Postecoglou leaving Celtic? He still has much to achieve - McKenna

It was one of those chats you have with a supporter of a smaller team where you want to convey the sense that not only are you aware of his club’s existence but are knowledgeable about its history and current form. 

In these exchanges there’s a thin line separating genuine interest and performative patronising. You don’t want to be dismissed as a typical Celtic fan who cares nothing for those clubs who "are the lifeblood of the game".

And so, I recalled attending the 1994-95 League Cup final when Raith Rovers defeated Celtic on penalties. You reach for a well-worn lexicon of platitudes during conversations like this. How it was great to see "the wee teams get a turn”. Why your initial disappointment was swept away when you saw "how much it meant” to their fans. Why it was important to stay and applaud them off the park because “this is what football is all about”.

I’ve had similar conversations with supporters of other clubs. With Partick Thistle supporters it’s my recollections of the 1971 League Cup Final. With Motherwell it’s the 1991 Scottish Cup semi-final replay, or Willie Pettigrew destroying our defence in the third round of the cup in 1976. 

With Dundee United aficionados it’s that early 1980s encounter with them at Parkhead when they hammered us 3-0 with an exhibition of the finest football played against us by a Scottish team I’ve ever witnessed. St Johnstone? Well, of course it’s about John Connelly and Henry Hall and Jim Pearson.  

You get the picture, and yes, it’s a pathetic attempt to convey non-partisan jollification and good cheer and to show that you can rise above petty tribalism. And, of course, you can afford to be all grown-up and statesmanlike when you’re on the cusp of winning your world-record eighth treble.

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Elements of these virtue-signalling, shallow observations occur in taxis driven by Rangers supporters where you begin channelling your inner Henry Kissinger and Mother Teresa. Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos are good players "on their day", but big McGregor’s "best days are behind him". You feel his pain. 

It’s alike. You know it; he knows it and you know he knows it. But you both play your part because it helps maintain the uneasy peace in this city.  

And then my Kirkcaldy chum took the wind from my billowing sails with a single, chilly question. "So, who are you thinking about to replace Ange when he leaves?"

"Ach, behave yourself: the big man will be around for a couple of seasons yet," I replied.

"Really? I think there’s a good chance he’ll be off after this summer."

"Not at all. He’s halfway through a project with us and won’t leave until it’s completed," I continued.

"And which project would that be, then?"

"His aim is to build on the quality of our football against Real Madrid and RB Leipzig this season and fashion a team who can reach the last 16 in Europe and maybe even the quarter-finals."

"So, you think he would turn down the chance to showcase his footballing philosophy with a decent team in one of the top four leagues in Europe, where the level of competition asks more questions of a coach’s ability than in Scotland. And where he would triple his salary?"

[I’m now getting slightly more tremulous in my replies, because, if I’m being honest here, the same thoughts have recently begun stalking those long, bleak minutes before sleep.]

"Look, Ange is different in that regard. He’s not motivated by money for its own sake and he gets the Celtic vibe. He’s made an emotional connection with us," I finish.

My friend fixes me with a look that carries pity and contempt in equal measure. And I’m forced to face up to the brutal truth that perhaps the best we can expect is that Ange will give us one more season. 

And then you reflect on why this big Aussie phenomenon has won a place in our hearts that goes well beyond lifting trophies and beating Rangers a lot. And why, even if we don’t do much in Europe next season (although I think we will), he is approaching the status of Jock Stein in the Celtic support. 

Certainly, there was an emotional connection with Martin O’Neill and obviously with Neil Lennon (although it’s still too soon after the Covid season iniquities to reflect upon his contribution to Celtic in a mature and detached way). 

A large part of it is pride in the manner in which Postecoglou conducts himself before and after games. He’s never carried away in the euphoria of big wins. And in the build-up to these games, he’s careful never to make outlandish claims. If we play well, we have nothing to fear but the opposition have good players who are capable of derailing Celtic. 

This has been evident in the last few days. He spoke about watching the other Scottish Cup semi-final between Inverness Caley and Falkirk and being impressed by the quality of football both these teams showed on the day. And there he was a few days later back at Hampden to watch the Celtic and Rangers youth teams going at each other as though their lives depended on it. 

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And, no matter what changes have to be made or what the state of the pitch is, his team will set up as they always do: to press, to attack and to bring all outfield players - bar the central defenders - into the opposition’s half in sweeping waves. 

Unlike any Celtic manager since Stein, there is something of a father figure about Postecoglou. He gives Celtic fans a feeling of security, that no matter what a game might throw up he will have provided his players with an answer for it. 

You can also see his personal influence at work in the way the players conduct themselves too, both on the park and off it. There are no untutored asides about what they’re going to do to the opposition. There’s little or no disputing the referee’s decisions, including those that have clearly been wrong. They play without fear. 

And then there’s this. A bond has developed between this group of players and the supporters that’s closer and more profound than with any other Celtic squad since the Lisbon Lions era. You’re also left with the impression that, no matter where their futures lie, they will look back and conclude that the time they spent being coached and mentored by Postecoglou will probably have been the most valuable years of their careers. Both as players and men. 

For what it’s worth I think Ange will be here for one more season. And that it will prove to be better than anything that’s occurred in the last two. 

I hope that the planning and preparation that he deploys will be evident in how the Celtic board search for his successor. And that this process has already begun.