Video: Ange Postecoglou has his say on shameful hacks awards

Ange Postecoglou was at the Hilton on Sunday night to collect his Scottish Football Writers Manager of the Year award. He might even have considered handing it back to the hacks whose annual event was disgraced by racism and sexism by some Rangers supporting nobody who was asked to make a speech that was so offensive two full tables walked away in disgust.

On a day when they should have been celebrating Women’s Football – after all their beloved Rangers (sic) had just won the SWPL title ending Glasgow City’s 14 years of domination – they instead reverted to type with their old sexist and racist remarks, the latter being particularly amusing to many in the room as it was aimed at Celtic’s Japanese stars.

(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Ange isn’t going to hand their award back but he should have. Callum McGregor and Cameron Carter-Vickers were both overlooked in favour of Craig Gordon, as we pointed out last week Paul Larkin once noted, Anyone But Celtic. This is the same crew who were writing things like Ange standing for ABSOLUTELY NOT GOOD ENOUGH earlier in the season, calling the league in September and saying Ange would be sacked by Christmas, something he reminded them about on Sunday evening.

Kyogo Furuhashi of Celtic reacts after a missed chance during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Heart of Midlothian at Celtic Park on May 07, 2022 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Today speaking to Sky Sports the Celtic manager took time out of preparing for the title winning opportunity at Tannadice tomorrow evening to discuss the controversy and to give some helpful advice on righting their wrongs.

“For me, the key thing to coming out of that is you can treat it as a little bit of a controversy or you can treat it as a moment where you can be better, you know.

“And I think we’re constantly looking for these moments where we can all be better in terms of what we’re doing, the way we approach things, we’ve got to understand there are people in that room who have different values, different views, irrespective of that.

“There’s an opportunity there to learn, I think for all of us. I don’t think the organiser, they have come out and apologised, and I don’t think they did it with any harmful intent. But, you know, if they just focus on the controversy or trying to put it to one side, I think there’s a failure there to actually be better the next time.

“Understand it, talk to the people who were upset on the night and, for me, I think again I’m in that space where I think we shouldn’t really be having those kind of moments. So I think people should already know. But in the, in the place of a misstep, what you want to do is be better than next time,” Ange said.

You can watch that interview below. Ange returning their award would have made a much bigger impact, so in that regard it’s an opportunity squandered to make a difference.

About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor, who has edited numerous Celtic books over the past decade or so including several from Lisbon Lions, Willie Wallace, Tommy Gemmell and Jim Craig. Earliest Celtic memories include a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk

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