Ange Postecoglou today paid his respects to former Celtic manager Wim Jansen who has sadly passed away at the age of 75. Wim Jansen arrived at Celtic in the summer of 1997 facing the seemingly impossible task of stopping the big spending Rangers in their attempt to reach ten in a row and thus beat the record of consecutive Scottish league titles wins set by Jock Stein’s Celtic between 1966-1974.
Not only did Wim Jansen win the league to stop the ten he also added the League Cup to the Celtic trophy room for the first time since the early 1980s and also spend £650,000 to bring Henrik Larsson to the club in what is surely the best piece of transfer business ever done by Celtic or probably any other club.
Here’s what Ange has had to say about Wim Jansen at today’s media conference…
“It’s sad news for his family, and for our football club and all the organisations he’s been involved with. He’s a massive name in Dutch football, both as a player and a manager,” Ange said. “I’ve often said that, for all of us, we get the privilege of coming through these clubs and our ultimate ambition is to leave some sort of mark or some sort of legacy and he did that in 12 months.
“The impact he had in just one year at this football club is fantastic. It was a similar journey to mine, from Japan to here, way back then, and he has left an indelible mark.
“And for all of us, what you hope for is that at the end of it, when you stop doing what you love, is that, along the way, you’ve belonged somewhere and you’ve made a mark somewhere, because that keeps everything you’ve done alive, and with Wim, that’s definitely the case, both in Dutch football and particularly here at our club, he will be forever remembered.”
Ange Postecoglou has paid tribute to Wim Jansen following the sad passing of the former Celtic manager, who has died at the age of 75.🍀
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 25, 2022
🗨️ "If you go to a club especially in the first year and you win the league, that’s the best you can have." 🏆🍀
Rest in Peace Wim, You’ll Never Walk Alone 💚#YNWA pic.twitter.com/KVw5417Mej
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 25, 2022
Wim Jansen had a near on impossible job when he walked into Celtic, just sold Van Hooijdonk, in process of losing di Cano & Cadete, Rangers spent £15.5m to their 9IAR squad, more than any club in the UK outwith Newcastle (£17.5m), yet somehow won the League & Cup, miraculous!
— Inside The SPFL (@AgentScotland) January 25, 2022
🗣️"We pass through these places and you want to make sure you leave your mark. In the 12 months he was here, he certainly did that."
Tributes from Ange Postecoglou, Celtic, Rangers and more as Wim Jansen passes away at the age of 75💚
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) January 25, 2022
