There are very few things in life that rattle Ange Postecoglou.

VAR certainly isn't one of them. In fact nothing, it would appear, is going to derail Celtic from their quest of retaining the Scottish Premiership title.

Because if you thought lightning was going to strike twice in Paisley this season then you have not really been paying attention to this team at all, have you?

For the second time this campaign, the champions ran out 5-1 winners against Stephen Robinson's side.

Celtic didn't, despite their strip, fade to grey as they had in September. Rather, they hit the hosts with a five-goal blitz in the second half after Charles Dunne had been red-carded before the interval and the visitors had gone behind to a VAR-assisted penalty awarded three minutes after the event.

Postecoglou is well aware of how VAR is impacting his team - for better or worse - this season. He keeps his obdurate eyes on it; his opinions on the technology are concise as well as consistent.

Having been on the receiving end of a Greg Taylor handball incident from which St Mirren's Mark O'Hara duly profited to put his side ahead six minutes in, Celtic themselves were initially awarded a spot-kick when Dunne hauled down Kyogo Furuhashi. VAR intervened again, though, and adjudged the infringement to have taken place outside the box and rescinded the call.

Postecoglou matter-of-factly sent a 23-word warning shot across Scottish football's bow with this little offering when he was asked his thoughts again on VAR post-match.

READ MORE: Detailed Celtic player ratings as Aaron Mooy and Liel Abada inspire superb comeback

"It is what it is, mate," he said. "It doesn’t miss anything, VAR. VAR doesn’t miss anything by the looks of it - especially with us."

The 57-year-old is aware alright. It takes more than a couple of VAR setbacks to demotivate this Celtic side. In fact, it seems to have the inverse affect on the Hoops personnel.

Postecoglou often always talks about the challenges and hurdles his men have to overcome in every game to secure three points. Another three priceless Premiership ones were reeled off in Paisley and largely thanks to the half-time introduction of Liel Abada for the out-of-sorts Daizen Maeda.

Abada's display against St Mirren brought him a 12th strike this season in conjunction with a sixth assist from a campaign in which he has started in just 16 of the team's 38 outings. It's some return for the 21-year-old, who also took his Celtic career tally to 27 goals in 92 appearances in all competitions.

Those kinds of statistics make excellent reading but Postecoglou bristled with indignation at the suggestion that the player deserved credit for “not throwing his toys out the pram” because he was not an automatic starter for this Celtic team.

“What do you reckon would happen to players who throw their toys out of the pram, mate?" the manager said after the game. "He’s a really ambitious guy who wants to be at a big football club. He wants to win things and be the best he can be. That’s exactly where he is at.

Celtic Way:

"All our players, particularly the younger ones who want to go on to further opportunities, maybe to a stronger league, do you think they are going to go to a club where they are guaranteed game-time? No, so it’s no different here. We are a big club. Nothing is guaranteed. You’ve got to earn everything and these boys do that."

Postecoglou has repeatedly stated it is not his job to keep his players happy. Just ask Giorgos Giakoumakis.

If a Celtic player is displeased at being on the bench, tough. They are going to have to suck it up. They will still be handed valuable game-time off the bench and, just as Abada did against St Mirren, it is up to the individual to grasp the opportunity when it comes along.

As Postecoglou said: "It’s important — and it’s a weekly thing — that the guys who come on make an impact, that the fact they’re not starting doesn’t affect their mindset. I just thought the way the game was going it was a good game for him [Abada] to come on into.

"I knew he would get a bit of space out wide to run at them. He’s a handful when he does that and he’s always a goal threat. It doesn’t matter what opposition he is up against.

"He was really good. He’s played a lot of football over the last 18 months for us and he’s scored a lot of goals and supplied a lot of assists. He’s still got a way to improve, I’m sure, but again he’s another within the group who just wants to be better. Consistently when he is asked to contribute he makes a contribution."

Abada clearly got that memo. Upon picking up the Sky Sports player-of-the-match award, he said: "The manager said to me when I was coming in to be focused 100 per cent and work hard for the team. I was happy to come on and help them to get the three points. That is the most important thing.

"It is important for me to score and get assists for the team but the most important thing is to win the game. We did the job we wanted to now we have to move on to the next game.”

Exemplary words that could have been uttered by the Australian himself. You see, that's the thing with Postecoglou's Celtic team: every member has a contribution to make.

This wasn't a revenge mission or redemption shot in Paisley. It was simply a Postecoglou Celtic team doing what it does best, winning football matches.

VAR, players throwing toys out of prams, managers branding him lucky... it takes more than that to rattle this Celtic team's cage.

The Hoops are on a title mission - or is it a crusade? Either way, they are too busy rattling goals-a-plenty past Scottish Premiership opposition to notice anyway. 

That's why they are the current champions. And, with 11 games of the campaign left, that's exactly why they are Scottish Premiership champions-elect.