Social media can be a sewer.
Like any technological tool there is scope for its use to educate and inform, as a valuable means to expand knowledge and awareness. Yet its existence also provides a platform for some of the most mind-numbingly stupid people to express opinions and fraudulent information without fear of being held to personal account.
Sadly, thus is the modern world – fuelled by those dangerous little devices we carry around, a world seemingly not about to change any time soon.
Never was the above juxtaposition of technological possibilities more evident in the sporting world than when former Socceroo, Melbourne Victory, Brisbane Roar and Yokohama F. Marinos manager Ange Postecoglou was hired as boss at Celtic FC in Scotland.
Rather bluntly, his appointment was not the most popular decision in Glasgow, and fans of one of the most famous clubs in the United Kingdom facelessly took to Instagram to express their forthright concerns.
After a league shellacking at the hands of Old Firm rival Rangers in 2020-21, the people wanted change – positive change, cash-backed change – in the form of new players. It appears employing an Australian coaching in Japan was not what they had in mind.
A clear European superiority complex laced their initial scepticism about Postecoglou, a man who has never cared less about such commentary. Rather, the 55-year-old simply maps out his vision, draws up a plan and goes about its implementation whether anyone likes it or not.
Such an approach has sustained his managerial career thus far, one that features an ever-growing resume of success that more and more clubs around the world are noticing.
It seems many Celtic fans were unimpressed by that resume or failed to even read it.
The 10 June announcement that Postecoglou would be heading to Scotland for his next challenge was greeted with much venomous humour by some cowardly Celtic supporters.
The Instagram genius that is daraghhanbury simply responded to the announcement with the word “Who” and two laugh emojis, he was well supported by slothgroover_420, who used a trio of thumbs down and poo icons, and mcgovern6222 doubled down on all the emoji fun, using 68 laughing ones to comment on Celtic’s new appointment.
Of course there were also many messages of support, with cries of “support the manager” common among those more measured fans, those willing to give an unproven coach in Europe a chance.
Ange Postecoglou (Photo by Masashi Hara/Getty Images)
However, johnhunter5590 perhaps accurately captured the frustrated voice of a core group of Celtic fans when he rather poorly wrote, “Just don’t know about this guy think he will be sacked by xmas celtic again going for a cheap option”.
It was hard not to laugh sitting 17,000 kilometres away in Australia and reading such ill-informed nonsense. But that was then and this is now.
While the cynicism around Postecoglou only grew when the Hoops failed to advance past FC Midtjylland in UEFA Champions League second round qualifying in late July, sentiment has swung very quickly since.
The most vocal critics of the manager now have egg smeared across their faces.
After a shaky loss in the opening round of the Scottish League, Celtic have now scored 12 unanswered league goals, trouncing both Dundee and St Mirren by six. The third round of Europa League qualifying was won at a similar canter, with a 7-2 aggregate over Czech club FK Jablonec, and the Europa League play-off stage has begun well with a 2-0 win over Dutch club AZ Alkmaar in the first leg.
Just three days earlier, the opening round league loss to Hearts was reversed in a Scottish Cup second-round fixture, and the six consecutive wins across all competitions appears to have changed the tone emanating from the green and white half of Glasgow.
After Celtic’s most recent win mgbn78_ suggested that “Pep Guardiola has posters of Ange on his wall”. Bhoysreport now worships the manager – “God blesseth the Ange Postecoglith” – and Ciaran_mcc19 announced that “Ange has single handedly saved this club”.
Postecoglou has even received the moniker of ‘Big Ange’ from the supporter base, the ultimate sign of respect, and it appears there may be only one person left in doubt over the credentials and tactical nous he brings to the club.
Former manager Neil Lennon has suggested the turnabout in Celtic’s fortunes are less about the new manager and more about the return of fans. But Celtic people will be seeing through this rather transparent and tactless swipe at Postecoglou and looking forward to what will be the first big test of the Australian’s plan when the second leg of Europa qualifying against Alkmaar midweek is followed by an Old Firm derby this coming Sunday.
Should Rangers fall, Postecoglou’s ascension to saviour will be complete. As a bonus, Postecoglou already has some trust credits in the bank, to be played even if the champions prove too strong for a Celtic team still adjusting to his style of play.
Either way, it looks like our Ange is going to be a hit in Scotland, and perhaps sam.murrayy_ said it best on Instagram when he simply wrote “Ange ❤”.
titch
Guest
Good read Stuart. That video Celtic released where Ange was mic'd up for that training session, and he said to his players " Get it into your heads, we never stop, we never stop. We stop at halftime and at the end of the match to celebrate, but during the game we never stop ". That simple message resonated with the Celtic fans and quite a few jumped then onboard.
Johan
Guest
Do you get points for being tubby and unshaven? If so, Angie get 3 out of 10. Can never forget the way he degraded Australia with the 3 big losses in World Cup in Brazil.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Ah true! I had Kyoto Sanga on the brain at the time (tend to watch J2 as V-Varen Nagasaki play there).
RbbAnonymous
Roar Rookie
Furuhashi was snatched from Vissel Kobe. I am not sure where Kyoto Sanga comes into it.
