'Ange who?': Alan Stubbs on the striking Celtic parallels 24 years apart

For Ange Postecoglou's class of 2021-22, read Wim Jansen's team of 1997-98.

The former Celtic defender reckons the parallels are strikingly similar as Postecoglou's side, like Jansen's, close in on an unlikely Scottish Premiership title. He's got a point.

A manager recruited from Japan - check. A sturdy central-defensive partnership - check Talismanic striker - check.

"This is 1998 all over again isn't it?" said Stubbs, 50. "This has all the hallmarks of it. 'Wim who?' everybody said when Jansen came into Celtic. They did the exact same thing with Ange Postecoglou.

"A lot of people didn't know much about him but he's had the same impact as Wim did. People certainly know who Postecoglou is now."

The Hoops famously not only stopped Rangers doing 10 in a row but picked up the League Cup to seal a double - but Stubbs believes the current side has it in them to eclipse that.

"1998 was the season we stopped 10-in-a-row - it was huge," he said. "This campaign has many elements of that season for me.

"Postecoglou has created a real bond with his players just as Wim did almost a quarter of a century ago. Those players will run through brick walls for him just as we would have done for Wim.

READ MORE: Shattering the 10, the League Cup win that set it in motion and teammates sick with worry - Marc Riper Big Interview

"There are five games to go but I just don't see this Celtic team letting up. They have the league trophy in the bag, in my opinion. It's a formality after the win over Rangers at Ibrox."

Stubbs formed a formidable partnership with Marc Rieper during the 1997-98 term, so it is only natural he has been intrigued by Celtic's current defensive pairing of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt.

The duo have never lost a domestic game in which they have been paired together while both have been integral to the Hoops' record of just six dropped points in six months amid a 32-game unbeaten run in Scottish football.

"Being a defender I look at how the Celtic defence has shaped up," he said. "I remember when Marc signed for Celtic. He came in and it made such a big difference to my game. He made me a better player.

"I feel that has happened with Starfelt ever since Celtic brought in Carter-Vickers. Earlier in the season, Starfelt was struggling to convince everybody that he was the man to play at centre-back. The jury was still out on him. I was critical of him early on too - but he deserves enormous credit.

"Since the arrival of Carter-Vickers he has knuckled down, fitted into the system and been allowed to concentrate on his own game rather than focus on other people's. That is exactly what happened to me when Marc joined Celtic.

"I think earlier on, because it was a completely new back four, they were all trying to find their own form and also an understanding with one another. Celtic have since got that with Carter-Vickers and Starfelt. They have been great for one another as the season has progressed."

That's no mean feat either. Stubbs points to the high-intensity, attacking style of play Postecoglou has implemented and why this means the flourishing defensive pairing deserve even more kudos.

"Celtic are such an attacking team that it can leave the centre-backs vulnerable and exposed as the two full-backs and midfielders are bombing on," he explained. "That puts extra pressure on the central-defensive pairing and the fact that they have conceded few goals this season with Celtic being the attacking force that they are is even more of a compliment to Carter-Vickers and Starfelt.

"Defending is not just kicking or heading the ball but about consistently being in the right positions - a ball does not just hit your head or your foot by accident, it is because you are in the right places at the right times.

"Carter-Vickers' pace is a big plus as well. He doesn't look the quickest but he can shift, he can play and he can defend. When a player like Starfelt knows that he has that reassurance and knows that he will cover for him when he does get into trouble then that is half the battle.

"Both Carter-Vickers and Starfelt consistently put themselves in the right positions throughout the game against Rangers and that was a huge key to Celtic's success at Ibrox. It is the bedrock of any title-winning team."

At the other end of the pitch, too, Stubbs can't help but see the reflection of 1997-98. 

Back then, it was Jansen's knowledge of Dutch football that allowed him to snare Henrik Larsson just as Postecoglou used his own knowledge of Japanese football to lure Kyogo Furuhashi to these shores.

"Wim's knowledge of Dutch football helped him clinch a deal for Henrik," Stubbs recalls. "Postecoglou has brought in Kyogo under similar circumstances knowing that he could fit into his system and score goals for the club just as Henrik did. He knew exactly what he would bring to the party, just like Wim knew what Henrik would offer. He is a sublimely talented footballer.

"Celtic haven't missed Kyogo as much as they would have thought as Giorgos Giakoumakis has stepped up to the plate. He is another brilliant piece of scouting and has already made an impact in Scotland in the short time he has been here."

Ultimately, Stubbs has come to believe the recruitment that has made the most impact and become the deciding factor in Celtic's season has been that of Postecoglou himself.

READ MORE: Alan Stubbs on Celtic stopping the 10, beating cancer twice and scoring against Rangers - The Big Interview

The 56-year-old has overseen a rapid rebuild and is on the verge of tipping the Scottish scales back in Celtic's favour after their own pathetic attempt to secure the 10 last season ended with them finishing second to Rangers by a massive 25 points.

"Just as in 1998, Celtic's success has all been down to one man - the manager," Stubbs argued. "We owed it all to Wim, this side owes the turnaround in fortunes to Postecoglou. He has been the single biggest thing that has affected the title race this season. 

"I honestly thought this season would be about a restructure and grow and get better. Nobody could have foreseen the way Celtic have gelled so quickly under Postecoglou.

"The other half of the city would have been rubbing their hands at the beginning of the season when he was appointed but they are in a fantastic position and the turnaround has been quite remarkable."

If Celtic do manage to see it over the line and land the coveted Scottish Premiership title as well as gain access to the Champions League group stages and £40million in the process, Stubbs is adamant that they will be inflicting a deep wound on Rangers.

So much so, in fact, that he reckons his former employers can embark on another period of dominance and leave their city rivals in their slipstream as a result. If the club acts wisely that is.

Stubbs said: "If and I think it is a case of when Celtic win the league then the huge windfall they stand to collect is a massive blow to Rangers.

"That enables Celtic as a club to plan ahead and accelerate away from their rivals. Even when they have solid players they have never had that guaranteed sum coming into the club coffers.

"The fact that they are on the verge of securing that now is a chance for them to really push on again. If the recruitment is spot on and the money is invested in the right way this is an opportunity for Celtic to create a gap. You trust the manager to play his part in making sure all of that happens.

"There is only one team in Glasgow who look like they are going to progress right now."