Postecoglou wants right characters as well as quality as he builds his squad
Celtic manager insists he looks for more than ability on the field when bringing players to Parkhead
ONE of the major summer landmarks for supporters has now passed with the release of the fixture list, and Celtic supporters may be quietly content with the opening run their team has been handed as Ange Postecoglou and his men look to defend their title.
As well as some favourable looking matches as Celtic look to hit their straps, they have also been handed the first home Old Firm fixture of the season, taking place at Celtic Park on September 3, potentially allowing them to be early front-runners this term rather than having to play catch-up like last time around.
With that milestone passed though, and with no Champions League qualifiers to look forward to, focus will now turn even more intensely towards Postecoglou’s transfer activity, which so far this summer has been limited to the permanent capture of Cameron Carter-Vickers from Tottenham Hotspur.
As welcome as that move is, and as much as Jota’s permanent signing will also be received more than favourably, it may have been a surprise to some that other new recruits have yet to arrive given Postecoglou’s predilection for getting his business done early in the window.
This summer, of course, Postecoglou’s need is not quite as pressing as the last. The Celtic manager can afford to take his time to a certain degree, and part of that may be down to his insistence that the players who come into his squad are not only a good fit for his footballing philosophy, but for his carefully crafted squad in the dressing room.
Such an approach was the foundation for Celtic’s success last term, and Postecoglou sees no reason to mess with the formula, or risk upsetting the balance and bond that carried his team to a double.
“Recruitment was hugely important,” Postecoglou told the Celtic View. “It’s not about just signing players, it’s about signing people and, for me, they are equally important.
“It wasn’t just a matter of bringing in quality players to replace the ones that we lost, it was about bringing in players to fit the style of football and fit the environment that I wanted to create.
“The two go hand-in-hand because it takes a certain type of character to fit into the day-to-day environment here,
so it was important that when I looked at a player, I was looking at his characteristics on the field but off it as well.”
Postecoglou has finally had a little time to reflect on the achievements of last season, when he dragged a Celtic squad bereft of confidence and shorn of many of its top performers up by the bootstraps and led them to heights many thought impossible this time last year.
The collective focus on what he wanted to achieve, he believes, was a key factor in their resurgence.
“The biggest feeling is pride,” he said, “pride in the fact that we were able to accomplish something many thought wouldn’t be possible.
“You understand that when I undertook the task at the start of the year – and particularly after last year – that if there was to be a turnaround it would have to be something fairly significant for us to have success. We understand how hard people had to work and the sacrifices to get that done, so there’s pride at the end of it that you’re able to accomplish something that few would have thought we were able to.
“The one thing I’ve tried to do since taking over is make sure that I embrace all aspects of the role and that the way I speak about things would be important in what we wanted to achieve. We needed everyone to buy into the direction we were going and that’s not just staff, it’s the supporters, too. We needed everyone to buy into the vision because, ultimately, for us to be successful then we couldn’t have too much resistance along the way – we had to row in the same direction.
“Past experiences help, as there’s been a constant everywhere I’ve worked with the environment that we try and create. It’s been said this year that my mantra is ‘We Never Stop’, we play everything until the final minute and be the team that is aggressive on the field and those kinds of underlying principles are there in the way we had to train from the start.
“Those things are important and in my experience, from the success I’ve had it’s always on the back of a strong cohesive collective that doesn’t waver, even in the most difficult of times. That’s been the case this year and if you look at our beginning and during the season, we’ve had some major obstacles to overcome and we have found a way to clear them because we have a strong core belief and principles that we won’t move away from.”