ANGE POSTECOGLOU is a manager that thrived under pressure but hadn’t experienced intense pressure in his managerial career until he joined Celtic last summer.
The manager was undoubtedly feeling the heat at the start of the season, but he emerged from the rough patch strong and led Celtic on a tremendous unbeaten run, with their last league defeat coming in September in Celtic’s visit to Livingston.
At Celtic, the expectation is to win every week; if the team draws a match, it’s regarded as a loss. If, like at the start of the season, this is a common occurrence, the manager goes under intense pressure, and his job could hang in the balance.
Speaking on the Empowering Leaders Podcast, the Celtic manager opened up on his frustrations earlier in his management career and how managing in Glasgow was his career goal.
“It is unique. Growing up in Australia, we really are passionate about our sport, and I was lucky that my dad ended up choosing Australia as our destination. I grew up in a sport-loving nation. It was so much a part of my upbringing as a kid, and so many of my values are entwined with the sport.
“But, Celtic in Glasgow, it goes beyond that because for the people who love that football club, they are not supporters, they’re not fans. It’s not for them that they look forward to a game. For them, it’s part of their life.
“It’s as much a part of their life; it’s an extended family member, and I’m not talking about a distant family member. This is a family member that they bring into their household and sits at the dinner table with them. It organises their year and their significant moments.
“All that sort of encompassed. It is probably one of the most high-profile, pressurised positions in terms of a football club. The flip side of that is, I love it. That’s what I’ve always wanted, and my frustrations with Australia and Australian Soccer has always been that it wasn’t the people who loved the game or who hated the game.
“It was the apathy that landed in between, which was the biggest part of it. Most people just didn’t care.
“Even when people had a crack at soccer in Australia, I didn’t mind that. Okay, that is somebody being passionate about it. So now, to be right, smack bang in the centre of it; it’s almost like this is where I was supposed to end up at some point in my career.”
Celtic’s Passionate Support
The Celtic fans care for their club and want to protect it in any way possible. Whether they are protesting against the management or defending their club on social media, the support always has the best intentions at heart.
The fans have really taken to Ange Postecoglou, mainly because he has built a special bond with the fans. He immediately realised the size of the job, and he’d need fans’ backing, which he got in abundance.
From the very beginning, you could see how much he respected the fans’ passion.
He promised to deliver success in his first season, and he has. Winning a domestic double, which included the league, is extremely impressive for any manager, never mind someone’s first stint in a top European division while heading a rebuild.
