The knives were out for Ange Postecoglou from the moment his proposed appointment as Celtic manager leaked. Even on our comments section, there was apparent anger that we had been innovative enough to recruit a proven winner. His first few months in Scotland were ropey, as he learned the limitations of some in the squad, while attempted to change our style of play.
Things soon clicked. By February 2022 (his first season) he had won the League Cup and was top of the league, a position Celtic have yet to relinquish. Thereafter Ange wrote his own copy. He was intelligent, great for an insightful quip, and forced interviewers to up their game. He left on a high after two seasons in Glasgow.
London has offered him the exact opposite trajectory. In his early days at Tottenham, he over-performed with the side he inherited. That first season faded as deficiencies caught up, and Ange’s intransigence was exposed in a league which is less forgiving that our own.
Tottenham have just completed their worst league season in decades, finishing one place above relegation. It is perhaps nothing more than sheer bloody-mindedness that having corrected a journalist who said he “usually” won something in his second season in a job, to he “always” wins something, that Ange has kept it together enough to reach tonight’s Europa League Final in Bilbao.
Spurs collected one point from their last 18 in the league, but would you bet against them beating Manchester United tonight? Not with a bloody-minded Ange in charge. We are not used to seeing managers leave Celtic and end up getting even worse treatment from the media. I hope he shuts them up with a trophy.
If you ever want to know why some football clubs perform so poorly consider Dundee sacking Tony Docherty. A sixth place finish in their first season in the top flight, then ending the current season 10th, ahead of two perennial survivors, St Johnstone and Ross County, should be considered a perfect foothold for a promoted club. It is unfathomable that he was sacked.
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Ange
Hail Hail
Good to see Ange destroying an ignorant hack yesterday
Where is Aipple?🤔
Bada
Comedy gold.
Win or lose, I think Ange will be out of a job by 1st June.
Really good piece Paul.
Respect.
Good luck Ange. If he wins tonight (huge IF) the hacks will drift away and find another victim to pick on.
They’re predictable that way although not so much as the SMSM whose target of choice is routinely Celtic.
As for Tony Docherty, I felt really sorry for him.
I think his biggest problem was their performances were better than their results.
Not sure what the “vision” is at that club.
I am genuinely indifferent towards Spurs, but I’ll be rooting for Ange tonight👍
BB – I hear you.
Trouble us, hacks …who really should be competitors?
… have this perverse loyalty to each other which .. beyond perhaps being drinking buddies? … I have never understood.
Yesterday’s was a good example.
BBC ran with “I am not a clown !” headline in response to Ange putting someone in their place.
Pure payback
BRRB
Was sent to the store for coffee and milk.
Such demands at this hour. I may take to the drink later.
Aipple
Have some willpower like wot I does.
I won’t be watching but hopefully Ange gets his hands on the trophy tonight.
The standard of the europa has drastically dropped in the aftermath of an expanded CL.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see that automatic CL place for the Europa winners being done away with.
I’m not sure Ange was targeted by the hacks. Any Spurs manager finishing 17th will find themselves fielding awkward questions.
AD- Inferring the guy is a clown,is insulting to say the least
BRRB
Any morning I have a wee moment of doubt I ask myself “what would BRRB do?”
So I go drinking.
CL new format with no parachuting clubs to the EL, seems to have diminished it as a competition.
Spare a thought for the good people of Bilbao that have endured the dregs from Glasgow, Manchester and London. Will be rooting for Ange a Celtic legend 🇮🇪
Lucky Ange CSC 👍
🤣🤣
I do like the Man U manager (thrown into a vipers den) also and find it difficult to want spurs with all that’s going on in Palestine and many of their followings convictions in that regard but it’s also hard not to want Ange.
Ange took us on when we were in dire straights. He answered the call in minutes and was here in hours from the other side of the world.
He totally transformed our squad working to budget and gave us a style of play, which for me, was the most enjoyable in all my years supporting our club.
He signed a huge number of players who fitted, delivered on the park and in many cases sold on at a profit or grew their value (yes even Oh did this) and even those who did not grow value did deliver and play a part :
Abada Jota JJ Kyogo
GG Hart CCV Starfelt
Hatate MOR Maeda Mooy
Johnston
Not many could have got so many right …… we still benefit from this legacy.
We have so much to thank him for. 5 trophies out of 6 against a potentially resurgent rangers when rebuilding an entire team.
I hope he gets his big dream result tonight. He deserves it. Despite his agent nonsense in his final game at CP I would have him back anytime.
Oh and he gave us those jumpers too.
Above comment for Aipple
Was very impressed with Ange’s press performance yesterday, and not just his putdown of the clown from the Evening Standard, formerly a freesheet published by a Russian oligarch, (now in the House of Lords for services to David Cameron) and longtime edited by George Osborne (you get the picture) and now not to be seen anywhere in the streets of London blowing in the wind.
