Why moving any mountain is not beyond Celtic Shaman Ange Postecoglou

The chant reverberated around Tynecastle as Celtic retained the Scottish Premiership title for the second year in a row after they eventually wore down a stuffy 10-man Hearts side 2-0 courtesy of goals from Kyogo Furuhashi and Oh Hyeon-gyu.

It was perhaps fitting that Ange Postecoglou won away to Hearts. His first real day on the job in Scottish football was in Gorgie. Celtic lost 2-1 thanks to a John Souttar last-minute winner at Tynecastle back on July 31, 2021.

Back then, the doom and gloom merchants were saying that the Aussie had reached some kind of nadir. On day one of the 2021-22 season. Gone by Christmas was the familiar refrain. 

Postecoglou has 'moved mountains' at every club and country he has ever managed. Celtic was not going to be any different. And it came to pass that this particular football Shaman delivered and then some. Then again, he always knew he would. 

You can call Postecoglou many things. He's confident but not cocky and he most certainly isn't arrogant. He just believes that what he does will bring success both individually and to his team.

READ MORE: Kyogo and Oh steer Celtic to the Scottish Premiership title

The Aussie may have been in a minority of one when Souttar's header slapped the back of the net but four trophies in the bag later, he has every right to feel proud of his achievements.

When asked if he thought he'd be in this postion after that first-ever Premiership loss to Hearts, he said: "Yes, mate. That's why I did it. I get that others wouldn't. That day I knew we had a mountain to climb but I knew that before I took the role on and I wouldn't have taken on it if I didn't believe that I could deliver in the way that we have.

"It has taken a leap of faith for a lot of people within the football club to trust me and my judgement in many areas. I was very confident that if I had that kind of support that I would create a team that would make this football club proud but would also be hard to stop.

"I have done that everywhere I have been, mate. That's not me being arrogant. It is just the truth. I have that belief wherever I am can create that. That doesn't mean that you are comfortable at any stage and walking off after that first game I knew that we had a mountain to climb and work quickly but I knew we could get there."

Get there Celtic most certainly have. Take talismanic striker Kyogo for example. He made his debut for the Hoops that fateful night against the Jambos after the Aussie splashed £4.2 million on his services from Vissel Kobe.

Postecoglou knew what was to come. It was even more apt that Kyogo bagged the opening goal in this encounter as he raced on to Reo Hatate's accurate low cutback to touch home to make it 1-0 to Celtic.

To paraphrase the words of The Smiths: "Stop me if you've seen this one before."

The Celtic supporters had seen it many times. Yet there is not a thing that anyone in Scottish Premiership could do about it as time after time Kyogo - who plays football like he is permanently happy - swooped and 'Heaven Knows Hearts Were Miserable Now'.

It was a trademark goal from the Japanese. It also happened to be a landmark 30th strike of the campaign as the prolific attacker became the first striker to achieve that tally since Frenchman Moussa Dembele did the same trick during the 2016-17 Invincibles season under Brendan Rodgers.

As an emotional Postecoglou duly noted: "Like every one of his goals he has had to work hard for it. How mentally strong he is, is incredible because the amount of running he does off the ball is excellent. I don't know if there are that many strikers who would be prepared to work that hard without getting a touch of the ball but whenever he needs to be in the area he needs to be he is always there and he is a quality finisher and it is a credit to him. I thought both our goals were totally and exactly about what we do."

READ MORE: There's only ONE choice for Celtic's Player of the Year

He is never wrong. Postecoglou is a wise old managerial sage if you care to listen.

It is shaping up for a special season for the Hoops. A potential treble is in the offing as well as an unbeaten season against Rangers if they can avoid defeat at Ibrox next weekend. Even captain Callum McGregor could create a world record by becoming the first player in world football to win five domestic trebles for his club.

That is an outstanding chunk of football history right there and all created by the visionary that is Postecoglou.

Only Inverness stand between Celtic and an incredible season.

The manager has the hallmark of quality and that has rubbed off on his team. He has sprinkled his green and white stardust onto every single member of this squad.

Despite not being at their rip-roaring, free-scoring, never-boring best for the past few weeks, Postecoglou was at pains to point out that his players are human. Although some are super-human like the inspirational McGregor and Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Postecoglou said: "We have great leadership and McGregor was outstanding today and he has been all year. The experienced guys in the room see people like Carter-Vickers getting us over the line and all these things matter to this group. That's why in the toughest of times they find a way through.

"We have got an opportunity to do that now (win the treble). We are champions but we have another four games to go in the league and we have a cup final to look forward to and why let this opportunity slip to maintain the high standards that we have?

"That has been reflected in our football the last three or four weeks but during that time they still work so hard for each other and they are disciplined and never lose focus and they have this real determination - they are winners mate, they are winners."

For the second year in a row, Celtic were crowned Scottish Premiership winners. Champions again - ole, ole and all that! How the supporters lapped it all up: "We're gonna win the lot. We're gonna win the lot and now you're going to believe us. We're going to win the lot!"

Celtic will win the lot you know. It's what winners do, mate. Don't take my word for it. Take Postecoglou's. After all he's moved more football mountains than some mere managerial mortals could ever possibly dream of.

Next thing to conquer for Postecoglou's Celtic - the Champions League.