Celtic, VAR decisions & Greg Taylor's injury - Ange Postecoglou Q+A

Can we have an injury update after Monday? How is everybody?

Greg [Taylor] has got a slight hamstring injury and he'll have a scan. It's not too serious but he will definitely miss a couple of weeks. He's the only one out from the game. In terms of the ones returning, they are all closer but none of them are available for tomorrow. It's really just Greg out.

Kyogo was saying he used missing out at the World Cup as a positive and something to spur him on Have you seen that hungrier side of him in training and that he is using that to give him positive energy for the rest of the season?

Yeah, look he is hard to read because he is always smiling and he is always running. It is not one that is noticeable from the outside. Irrespective of his demeanour, he is a very determined young man to be the best he can be. He has been outstanding for us and not just the goals he has scored but his work rate and his energy since the resumption have been really important for us. I think I said before the Rangers game he has been outstanding from the moment he walked in the door. His goal ratio is ridiculous. His input and the energy he gives us in every game is great. He has just been a fantastic player for this football club and I am sure there is more to come.

We were surprised to hear from Kyogo that he is not entirely satisfied with his performance and he thinks he can contribute more. You are probably not surprised to hear that because you know the kind of person he is. Can he contribute more and is that something you do talk to him about?

That is something he demands of himself and something he demands of us. He wants to constantly improve and get better and his role is changing and evolving as the team is evolving because when he first arrived we were establishing our game model. We had certain ways that we could hurt opposition and that is evolving all the time. We are attacking a little bit differently which changes his role and means he becomes a little bit more involved in things. Within the team he wants to improve. He is very determined to be the best he can be. I have no doubt there is more to come from him.

Can we get an update on transfers and players leaving or players coming in. Is there anything you've got to tell us at all?

No. Nothing. That's the update.

READ MORE: Why Ibrox was Kyogo Furuhashi's final Celtic frontier

We heard from Alistair Johnston and he was talking about the game on Monday and the penalty decision for the handball. For you, looking back at it, what do you think about it now?

It's a penalty. I have seen people do all sorts of mental gymnastics to show why it is not a penalty which suggests that it is, so stop trying to find a reason it's not. If it wasn't there would be a simple explanation for that. It is one of things which it is not just confined to us as a club, as other clubs are in the same boat. It is just really confusing for players in the box to know what they can and can't do. It seems it changes depending on who's in charge of the decision-making process. There has been zero consistency in the decisions being made. My view on this and it has always been the same in 25 years of coaching and managing I have always abided by the referee's decision. You would be hard pushed to find me criticising any referee in my whole tenure as a manager. I have always believed that these things even themselves out. They are human beings, they make mistakes, we make mistakes, players make mistakes, over the course of the season these things usually even themselves out. When I look at the introduction of VAR and the decisions that have gone against us, in particular, then there is zero chance that is going to even up between now and the end of the year because it is remarkable that we have had at least three major decisions go against us. Again we can just say it comes down to interpretation or whatever people want to say but I guarantee you that if that game finished 2-2 and it was Rangers that were denied that decision, then the talk this week would be about how that was a title-defining decision. Now the fact that it wasn't because we still got a result as we have done in all the other games, whether that is at Tynecastle or at home here against us, does not mean that we should ignore it because that could be the team that gets relegated on a decision like that. I still think it needs to be highlighted and there still needs to be clarification. To go back to your original question, it is a penalty in my mind before we even started introducing VAR. It's always been a penalty. There were two saves made in the game, one by Joe Hart and the other by Connor Goldson. That was it.

Have you spoken to anybody about this somebody at the SFA for clarity?

I have spoken to you or whoever else is listening today. I don't think that's my role. I have never seen it as my role. I really have a great respect for officials because they know their job better than I do. I have always said I wouldn't expect a referee to come in here and tell me how to do my job. All I can do is try and convey how our side of the fence sees and feels at the moment. There is a great deal of confusion as to what our players are supposed to do in the box. Is it hands behind the back or is it hands in front of your face but not extended above? That is not on the back of the interpretation of the law, that's on the back of the evidence on decisions made. When you see such a vast inconsistency there is obviously an issue there that needs to be resolved and the best people to resolve it are the officials not me or anyone else outside.

READ MORE: Celtic's Kyogo named Scottish Premiership player of the month

Do you feel that the issue is with the lawmakers and the law itself around handball or the way it is implemented by officials in this country?

As I said that is for the people who are in charge to determine not me. I don't know what goes into a decision. It is not like we are sitting here saying this is the justification from it. There isn't. I'm not talking about ex-referees who are sitting around doing mental gymnastics trying to point out that it is not something or it is something. I'm talking about the officials who we should be sitting down with and saying how can we get some more clarity or consistency around this. Maybe they are thinking that nothing is wrong. I don't know. That's why it is not my position to suggest the way forward because I don't have all the information as I keep saying. People in charge have all that information.

