The man Celtic fans love to hate doesn’t get many things right about these days about Celtic.

In fact, he’s got so many things wrong the man has almost become a parody.

But in his latest column in The Daily Record, Keevins the headline said, “Ange Postecoglou and his Celtic knack to dismiss the unhelpful proves he’s got our game worked out”

So what you like about Ange Postecoglou, the man is a straight talker and takes no nonsense from anyone.

Especially the Scottish press.

All too often he has faced questions bordering on insulting and has had to put up with headlines claiming the league was ove and that his job is under scrutiny.

Hugh is miles off it here. It’s not only has our game he has worked out, it’s the press.

Ange had them sussed as soon as he stepped into Celtic Park.

The press conference announcing him to the press proved it. Subsequent questions in pressers after that where journalists tried to question his knowledge of the game only strengthened it.

And then there was Hugh himself where after the defeat at Tynecastle in the first game of the season, THE FIRST GAME, he headlined with Ange: Absolutely Not Good Enough.

But Hugh got it right. Ange has the measure of something in our game.

The press.

And they don’t like it one, single bit.

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Not something I thought I’d be writing any time soon.

As Celtic unveiled Ange Postecoglou as their new boss back in June, the Hoops gaffer revealed that Brendan Rodgers was the first person to reach out to him after the move became public.

In a report [The Daily Record], Postecoglou revealed that Rodgers paid a visit to the Parkhead dressing room before the Glasgow Derby and Ange reveals what the Leicester City boss told him about his own time in Glasgow, “Brendan popped his head in before the game. It was great to see him.

“He’s someone I came across when he was Liverpool manager. They came down to Australia and I was coaching Melbourne Victory.

“He was really kind with his time and since then I’ve kept in contact with him.

“He was one of the first people to reach out when I got the job. He’s been really supportive and has sent me a couple of really nice messages.

“It was good to catch up with him. I am sure he enjoyed being back at Celtic Park.

“He says it’s still the best experience of his career in terms of the atmosphere and the environment.”

Quite revealing from Postecoglou and it seems that the Hoops gaffer has gas a long standing friendship with the former Celtic boss.

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Former Celtic striker, Frank McAvennie, is well known for his outlandish comments about Celtic players.

It wasn’t too long ago he was lambasted for his comments against Celtic’s then most in form player Anthony Ralston and for a while it seemed as though he had reigned his criticism in.

But he’s back to his best today when he showed outstanding revisionism when speaking about Hoops striker Giorgos Giakoumakis.

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie said, “I said this last week, Giakoumakis has a big role to play.

“When you play as many games as we will this season, you have to have plenty of options.

“I’ve been encouraged by Giakoumakis over the last few weeks. He has shown he has that physicality.

“The goals haven’t quite come for him but he has been quite unlucky.

“That’s why Giakoumakis is important. If he starts scoring goals then he will be pushing for that starting place.

“I have wanted this for ages. Competition can only be a good thing.”

The last comment struck me. “I have wanted this for ages.”

That’s simply not true because back in January McAvennie was scathing on Giakoumakis and predicted he was set to LEAVE the club when he said in the same publication, “Giakoumakis, he’s not done anything really, has he? He barely plays and I do wonder why did we sign him?

“He doesn’t look right here. I just wonder if a loan spell might be best for him.

“I think if another striker comes in then he will definitely leave. The squad needs to be smaller now, not bigger.”

Very strange change in opinion from McAvennie who is known as being a long term Celtic critic.

But it’s clear he doesn’t put much thought into his comments if on one hand he can’t remember tipping the man he’s always wanted to see, leave the club just over a month ago.

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You know your screwed when Fabrizio Romano talks about one of your players leaving.

Just two days ago, the Italian transfer expert was speaking about Celtic’s Josip Juranovic on his podcast when he claimed that the Croatian right back is on the radar of Leicester City and other clubs.

Like you, I was hoping this would die down and it would be just another one of those rumours, but also like you, we all know that when Romano predicts a transfer or has a hint of a rumour, it more often than not is going to happen.

And today, according to a report [Football Scotland], the Italian expert has doubled down and stuck by his original prediction by claiming that this summer will be the summer for right backs,  “There is a lot of interest in Juranovic, a lot of clubs are looking at him.

“Many clubs will go for right-backs in the summer, it will probably be a market full of right-backs because many important clubs in important leagues need right-backs.

“Juranovic is doing great and there will be an opportunity I’m sure.”

A lot can happen between now and the summer.

Like Celtic winning the league and gaining automatic entry into the Champions League.

That would be enough, I think, for Juranovic to stick around a little bit longer.

Plus the Croatian is really enjoying his football under Ange Postecoglou.

Unless a top side comes in for him, I’m sure Juranovic understands he is better off at Celtic for the foreseeable future.

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Quite the claim isn’t it.

We haven’t seen a Larsson type signing in a long time at Celtic and, truth be told, we probably never will again.

The King of Kings was unique. The biggest steal of the 21st Century was when the late, great Wim Jansen went to his home country and mugged Feyenoord for the Swedish genius and brought him to Paradise.

We will probably never see the likes of him again on the hallowed turf of Celtic Park. At least not in my lifetime.

