MARTIN O’NEILL was quick to put Ange Postecoglou in his place when the award-winning Celtic managers met for a chat.
The Irishman and the Greek-Australian came face to face at the club’s Foundation charity night in London this time last year.
Postecoglou was fresh from his phenomenal initial impact on the Parkhead club after his extraordinary repair job on a team that had limped through a maze of mistakes while failing to deliver a trophy for the first time in 11 years.
BIG ANGE HAS LANDED…Celtic’s new manager Ange Postecoglou arrives in Glasgow in June 2021.
Neil Lennon’s successor set about the remarkable revamp with a commendable zest and vigour and delivered the League Cup following a dramatic 2-1 victory over Hibs in December 2021 and then the Premiership silverware after a 1-1 draw with Dundee United at Tannadice five months later.
All very impressive from the 57-year-old former Australia World Cup chief.
But Postecoglou was brought crashing back to earth by the former occupant of the Parkhead dug-out.
TIC TALK…Martin O’Neill and Ange Postecoglou have a chat at the Celtic Foundation evening in London last year.
Genial Irishman O’Neill took the opportunity of having a quiet word with the present-day gaffer.
Postecoglou revealed: “Martin mentioned he won a treble in his first year! I only won a double!
“It’s all good. That’s the beauty of this football club. You don’t need to look anywhere else for motivation or inspiration. It’s a club which is built on success and great deeds.
“All of us who get the chance to serve the club, you want to set your own mark and try to emulate the feats of the great people who’ve been here.
MAKE MINE A TREBLE…Martin O’Neill with the silverware clean sweep after his memorable debut season as Celtic manager in 2000/01.
“I just find it inspiring and motivating that the legends have set those standards.
“It’s up to me, the people who work with me and the ones who come after me to try to maintain those standards.”
O’Neill did, indeed, sweep all before him as he hit the east end of Glasgow with the force of a hurricane in season 2000/01 and delivered the clean sweep of domestic silverware in a swashbuckling, flamboyant manner with Henrik Larsson taking centre stage in a team off all talents.
Postecoglou, as CQN reported, added: “It was great to see the legendary Martin O’Neill and spend some time with people. But I had to get back up here for training, so it was a bit of flying visit.
PREMIERSHIP WINNER – AT THE DOUBLE…Ange Postecoglou now has the treble in his sights at Hampden.
“I’d bumped into Martin a couple of times before very briefly. He has always been very kind and it was great to catch up with him. He’s a great man.”
Tomorrow evening at Hampden, Postecoglou gets the opportunity to join O’Neill, Jock Stein, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon as Celtic managers who delivered a treble to the Parkhead club.
Inverness Caley Thistle stand between the gaffer and a silverware clean sweep as they square up for an intriguing Scottish Cup Final.
What’s the betting on a confab between a Greek-Australian and an Irishman after full-time tomorrow night?
