Ange Postecoglou is one of the most popular Celtic managers in a long, long time. But it is easy to forget that he was not always considered the man for the job by the fans and the media. In fact, many were quick to write him off when he arrived in the summer and after the Hoops made a disappointing start to the Premiership campaign, losing three of their first six games, there were even whispers about a potential sack.

Things have changed drastically since then to say the least. Not only has Postecoglou brought things back on track but Celtic have thrived under his management.

The Hoops have already won the Scottish League Cup and are leading the Premiership title race by six points with six more league games to go. They are also in the Scottish Cup semi-finals, where they will face the Rangers at Hampden Park.

It looks like Postecoglou always had the backing of Dermot Desmond though. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, he said in a press conference on Celtic’s official YouTube channel:

“I’ve been very fortunate since I’ve got this role. I’ve just felt totally supported from day one. It’s been really important for me to do what I need to do.

“I came in by myself. That can feel fairly isolating if you don’t get support straight away. The fans have been unbelievable towards me. The staff here, the players and the includes the management, the board and Dermot.

“Dermot rang me after we lost to Hearts on the first day and said, ‘Ange I can see what you’re trying to do. All I’ll say is that your first assessment will come at the end of the year, nothing will happen before then. Just keep doing what you’re doing.’”

Postecoglou has done an incredible job at Celtic

Celtic have gotten a lot of things wrong over the past few years, but one thing that they got absolutely spot on was the appointment of Postecoglou as the manager.

For months, they were linked with Eddie Howe but when that failed to transpire, a move for Postecoglou, who was the then Yokohama F. Marinos manager, was made swiftly.

A lot of people viewed it as a panic move on the part of Celtic and it surely must not have been an easy decision to make. Postecoglou had enjoyed a lot of success in Australia and Japan, but his only stint as a manager in Europe was with Panachaiki. The Hoops backed him though and have reaped the rewards for it.

This article was originally posted here