FOR A CRICKET-LOVING nation such as Australia, there was a poignancy in the fact that Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou reached 50 not out in the week that sporting hero and compatriot Shane Warne sadly passed away.
Postecoglou chalked up his half-century at Celtic as his team put in the kind of display that had the supporters purring - not for the first this season - to swat Livingston aside 3-1 at Almondvale.
In the process, they stayed three points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership and ended a 15-year wait for a win in West Lothian.
The Aussie now boasts a 70 per cent success rate and a domestic unbeaten run in all competitions of 29 games - 25 of which have been victories.
He is keeping esteemed company as only three other managers have enjoyed that level of success in their first 50 games for the club in their illustrious 144-year history are Jock Stein, Martin O'Neill and Neil Lennon.
Not bad for a manager who would supposedly be gone by Christmas.
Even Postecoglou couldn't resist having a dig at the naysayers when the milestone was pointed out to him.
His reaction was one of surprise but no doubt inner satisfaction: "You are kidding me? I wasn't aware but it doesn't surprise me. I am glad I got to 50, there were probably a few people who didn't think I would!
"I am pleased to be there. I am more than aware of my perilous existence! Or that of every other manager.
"It's not something I look at too closely. What is more important is 'what have you done in those 50 games?’
"That is more important to me than just hitting the 50 mark. Have we made progress as a team and a club in the way I want? Are we in better shape than we were? If we are ticking these boxes, then it's a great milestone to reach.
"Hopefully I can get to 100 and say the same things - that we have progressed, are playing better football and getting success."
Cards on the table: I was initially sceptical.
I wasn't a Postecoglou naysayer per se but I had bought into Eddie Howe... big time. A lot of Celtic supporters had.
So when Postecoglou arrived on the back of the Howe deal collapsing so soon, my ire was directed at the Celtic board as I refused to believe that they undertook the necessary due diligence and processes that they claimed to have carried out while courting Postecoglou.
I was never unhappy at Postecoglou's appointment itself though, simply had my reservations.
While a lot of Celtic supporters will now say they were on the Postecoglou bus from day one, if so a great many will have boarded the vehicle out of sheer blind loyalty and faith. Nothing else will convince me otherwise.
In the interests of full disclosure, I uttered these words on a Celtic-related podcast: "We wanted an appointment, not a disappointment."
I think a lot of Celtic fans felt let down by the Howe debacle at the time. I know I did.
I wasn't intending to be disrespectful to Postecoglou or his achievements in Japan or Australia, it was just my gut feeling at the time. I daresay I was not alone.
However, Postecoglou was the Celtic manager and I would get behind any person who held that highly coveted position. I'm a hopeless football romantic like that. I would make any informed judgements ill or otherwise in six months' time.
The Aussie got a pass when it came to the Champions League so the defeat in the qualifiers to Danish side FC Midtjylland was not a surprise. It certainly wasn't a catastrophe.
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I started warming to Postecogou more when he uttered the phrase: "That's some pretty strong language there, mate. I don't know what your definition of 'catastrophic' is, but it doesn't fit mine. Catastrophic to me means 'the end'. This is far from the end. You're suggesting that this is a club falling apart and our season is finished."
I liked that... a lot. Although admittedly my teenage - OK, late 40s - angst got the better of me again when Celtic lost their first three away games in the Premiership to Hearts, Rangers and Livingston. A 50 per cent win rate at that point was not good.
Celtic and Postecoglou blundered on to what was supposed to be a Black October with three away fixtures to Aberdeen, Motherwell and Hibernian.
Then, something happened on October 3 in the Granite City.
They say everybody has a Eureka moment. Mine with Postecoglou came at Pittodrie.
Celtic triumphed 2-1 with a late goal from Jota. The bond between manager, players and supporters was cemented that day.
The celebrations afterwards convinced me absolutely that Postecoglou was the right man at the helm after all. It was, you could say, the day I began to trust the process.
There have been many highlights in the 29-game unbeaten domestic run since that day at Pittodrie.
The League Cup win against Hibs in December, beating AZ Alkmaar over two legs that guaranteed European football beyond Christmas, unforgettable last-minute winners against Ross County and Dundee United as well as a dismantling of Rangers at Parkhead along the way.
That's why I afforded myself a wry smile earlier this week and nodded sagely as I watched the wonderful clip of Postecoglou laughing hysterically alongside the three hosts during irreverent Aussie sports show The Front Bar.
Ange Postecoglou: "I feel really sorry for the Japanese boys I signed - they worked really hard to learn English before they got here and now they've found out it doesn't help them at all!" 😂
— Sean Martin (@seanmartinTCW) March 9, 2022
Speaking to Australian show The Front Bar 👇
The hosts were ripping the proverbial out of TalkSport host Alan Brazil's initial reaction to Postecoglou's appointment as Celtic manager in June.
It was a joy to watch - especially since I have been forced to eat some of that humble pie myself. I have been delighted to do so.
In that video clip, Postecoglou appears relaxed and comfortable in his own skin. Then again, he always has been since he got here. He gets the club.
Perhaps Postecoglou encapsulated it all and summed it up best when he said these words after destroying Rangers 3-0 at Celtic Park at the start of February.
“We’re upholding the values of this football club, not just in terms of winning but the way we play our football," he said. "I want them to be proud of us, I hope they are proud on the journey home. I am sure they will enjoy tonight, I don’t know how work will go tomorrow for most of them.
"As I said to the players, we had 60,000 in tonight and I’m sure a lot of them walked in with some problems in their life. For this 95 minutes, we made them forget that and feel good and that’s something special.”
Postecoglou has upheld the values of this football club for 50 games and counting. He has given every Celtic fan hope, belief, desire and love back for the club that they all thought was nigh-on impossible last June.
The Aussie has restored the pride and the passion among a supporter base that was battered last season and made them forget all about the club's ill-fated and pathetic attempt to win 10-in-a-row.
He has also given Celtic a football identity in the process with a style and philosophy that has been christened 'Ange-ball' as he continues to build his beautiful house.
Let's answer those questions of his...
Have Celtic progressed as a team and a club? Tick. Are Celtic in better shape than they were? Tick. Are Celtic playing better football and getting success? Tick.
To borrow another cricketing analogy: Postecoglou's initial appointment as Celtic manager back in June had me stumped. He has since bowled me over.
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