that entails is something we’ll deal with over the course of time. What I’ve never done over the course of my whole career is do what other people suggest. I’ll always do what I feel is the best for the situation. We’ve come through a really hectic period where I felt getting our squad together was the number one priority. Now I get the chance to build a structure around it.
“If I feel changes need to be made, I will make them, but at no stage has the board, or anyone else at the club, got in the way of me doing anything.”