When I first heard Ange Postecoglou was in the running for the Celtic manager's job, I felt underwhelmed.

Months of expecting Eddie Howe to be paraded at Celtic Park, only for that bubble to be burst, led to me fearing the worst. Now, I'm thanking our lucky stars that we have the Australian in charge.

In those early glimpses of carefully chosen training-ground footage, we were given an insight into his manner and style with the players. Ange started to win me over immediately, with his hands-on approach in training, and no-nonsense style of communication.

That admiration quickly developed into cautious optimism, replacing the foreboding sense of doom that surrounded me last season, but I was remaining cautious. There was no use in getting ahead of myself. Improvements were going to take a long time. Or so I thought.

From those first clips and soundbites, it was easy to see that the manager had a clear sense of how he wanted to play. Attractive football with deliberate intent, but we had some way to go before that would develop into winning games every week.

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The hurdles ahead were numerous. A long list of new signings needed and problem positions to be resolved. Patience was required, both with the team and with new players such as Kyogo, before they’d find their feet and make any considerable impact.

Fast forward to just two months into Ange’s tenure, and the turnaround in standards and output from the team are staggering. We still need to see serious action from the board with regards to essential additions to the squad, but things haven’t looked so bright at Celtic Park for quite some time.

The standard of our play in recent fixtures, both domestically and in Europe, has been a joy to watch. Free-flowing, unpredictable and exciting football, with goals aplenty. We were treated to an especially outstanding first-half performance against Hearts on Sunday, one that even Barry Ferguson declared ‘the best' he had seen in a long time.

While it seemed that Kyogo would take a while to find his feet, he hit the ground running, and at breakneck speed. The Japanese playmaker is endearing himself to the Celtic support with every game that passes, and with good reason.

His goal-return, work rate and standard of play has exceeded my wildest expectations. His performances have been nothing short of astonishing, after moving halfway across the world to a very alien country, and league. Our biggest battle now will be keeping him longer than a season or two, because clubs will be taking notice.

Another staggering turnaround we’ve seen of late is the improvement in the players that Ange inherited, and Anthony Ralston is arguably the most impressive of them all. He’s received an intense amount of criticism over the last 18 months, but he’s been an absolute stalwart at right-back. He’s scored goals, played with a fierce desire there for all to see, and he’s risen to the challenge laid at his feet.

While we undoubtedly need to bring in full-backs on both sides as a matter of urgency, I would argue that the position is Ralston’s to lose, and he can take immense pride in his contribution so far. The turnaround in his fortunes under the new manager is no coincidence, and while the player deserves immense credit for that, so too does the boss.

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Ralston isn’t the only beneficiary of the new manager’s influence, with Ryan Christie, Callum McGregor and David Turnbull all showing their quality on an increasingly consistent basis, and driving the team towards the results that we know they can deliver. We're seeing unity from them in more ways than one, and it's a welcome change.

That unity on the pitch has made its way into the stands, and it’s an exciting time in Paradise. Fergus McCann once said: “Celtic supporters want to be proud of their Club. That's all they want. It is what they deserve.” And proud we are.

Proud of the effort, the quality and the passion shown by the players who are representing us out on the pitch. After a tumultuous period of uncertainty and apprehension, we’re now basking in excitement and regeneration.

Nothing is guaranteed in football, and things can change in the blink of an eye. But right now, it looks to me like Ange Postecoglou is taking Celtic all the way back to the top, after a wee stint down under.