BUILDING UP A HEAD OF STEAM
No more distractions after Postecoglou oversees a colossal turnover in window
to be committed to something beyond what’s in front of you on that day.”
Postecoglou knew there had to be changes but he’s been taken aback by just how much work needed to be done.
He said: “Here it was quite evident to whoever was coming on, there was going to have to be a fairly big turnover of players.
“I think by the end of the window we’d brought in 12, which is probably too many in one window but it had to be done.
“There was a realisation the team had sort of come to the end of the cycle and a new cycle needed to begin.”
Postecoglou spread his net far and wide for the new recruits and admits he likes the new-look global Celts – even if it does leave him feeling a tad nervous when they all jet around the planet on international duty.
He said: “It’s just the nature of football these days.
“It’s also how a club like ourselves obviously look to bring in the best talent and sometimes that means looking at areas beyond where other clubs look.
“We have to be smart about these things. I see it as a positive as you are mixing the best here with something different, which helps the group grow as players and even as people, as you’re mixing with different people from different cultures and backgrounds.”
The arrivals still need to become part of the team and Postecoglou reckons skipper Callum McGregor has been influential in that respect.
He said: “Cal has been fantastic. It’s been a real challenge for him because he’s not only new to the role, he’s inheriting a whole new group of players.
“It’s not like he’s inheriting the role and there’s a settled group who know how things go at the club. He’s putting his own stamp on it, which is great and the players are responding to that.
“Others have stepped up as well, guys who have been here for a while, like Nir Bitton and Tommy Rogic, the ones who have lived this experience and seen an opportunity for leadership in different ways.
“Even some of the new guys, like Joe Hart, understand this is not just one person trying to create a culture. It’s about all of them contributing to the kind of environment they want in the dressing room and on the field.
“There’s a nice freshness about it and they’ll shape in in the way they want in relation to their personalities.”
Postecoglou is excited about getting back to business.
The loss of Kyogo Furuhashi is a blow but the manager has finally had time to catch his breath after a breakneck start and now he’s ready to return against Ross County today.
He said: “It’s fair to say that from the moment I arrived there’s been a fair bit going on, so just to be able to sit back and reflect on what we’ve done so far was good.
“Our football kind of progressed through that period, which for me was promising.
“The basics of the way we want to play our football were beginning to filter through to the whole group.
“I could sense we had started sowing those seeds.
“The flip side was that I was disappointed we didn’t get through in the Champions League and we lost a couple of games in the league, so that stokes the fire in your belly as well.”