RbbAnonymous
Roar Rookie
Hi Stuart, I have been following Celtic very closely since Ange's appointment. Reading many of the forums and watching the youtube podcasts. These include Celtic chat, Kerrydale St, 67 Hail Hail, Celtic TV, A celtic state of mind. Those are my favourites anyway. What I gathered from all the supporters is just how passionate they are about Celtic and how much they have got on board the Ange train. They are backing him and they want him to do well. Most of the supporters are angry with the board for allowing the Celtic board to be strung along by Eddie Howe for an unacceptably long time. The fact that the board took so long would have cause any manager headache coming into Celtic as they would be immediately on the back foot playing catch up. It was understandable that the fans would have been sceptical. Lets face it Ange was an unknown to the supporters no matter how you try and convince them that Ange can coach. What has been utterly surprising to me is how quickly the players have been able to grasp his playing style and methods. They are all playing with desire, ambition and with smiles on their faces. They are playing really brave football and the players and the supporters are buying in. No matter how you slice it this is a huge week for Celtic and will give a great indication of where they are at. On Thursday day evening (European time) Celtic will be looking to go through to group stages of the Europa league, no easy feat especially since AZ Alkmaar are more than capable side. They have to over turn a 2-0 deficit at home which will be difficult but not insurmountable. It is a dangerous team and a dangerous score line. Joe Hart did some brilliant saves while at Parkhead for the first tie, so they are in a good position but by no means are they out of the woods yet. The other match during the week is obviously the huge Old firm derby against Rangers at Ibrox. It is very difficult to get an away result at Ibrox so if he comes away with a draw or even a win its an amazing result. It wont define their season if they have a hiccup but if they do win both games which they are capable of then it will go a long way to shaping their season. They are playing well and with so much confidence that they can go on and win both games in my opinion. It is an exciting time to be a Celtic fan..........................Hail Hail.
lesterlike
Roar Rookie
Every single celtic manager since Martin O'Neill has been signed on a one rolling contract. It's not a snub or a sign of caution, they gave the same contract to Brendan Rogers.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Celtic was a gift for Ange. The expectations were so low and the ridicule so loud (check out Alan Brazil’s reactions to his appointment on TalkSport for an idea) that he was in a position to let the football do the talking. Coming from a demanding league such as the J-League, that wasn’t an issue. Snatching Furuhashi from Kyoto Sanga was an obvious move for anyone who has an inkling of Japanese football, but to the Celtic faithful it was a bolt from the blue, and a welcome one at that. Furuhashi has bagged 6 already – he debuted 19 days ago. Celtic fans have nothing to compare Ange with other than what they see on the park, and that’s where discussions are focussed. They know they are going to ship goals and score more, and from what I read they are looking forward to the rollercoaster after a few years of conservative football.
Ian
Roar Rookie
All Ange needs to be a roaring (pun intended) success at Celtic is time.If Celtic do beat Rangers on the weekend,the Celtic board should give him at least a 3 year contact and let him do his job.He is a class act and in a few short years I can see him crowning his career by managing one of the top teams in Europe.Good luck to him...He deserves it.
pacman
Roar Rookie
Yes, Arsene Wenger moved from the J League to Arsenal, so if AP does well at Celtic, one would expect him to be a shoe-in at an EPL club, quite possibly a high profile team.
Cpaaa
Guest
I’m so excited about Ange and his Celtics this year. Just like he has with previous clubs his coaching style not only changes the club but the league itself. Ange is also getting a lot of attention from the BBC and associates with very positive reviews. In his own words “it’s only the beginning.” He is destined for the EPL with possibly a former glory club ie Leeds or West ham type.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
who expected them to qualify for the money league? only the most optimistic, he had minimal time with the players and had hardly brought any new ones in as for pre season, thats never really an indicator for results. its to get people fit and again, only the most optimistic celtic fan would say they would win all pre season matches all I’m saying is; you could put any licensed coach in the world in anges place and they would have had a similar start in terms of winning and losing games – i’m not exaggerating when i say that the majority of NPL coaches in australia could do that job when’s the last time they finished below 2nd? when they walk out onto the field, they’re already ahead of most teams lol – infrastructure let alone the financial difference rangers/celtic have compared to the rest of the league is mammoth. His start so far is to be expected, we all know how ange teams play (other side of the world didn’t, which is why there was so much uproar initially) i think the time to properly judge him is when he’s had 2 or 3 transfer windows (if the club gives him time) and got his own backroom team in. but as of right now, he’s doing as expected and thats not a bad thing lol
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
Celtic are looking for a couple new assistants, I'll forward them ours CV
Waz
Roar Rookie
When West Ham thrashed Celtic 6-0 and they bombed out of the Champions League it was anything but the start people expected. Also, Ange wasn’t the coach people expected given their first choice turned them down so Anges arrival wasn’t exactly heralded in the media or by supporters. It’s a fair point AA makes that’s it’s only the SPL and you are at its biggest club so …. (although I’d only back Adelaide Andy to get two draws in that comp … way ahead of himself thinking a talent scout can coach lol).
Waz
Roar Rookie
You had me at “ Social media can be a sewer” :laughing:
Ian Nacho
Roar Rookie
sam.murrayy_ is such an esteemed judge, I might shuffle the last one higher.
Tim
Guest
Amongst the club's converted, one aspect they are surprised at, are the performances Ange has gotten from players thought to be destined for the door. Early days but promising and hope the club continue to back in the transfer market
Stuart Thomas
Expert
A very good point you make about the building of a squad in a short period and the difficulty in doing so at the national level. Ange builds a culture of play and attitude. Once implemented, it works. His CV proves that. Very hard to do with inconsistent Socceroo play and players' attitudes varied depending on their position at and success with their home clubs.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Would that be the order you would rank them?
Stuart Thomas
Expert
That was my first thought as well.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
I'd disagree that his start is as expected, however, he does have a long way to go to be proven. Looking at the faith the group appear to have in him, I'd say improvement is almost certain this season.