“We had 60,000 in here. I’m sure a lot walked in with some problems in their lives and for 95 minutes we made them forget that and feel good – and that’s something special.”
Manager Ange Postecoglou might have been forgiven for revelling in the execution of his gameplan in the immediate aftermath of eye-opening Celtic’s derby win over Rangers.
He could have basked in a first win in eight against Rangers. Or in his side going top of the Scottish Premiership having been six points adrift of his city rivals just over two weeks ago.
But instead, his thoughts were with the Celtic fans who have backed him during the turbulent opening months of his tenure. A tenure that has now delivered a League Cup success, European progression, and a place at the summit of the top flight.
The supporters were a dejected bunch when the then relatively unknown Australian was appointed in June.
The long-coveted 10-in-a-row had slipped away in an abject campaign as Rangers won the title by 25 points and Eddie Howe ultimately rejected Celtic’s advances, leaving the club scrambling for much of the summer.
Three defeats in the opening six league games compounded the misery but Postecoglou has brought together a squad and imprinted a style that the fans have taken to their hearts.
“We’re upholding the values of this club not just in winning but in how we play our football,” he told BBC Scotland after the statement 3-0 win over their city rivals.”
Asked if this was the kind of performance he dreamed about, Postecoglou replied: “You don’t know what I dream about…”
“It’s the kind of football team we want to be. It doesn’t mean you disrespect or dismiss the opposition. We are still developing, but we want to take it to the opposition, and if we do that, we can take it to any opposition.”
“We’ve still got key players missing, very influential players. Some are just in the door. Our target is to win things, and if we’re going to win things, we have to keep improving.”
Postecoglou’s ‘exceptional’ rebuild
Between both the summer and January windows, Postecoglou has drafted in a total of 17 new signings.
Few have failed to reach his expected standards, with Kyogo Furuhashi, Liel Abada and Jota in particular proving to be a formidable front trio throughout the first half of the campaign.
Recent midfield acquisitions Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley, who have played just seven games between them, have enjoyed a similar impact in a short space of time and both were outstanding in the derby win.
Hatate has contributed to four goals in as many games since arriving from the J-League – scoring three and assisting one – while O’Riley, who was playing in the English third-tier with MK Dons just over a fortnight ago, has been an elegant presence.
While the Japanese midfielder’s brace and assist capped a man-of-the-match display against Rangers, O’Riley boasted the highest number of final-third passes (16) and won the ball back for his side seven times.
“I’m hesitant to point out any individual tonight but he is a fantastic player and he’s not fit enough yet,” Postecoglou said of Hatate.
“That’s four games he’s played, he had a month of no football. He’ll get better, stronger, but he’s made of the right stuff in terms of mentality. Technically he is fantastic.”
“O’Riley picks up very good positions,” former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner added. “He is not quite up to full tempo but once he gets there, he will be a wonderful player.
“You’ve got to give all the credit to Postecoglou for the players he has brought in here. Probably 80% of the team out there has been signed by him. That’s what he was hired to do, and he’s done it exceptionally.”
