Celtic's Ange Postecoglou sidesteps minute applause disruption and laments "standards" in first league loss in a year

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou bemoaned his team’s failures on every front as he refused to accept the comprehensive 2-0 defeat away to St Mirren that marked the Scottish champions’ first league defeat in a year was a case of ‘just one of those days’.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou cuts a miserable figure during the 2-0 defeat by St Mirren in Paisley in which he said a first league loss in 364 days was down to being devoid of the level of work ethic, performance and belief that are required. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

The Australian said “potentially” the fact his team featured six changes from the starting line-up for the midweek Champions League draw away to Shakhtar Donetsk could have proved a factor in a lifeless display against Paisley opponents imbued with the purpose and poise he demands from his own men. The loss of two goals from high balls into the box seemed to betray how much centre-back Camreron Carter-Vickers was missed, having sat out with a knock. Online rumours suggested that the US international could be out for six weeks, but Postecoglou provided a different timeline. “He pulled up sore, so we’ll see how he is,” the Celtic manager said. “I think he’s out of the US camp so we are hoping post international break he won’t be too far away.”

How far away Celtic proved across the afternoon was something that Postecoglou wasn’t willing to brush over. “You don’t put it down to one of those days, it’s a disappointing day,” he said. “We pride ourselves on having certain standards and we didn’t reach those today, and football will always teach you that lesson. What has got us to this point over the past 15 or 16 months is having a certain work ethic and certain levels of performance and belief. Today, we didn’t reach any of those, and that was disappointing.”

Postecoglou, meanwhile, refused to provide comment over Celtic supporters singing ‘if you hate the royal family clap your hands’ during the minute’s applause for the Queen, with a banner stating the same held up before the tribute to the late monarch. “I addressed all that in two press conferences, I’m not going to do it in three,” the Celtic manager said. “I get why the interest is there, but I’m a manager at a football club, and I sit at press conferences wanting to talk about football. We addressed that matter, we did everything we needed to do, it’s time we moved on.”

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