Fact is Spurs, poor as they have been this season, have beaten Ratcliffe’s eleven three times this season, and if they win the midfield battle tonight will win the Europa League into the bargain. Come on you Spurs!
No love for either Man Utd or Spurs, particularly their fans but I’d love Ange to win tonight, they sack him, as they surely will, he will leave a winner with a huge wedge of cash and Spurs will be also rans again next year, with a new manager to blame.
Burnley78 on 21st May 2025 1:15 pm
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Totally agree
Go for it Tottenham.
As an Aussie (now) I was an early advocate for Ange P.
Loved how he reset the team and treated the meeja with the disdain they deserve.
But a coupla years of badge thumping and a surprisingly quick Lumo ticket to London and I just don’t give him a second thought. He stepping stoned us.
George Best made ManUtd my fave English side but that allegiance waned with the corporatisation of it all.
Sorta hope it’s a good final, and that the 80,000 both sides can muster (we took that to Seville I read!) but the only game that matters is Saturday’s duel with the Dons.
I’m old enough to remember some of our own inferring Brendan wasn’t up to the Celtic job without his old assistant sitting beside him.
Stupid comes with the job. For me, Ange should have ignored the hack.
The EPL hasn’t finished yet
10 Men won the league, 4-2, 10 men, Murdo scores best goal Parkhead has ever seen, the Jungle atmosphere, the Jungle party afterwards, the party along the Gallowgate, the battles at Glasgow Cross, the Buses on strike, the STV coverage blocked because of unexpected strike, the battles on the way to the game as well, Johnny Doyle, big Billy, Daniel Fergus McGrain, Alex MacDonald the hun version of WGS, the Walk-on in the Jungle before the game, after JD was sent off, and after the game was stuff from the real working class Celtic era, to be there and witness all of that makes me feel like some kind of blessed creature, Thank you Desmond White, Billy McNeill, the Hoops on the pitch, especially Murdo’s Worldy goal, for giving us another Celtic miracle.
Blessed be those we hold in our hearts.
In other news.
Is this how Zombies are created?
https://x.com/tpvsean/status/1924914144043794804
They are not going to stop until everybody becomes Guy Fawkes.
Its amazing why they aren’t trying to get everybody to wear masks again with tonnes of yon stuff falling on you every day.
There was a clue in the 2009 movie “Gamer” were Gerard Butler, the ghood ghuy, hunts down the crazy genocide loon played by the “Dexter” fella, were loon dips his hand into the weight lifters chalk powder at the gym, and as he blows the powder out of his hand, he turns his hand over as though it was walking like a Spider and says, “I can control the entire World with this stuff. Micro Smart Dust” it is textbook example of what is happening RIGHT NOW in the sky above our heads.
https://hydrahd.sh/movie/52518-watch-gamer-2009-online
Stay safe.
Good luck big Ange.
Aipple at 1.10 pm
An interesting “spin” on the headline test ie imagine reading about a decision you are considering in the headlines , with your name and photo prominently displayed . How would you look and feel , and what effect would it have on your reputation , relationships , and business prospects?
The BRRB test – would BRRB give a flying flip if he appeared in the headlines ? I think we all know the answer 🤪
FWIW,
I’ll watch the game tonight and will be rooting for Ange.
Apart from the connection with us , and I hold no bitterness against him for moving on, his treatment by the press in England , especially recently, has been a disgrace.
I also now find Man Utd’s sense of entitlement simultaneously unbearable and laughable.
Got 2 mates from church, one a utd season ticket holder and the other a spurs ex season ticket holder. Sunday after Mass will be interesting 😇
10 Men won the league, 4-2, remember like it was yesterday and what a goal by Murdo.
Must have been one of the most competitive league run ins, four of us going for it. Incidentally one of the run in games was at Firhill, a game postponed from January. I’ll need to check the programme but pretty sure they sold us the one printed from January 🙄
Easy to sort out the crisis in Gaza. Stop selling weapons to Israel, failing that, nuke the bastards
KINGLuBO
FRED COLON
I check the Evening Times on the odd occasion expecting a front page splash on BRRBs exploits.
Oh sure you will be fine ,there’s nae windaes in your dark room that open 😉
Kinglubo
You may want to reconsider that post – women and children etc
Burnley 78
Ange Postecoglu signings?
In fairness and the interests of balance, during his successful period at Parkhead he spent £49M and – plenty didn’t make the grade.
McCarthy
Bernababei
Abildgaard
Urhgohide
Shaw
Kobayashi
Siegrist
Ideguchi
Iwata
Haksabanovic
Oh
Lawal
Dawson
Clarke.
Plus and minus , 50/50, some you win, some you lose, same as all Celtic managers since 1888.
Danny Murphy making an arse of himself in the DR. When asked if Slippy G could mount a challenge he says
“It’s hard for me to know, because I haven’t watched enough of Celtic or Rangers to see the gap”
Then says further along:
Celtic aren’t brilliant, are they” 🤷♂️
Gene
You’re correct. Nuke these people
KINGLuBO