'I don't encourage it' - Ange Postecoglou on the surprise Celtic-Rangers stat that sets him apart

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has called out “off the ball stuff” in seeking a potential explanation for becoming the first manager of Celtic or Rangers in almost four decades not to witness any red cards - for either side - across their first seven derbies.

Emotions are sure to run high between the bitter rivals when they face-off in Sunday’s Viaplay Cup final with the first trophy of the season at stake. However, the Australian believes being “super-competitive”, as he demands from his players, need not give rise to the sort of barneys that have always been regarded as an inevitable feature of the incendiary fixture. Not that he is ruling out the potential for a dismissal arising from a mistimed challenge.

Asked if the absence of red cards in his derby outings was testament to his team’s discipline, Postecoglou said: “I guess so. But for me, all the teams I’ve coached, I want them to be super competitive. But I don’t believe super competitive means that you should be ill-disciplined in that.

“All the teams I’ve coached, I’ve tried to instill in them a real strong will and desire to be the best within the confines of the laws of the game. I just don’t see any reason to go outside of that. That’s not always going to be the case, sometimes players will get yellow or red cards inadvertently for trying to do the right thing.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou during training at Lennoxtown on Friday. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

“But stuff like off the ball stuff and that, I’ve just never been a fan of. I’ve never seen it as part of trying to be successful. It’s certainly not something I try to encourage. Most of my teams, we’ve always had a good disciplinary record because of that. It’s not stuff that I buy into. I think if you want to show you’re courageous or strong then go and win the ball. That’ll do me.”