But it looks this season we may be coming close with Jota and Kyogo in the side.

However, it wasn’t Jota or Kyogo this Celtic fan was raving about when he called Clyde 1 Superscoreboard to wax lyrical about his club.

Have a listen to this:

And who can argue with that point of view?

The manager should always be the most important person at the club. The manager should always be the biggest signing.

As has been proved when Celtic pushed the boat to get Marton O’Neill and Brendan Rodgers.

Now I know Ange Postecoglou wasn’t in their mould. I’m not daft. But someone at the club seen what the big Aussie could do and for that, they need to be congratulated for.

What also needs to be done now as with any superstar signing at any club is a new deal be offered.

Ange has a vision for this club.

That vision cannot be completed with a rolling contract.

Time to step up and give him a four or five year deal.

He’s proved he’s worth it.

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Jota certainly has been a revelation since coming to Celtic in the summer.

His trickery, skill and goals have made the Portuguese winger an instant hit with the supporters and they are extremely keen for the club to shell out the £6m required to make his loan move permanent with the club.

But should the unthinkable happen and Jota doesn’t sign on the dotted line, where do Celtic look to to gain another player of his quality?

According to The Celtic Way, Sarpreet Singh, would be the ideal candidate.

The New Zealand international has been earmarked by the media site as one who could fill Jota’s boots and they certainly put a good case for the Bayern II player.

Currently on loan at Regensburgh, Singh has featured 39 times for the Bayern B team, scoring 10 goals and creating 7 assists.

During his current loan spell he has scored 6 goals and created 9 in 23 appearances for Regensburg in the German second tier.

Good with the ball both feet, the tricky winger can play both left and right wing but it is widely recognised he is strongest on the left flank.

Valued at just over £1m [Transfermarkt], Singh would not break the bank and at just 22 years old, he certainly fits the Ange Postecoglou mould of buying young to build a team for the future.

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I like The Go Radio Football Show. Unlike it’s counterpart over on Clyde 1, the debate is very good and the callers on the show are, in the main, very balanced.

So why then was pundit, Leanne Crichton, allowed to make an unfounded allegation about Ange Postecoglou being allowed to hire his own backroom team on live radio without challenge or rebutal?

Especially when Ange himself has consistently come out and said the backroom team wasn’t a priority, the team was.

Speaking on the show, Crichton was speaking about the wholesale changes required at Ibrox due to Steven Gerrard’s departure when she said, “Like the Celtic situation that the staff  are there in place and Ange Postecoglou comes in and he needs to work with them and he doesn’t get the option of bringing in his own staff.

“Then you look at the Rangers situation where a new managers probably going to need to bring his own staff. What is a better situation because you’re then trying to work with a group of staff that have different techniques.”

But hold up. Didn’t Ange address the backroom issue back in July when he said, “My history is if there’s good people in the building then there’s no reason to change it.

“So far all the staff have been excellent and have embraced where we want to go to.

“I will back my judgment in all these things. I take responsibility at the end of the day.

“We need to add to our staff for sure. We will be bringing in people at the appropriate time.

“Not necessarily in the coaching area, but there’s other areas we need to bolster.”

These untruths need to be called out.

Ange shouldn’t have to continually bat back these stupid allegations against him and the club.

Or maybe, just maybe, pundits should do their homework before spouting absolute guff?

This article was originally posted here

Yesterday’s result at Dundee was more like a stroll in the park.

Do not let the scoreline, or pundit’s suggest otherwise. That was a polished attacking performance by the Hoops.

From the wide play to the finishing, to Jota skinning all and sundry, the scoreline did not do the game stats justice.

But there was a flashpoint in the match where Anthony Ralston absolutely done former Rangers midfielder Charlie Adam when the Dundee midfielder tried to out muscle the Hoops defender off the ball.

It was a thing of beauty and Adam was left sprawling on the ground as Ralston whipped in the ball for Jota’s second and Celtic’s third.

You can view the video below.

You show him, kid. pic.twitter.com/5qozOfdOvC

— 20 Minute Tims (@20MinuteTims) November 8, 2021

There’s nothing better to see Adam laid out by one of Celtic’s youngsters as he tried, and failed, to teach Ralston a lesson in dispossession.

Just a few minutes later, the same thing happened with Ralston but not with Adam, where he shrugged off another Dundee defender to almost set up Jota for his hat trick which apparently sent Adam into a rage with young Dens Park right back Cammy Kerr.

It was spotted by former Celtic right back Mark Wilson on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard and Wilson called out the veteran defender for his rank hypocrisy, “I had to laugh a bit there at Charlie Adam.

“So he heads the dink cross from Jota, he heads it behind and he turns and shouts at Cammy Kerr, ‘Get tighter, stop that cross!’.

“Yet it was only about ten minutes ago that he ran into Ralston, got shrugged off the ball and then jogged out and turned his back on  Ralston’s cross.

“And you think, you know, Charlie’s a good professional, had a top career but you can’t be shouting at your young right back if he’s just done worse.”

Not very role model like behaviour that even fellow pundit Alex Rae agreed with.

This article was originally posted here