Why Ange Postecoglou's Celtic record at Ibrox will provide little comfort to Spurs fans ahead of Rangers clash
Ange Postecoglou may have got the better of Rangers over his two years in charge of Celtic, but one arena where he failed to establish dominance was at the home of his greatest rivals.
The former Australia head coach won five trophies out of a possible six during his time in Scottish football, including a treble in his final season before departing to take over the reins at Tottenham Hotspur. However, Postecoglou’s success was not reflected in his record at Ibrox Stadium, where he returns on Thursday when he leads his Spurs side into a Europa League showdown, and where his record stands at one victory, one draw and two defeats in four visits.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdDespite that overall losing record in Govan, he still managed to deliver back-to-back league titles. Interestingly, and despite his attack at-all-costs Ange-ball philosophy, Celtic’s only Ibrox victory under Postecoglou came when they were under the cosh. That was in April 2022 and helped clinch the Scottish Premiership title in the Australian’s first season in charge. Aaron Ramsey's early opener gave Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side hope that they could close the gap at the top of the table. But it was cancelled out inside seven minutes by Tom Rogic's close-range strike before Celtic went ahead before half-time thanks to a Cameron Carter-Vickers strike.


Untypically of style which took Scottish football by storm, his side enjoyed only 39 per cent possession that afternoon – but they were able to soak up relentless Rangers pressure in the second half. Postecoglou lost two of his three other visits to Ibrox – with the other game ending in a 2-2 draw. They dominated possession in all three of those clashes but were unable to register a win.
They had 66 per cent of the ball in a 1-0 defeat in August 2021 and had an incredible 68 per cent possession in May 2023, despite losing 3-0. They had already been crowned champions by then. And they enjoyed 60 per cent possession in the 2-2 draw in January last year. Overall, in his four previous Ibrox visits, Postecoglou’s men had an average of 58 per cent of the ball, scoring four times and conceding seven.
Postecoglou arrives at Ibrox under pressure from his own supporters with an inconsistent start to the season leaving Spurs languishing in 11th place in the Premier League table.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad

Rangers v Spurs match odds
www.instantcasino.com have Spurs priced at 3/1 to win on Thursday night without conceding, Something they have rarely been able to do in England this term. A spokesperson from www.instantcasino.com said: “Ange can expect a tasty reception from the Rangers fans, and history shows us that he hasn’t always been too comfortable taking sides to Ibrox. You don’t see many of his teams being happy to give up possession, but that is precisely what happened in that crucial encounter in April 2022 when he led Celtic to a vital 2-1 win on their way to the title.
“Looking at Spurs recently, they are as gung-ho as ever and often come flying out of the blocks as we witnessed against Chelsea at the weekend, but their staying power isn’t always what it might be. We fully expect them to take this match to Rangers in the white-hot atmosphere of Ibrox Park. It will come as no surprise if they score first but what happens after that is anyone’s guess. One thing is for sure – it won’t be a night for the faint-hearted.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.