With domestic football currently sidelined due to the International break, the rumours currently surrounding theRangers potentially being on the verge of losing their manager Steven Gerrard to Premier League relegation threatened Aston Villa really has taken centre stage in the mainstream media sports departments.
The fact that so many fans of theRangers are devastated by the thought of losing the former Liverpool man is slightly puzzling when you consider he has won only one trophy out of the nine available in his 3 years at the club, but then again I suppose for a club only in existence for less than a decade any trophy win is to be celebrated.
When Brendan Rodgers left Celtic for Leicester City many fans of the Ibrox club scoffed at us for our manager deserting us mid season for an ‘average’ EPL team. That ‘average’ team had won the Premier League two and a half years previous, Aston Villa were a Championship club only two and a half years ago. Some difference.
Others thought Gerrard was destined to leave Glasgow directly to the managers job at Liverpool, a truly laughable assumption. There is absolutely zero chance that a top 4 club in England would be willing to take on a manager who has won only one trophy in Scotland in three years.
Can you imagine the reaction if someone suggested Callum Davidson of St Johnstone could take over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s job at Manchester United when he inevitably gets the boot, yet incredibly he has more trophies as a manager on his CV than Steven Gerrard has.
Anyway, one person in Scottish football who couldn’t care less about what’s going on over at theRangers is Ange Postecoglou. He insists he has a “laser focus” on his own team and urged everyone else at Parkhead to do the same.
The Celtic boss was speaking after being named Premiership Manager of the Month for October and used some funny analogies to describe how little he cares about what is happening in the Ibrox corridors.
Speaking at today’s Mainstream Media Conference (Ange is going to be speaking to a Celtic Fan Media Conference early next week) the Celtic manager wasn’t going to get drawn into the affairs at the 9 year old football club from down the river.
This is the mentality. pic.twitter.com/dvfevpXZr2
— 20 Minute Tims (@20MinuteTims) November 10, 2021
“They’re the kind of distractions I avoid, to be honest. That’s what I’m talking about – I’ve been really laser-focused on here and I’ll continue to be.
“I’ve tried to get everyone here to do that as well – and it hasn’t been too difficult.
“It’s like when we watch TV these days, people binge a series in one night because we don’t want to sit another week and wait for an episode, which is what I used to do in the old days, as you’d know.
“I feel like people want to binge this season as well – one result and it’s over, a good result and it’s done.
“I’m just making everyone really aware, we can’t get distracted by anything, by anyone else.
“We’re trying to build something here, and when you’re trying to build something and be successful you can’t afford to be looking over your fence to what other people are doing.
“We’ve got to build our house, make sure it’s nice and beautiful then see how it stacks up to the rest of the neighbourhood.”
I have a feeling that if the players continue their recent form under Ange’s tutelage our house will be beautiful alright, and filled with next year’s impending Champions League money. It will look even more spectacular when we look over our neighbours fence and discover all that is left is a dingy caravan full of ever mounting unpaid bills.
To be honest I hope Steven Gerrard is still around to witness it. You can watch the full Mainstream Media Conference below.
Conall McGinty
Proud and honoured to be reading my dads biography,thank you @Boola_vogue @HarryHoodBook pic.twitter.com/5KfCfSkrJg
— Nicky Hood (@helenahood25) November 10, 2021
