Celtic's Ange Postecoglou talks good guys and Bad Guys as his team move to brink of title

Fussing about the manner Celtic rubberstamp their title success wasn’t for Ange Postecoglou following his men’s swaggering 4-1 victory at home to Hearts that has placed them on the cusp of the championship.
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou shows his emotion at full-time of the 4-1 slaying of Hearts that essentially has ensured his team will be champions.  (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou shows his emotion at full-time of the 4-1 slaying of Hearts that essentially has ensured his team will be champions.  (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou shows his emotion at full-time of the 4-1 slaying of Hearts that essentially has ensured his team will be champions. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

A sparkling win that was the 25th of a 30-game unbeaten league sequence, the form of Postecoglou’s remade squad has restored the club’s pre-eminent position the Scottish game, Rangers could now only usurp them on goal difference in the closing week of the cinch Premiership. On this measure, Celtic are 22 goals better off than their rivals. The nine-point gap currently between the pair means that any slip by Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men in their hosting of Dundee United on Sunday would hand Celtic the title.

The Australian was asked if he would prefer sealing the deal themselves when they take on United at Tannadice on Wednesday, but he simply isn’t wired up that way. “I’ll win it any old way mate, it doesn’t really bother me,” he said. “For us, what’s important is that I think we’ve earned it this year, and that we continue to earn it. We’re not collapsing over the line, we’re strong, we’re committed to something. Our performances and the challenges we’re overcoming are reflecting that. Any way it comes is fine, and more importantly, I think it’s fully deserved.”

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Postecoglou won’t be checking his phone to keep abreast of events at Ibrox with all mobile devices requiring to be switched off where he is heading with his two young sons. “As I’ve said before, my boys take charge,” the Celtic manager said. “There’s a new flick out called The Bad Guys, so that’s on the agenda tomorrow, so we’ll see how it goes.” It was then put to the 56-year-old that The Bad Guys might typically mean something different entirely to the Celtic support. He declined to engage with that aside. “Does it?” he said. “OK, there you go.”

Celtic have gone on a top flight run without loss that has only bettered on two occasions in the past 54 years. Postecoglou believes that will ensure the bigger picture as to what he and his team have achieved in their first year together will see their endeavours of a squad he has commended as only good guys cast in technicolour glory. “I'm sure when the story is written of the season, I think people will probably reflect that it's been a fairly outstanding effort on all fronts, no doubt,” he said. “I know I talk a lot about this is just the first step of the rebuild and we are going to be better but I don't say that to dismiss the extraordinary effort it has taken this year and the achievement of this group of players. After round seven, when we had already lost three games and drawn one, you kind of know that if you are going to be champions this year, we are going to have to be pretty good from then on. And we have been pretty good.”

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