WHEN Ange Postecoglou arrived at Celtic, he chose to come solo. He declined the opportunity to bring his own backroom staff with him.
The manager wanted to see what things were like at Celtic and was adamant that no one would be dismissed after one poor season.
Many fans were surprised at the move initially. After all, many wanted to see the backs of the coaching staff that were at the club during the disastrous season. From top to bottom, fans believed change was needed. However, Ange thought otherwise.
At Friday’s press conference, the Celtic manager explained why he stuck with the staff that was already at the club, saying; [Celtic TV]
“I don’t think it’s a matter of them hanging around, I was given an option to bring my own people in.
“But I’ve always felt that with all these things you’ve got to assess the totality of everything that happened.
“Last year was a disappointing year, but previous to that, the club had won nine premiership titles in a row, and guys like John Kennedy were part of that.
“So, you can’t just dismiss or put a line through people because of a challenging year.
“My view was that i wanted to form my own opinion and make my own assessment of people.
“Obviously, when I came in, things changed, the environment changed, the way we worked changed, and you see how people adjust.
“i gave all staff here the opportunity to buy into it, and i think if it wasn’t working, you’d see by our results.
“But they’ve all done a fantastic job to understand what i needed from them.
“Where we are at the moment is a reflection of all of those guys’ efforts.
“And I’m sure they learnt a lot last year. It hasn’t been all success in my career. When I’ve stumbled, I’ve learnt about myself and learned where i need to be better. And I’m sure that’s the case for the guys that were here last year.”
Postecoglou has said that he will look to bring some staff in during the closed season. Having already got people to fill positions in the club, he’ll look to continue doing this.
It’ll be interesting to see what changes happen this summer and if there’ll be any significant departures. Gavin Strachan was linked to a management job, with John Kennedy linked to the Hibs job. Postecoglou will hope to hold onto these key men who stand by his side.
