The Celtic Star attended the two media conferences yesterday firstly with November’s Scottish Premiership Player of the Month Sead Hakšabanović where we asked him about the importance of having Callum McGregor back and also about his great relationship with The Celtic support.
We then asked Ange about the important role that Matt O’Riley and Reo Hatate will play for the remainder of this season and O’Riley getting back in amongst the goals last week in the friendly against Rennes.
Then we asked Ange about the advice he’d given to Scott Robertson who had been quoted in the papers this week saying that his time at Celtic was coming to a close after his agent informed him that he would not be given a new contract. Let’s look at this last point first as it certainly appears to have been the main talking point from yesterday.
Before going onto the advice aspect, Ange dealt with the player speaking to the papers about club business and he certainly didn’t appear to be too impressed with that. Earlier in the week we talked about noise coming from Giakoumakis’s new agent about the weather in Scotland, the low-ball sum Celtic might accept for the striker, the mega-backs on offer in Saudi Arabia and so on and pointed out that Ange would be less than pleased at this stuff, which was much more that Scott Robertson’s media appearance after hearing the disappointing news that his time at Celtic was coming to a close.
We’re only permitted two questions and our on Scott Robertson was the final one at yesterday’s media conference. If only we’d asked the Robertson question first then we could have asked about GG’s new agent and then there would have been real fireworks from Ange.
Here’s The Celtic manager’s response to The Celtic Star’s question on Scott Robertson saying in the papers that his time at Celtic is coming to an end:
“Okay. Well I do not think he should be calling things himself in the papers,” Ange Postecoglou told The Celtic Star.
“Scott is one of those players who has been here for a long time and has aspirations of playing for this football club. Sometimes timing or circumstances mean these things do not work out but that does not mean they cannot have a meaningful career. My advice to Scott and all the young players is ultimately it is about them having a football career they can be proud of.
“Sometimes it is about going to a place you can play more as after you reach a certain age your next phase of development comes from playing. You can train and get the information when you are younger but Scott is 21 now so he needs to go and play regularly.
“I have no doubt he can make a career for himself. Sometimes it is all about the timing or what is in your way and if that does not happen for him here then I am sure there will be more opportunities for him elsewhere.”
Celtic players will have heard or read that opening remark by Ange Postecoglou and might as a result tread more carefully in their dealing with the press. Giakoumakis might even have called his new agent to tell him to rein things in a little!
Ange really does take no nonsense. Here’s the media conference, with the two questions from The Celtic Star coming at the end…
Scott has been at Celtic for 13 years since he was 8. To be told by a Third Party that his contract wasn’t being renewed 2 weeks ago but Ange was too busy to tell him and would speak to him when he returned from Portugal in 12 days, lacks respect.
In any job if you are told you are being made “redundant” it makes sense to shout as loud as you can to make it clear you are available for employment.
What was he “calling”, himself?
Celtic had already told a Third Party the situation, so Celtic had already “called it”!
Once he had been made aware of Celtic’s position on his contract, it is Scott Robertson’s prerogative to do what is best for himself. He had committed 13 years of his young life to Celtic and for Celtic to convey this information to him via a Third Party, is disgraceful.
Ask Ange why he left it to the bhoys agent to tell him his time at Celtic was over?
I think there’s a few journalists intimidated by Ange but I’ll “come out” if he can back up his comments!