Looking ahead to Kilmarnock, you won 5-0 earlier this season. Do you expect a different game at Parkhead tomorrow?

I think it will be yes. We played well that day. Derek [McInnes] has solidified them since then. They have become a lot more structured. When you come up as a team, it is obviously hard. They are a lot more consistent and it will be a tough test for us tomorrow, especially as we are at home, and it comes down to us and we have both the tempo and the intensity in the game that we know we need to have to put them under pressure. That is still going to be the key cornerstone of our success.

There used to be a situation where referees and managers would get together at the start of a season for communication and an understanding of rule changes. Is there a fear from match officials because of the enormity of the fixture between Rangers and Celtic and do you think greater communication would help if it hasn't already happened?

I have grown up with the ethos that you always respect the official's decision - right or wrong. That's always been my belief. I have never been a fan of referees coming out afterwards and apologising for mistakes. I don't think they need to apologise. It would be like me, I would be doing it on a weekly basis with all the mistakes I've made. I'd be apologising for something. When people are doing things to the best of their endeavour then mistakes are made and we all understand that and they don't need to apologise. I don't think it is a matter of communication or understanding of the law. I think the key is just leadership. Like in anything else in life the people who are in charge of it just give us the direction and say this is it, this is how it's working, this is why it's working this way and we are going to continue to go down this toad because this is the best way forward. I'll respect that and follow that and I'll say that's how it is. That's more important than thinking of having some sort of communication line between managers and referees, as all us managers have got vested interests. We want our team to win and we are going to try and gain any advantage we get. That's our role. The referee is there to make sure we don't cross any lines to do that. I have always respected that. I don't criticise any referees. My issue is that there is real confusion about what is and isn't a penalty and what gets referred or not.  I don't think I am the only one in that boat.

American footballer Tom Brady recently explained how he likes a manager who is clear in his message. Can you understand that and was that your strategy after the noise surrounding the derby?

I don't think that is anything new. It would be wildly hypocritical of me after last year, where we were behind by quite a fair way, I remember saying it was irrelevant. I think points gaps and all these things are irrelevant until things are decided. What is important is that you continue to perform and win games of football. If you do that then it is out of your control what happens with other teams anyway. The only control we have is how we perform in our games. There are 18 games left, which is roughly 54 points. Our target is 54 points, mate. If we do that then we do not need to worry about anything else.

How is Josip Juranovic?

He is fine. He was not at 100 per cent on Monday but at the same time all our players know that when you cross that white line you are 100 per cent. Josip did not have his best game on Monday but he was not the only one. We were not at our best. He has been an unbelievable contributor for the last 18 months and a great acquisition. He has done an excellent job which culminated in an unbelievable World Cup for himself. He is a highly valued member of this team who works hard every day and trains hard every day. I have no issues with Josip. On Monday, circumstances dictated that it was not his best performance for us but there are no issues in terms of his contribution. He is still very important. 

READ MORE: Kevin McKenna on Celtic - Rangers derby decisions & distorted discourse

Have you had discussions with Juranovic about his future?

No. I spoke to him when he first got back from the World Cup but not off the back of Monday. I get people want to draw conclusions from things but that a lot of that is just the emotion of people, particularly supporters. Our process is the same on a weekly basis as we give feedback to the players. I do it collectively and give individual feedback to the other coaches. Nothing changes. If there is an issue then my door is always open. It comes through to me but I am a pretty observant guy and if I need to jump in then I will. There is nothing in Josip or anyone else at the moment which tells me I need to sit down and have a chat with them. They are all big boys and know that they are going to have both good games and bad games. The important feedback is in here and how we improve on what we get them to do. 

Where do you see Tomoki Iwata fitting in and can he make an impact straight away?

He can play in multiple positions which I think can help us and we have tried to sign a few players recently who can do that for us as I think it is important from a squad perspective. We are always going to be a club that has a busy schedule from a fixture perspective and having guys who can play in more than one area helps you in terms of maintaining performance. Knowing Tomoki well I think he could play two or three roles relatively comfortably but where he settles, we will just have to wait and see. He is a really intelligent guy who will push himself to get up to speed as quickly as possible and he will be keen to make an impact as much as he can. He arrives tonight and will hopefully be at the game tomorrow. We will then start working with him and see how it goes.

How has Alexandro Bernabei settled in over the last six months?

He is fine. Do not misinterpret Josip playing ahead of him. I had an international footballer who played that position at the same ground a year before and he did it very well. That was the reason for the decision, it was not so much about Alexandro. Everyone knows the atmosphere you get in these games, particularly away from home. We also had Alistair Johnston making his debut and I felt that at point in the game, Josip was the best option for us. To be honest, if Greg had not gotten up then Alexandro would have started at left-back. It is different from coming on during a game to starting a game. We are delighted with him and he has probably played more than we expected. In terms of his progress he has probably played less than he deserved and that is because Greg Taylor has been outstanding. It is a bit of a balancing act but he gets an opportunity now and I have high hopes for him.