Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou dismisses Rangers coach Neil Banfield's comments - 'it doesn't bother me'

Ange Postecoglou insists he has learned to ignore any attempt to unsettle him after surviving the coolness with which he was received by Scottish football two summers ago.

The Celtic manager was responding to comments in a Sunday newspaper from Rangers assistant manager Neil Banfield, who claimed to have been irked by something Postecoglou said following the Viaplay Cup final in February. “It landed on me,” said Banfield, who did not specify what the comment was about.

Postecoglou maintains he won’t waste a moment worrying about what has upset Rangers as the Old Firm rivals prepare to meet at Hampden in this weekend’s Scottish Cup semi-final.

“I’m not really sure what he’s referring to,” said Postecoglou. “It was mentioned to me that he was upset about something.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou during Celtic training on Friday ahead of the Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

“I’ve said it a million times, every manager and every representative of every football club has the platform to use it the way they like to. It’s my prerogative not to worry about what they say. Look, if I was going to worry about what people say I wouldn’t have lasted a month here.”

Although he was greeted with open arms by most Celtic fans, Postecoglou had to prove himself to others who questioned his credentials despite his achievements in the J-League and with the Australia national team. He has since won a league title and two League Cups and could land a treble this season.

“They hardly rolled out the red carpet for me and I managed to survive that,” he said. “There’s not much anyone else can say that’s going to make me worry or think about it too much. I know what’s important and what we are trying to do is make our work speak for itself. That’s what we’ll continue to do.”

“It doesn’t bother me,” he added. “If something has upset him (Banfield), it’s upset him. He can explain it. It’s got nothing to do with me. Like I said, we all have the opportunity to use the platform we have to speak to the broader audience and how you use that platform is up to each individual.”