ANGE NEEDS ‘UGLY’ WINS
DARREN Jackson has urged Celtic to find ways of ‘winning ugly’ after they slipped further behind bitter rivals Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.
The Hoops failed to win for a fourth time in just seven league games this season when they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Dundee United on Sunday.
That followed on from a shock 1- 0 loss at Livingston seven days earlier — their third defeat of the league campaign — to leave
Ange Postecoglou’s side a lowly sixth in the table.
With Rangers on top, there are already six points between the teams and growing concern among Hoops fans over the club’s future direction.
And former Celtic striker Jackson insists his old club need victories no matter how they come, and even with Postecoglou eager to focus on performances and adamant the title race has a long way still to run.
He said: “Coming off the back of the Livingston result, you need to win your game at home — and they didn’t.
“It doesn’t matter how you do it. Postecoglou will realise winning ugly is as important as playing nice football and winning comfortably.”
Frustration
Jackson added: “You’ll not get that long with Celtic, and I don’t mean he’ll be sacked.
“But the frustration will kick in and, yes, everybody wants to play total football.
“I played against the Rangers nine- in- a- row team and, at times, you just have to win ugly.”
Meanwhile, another former Celt — centreback Gary Caldwell — insists Celtic were poor with and without the ball against United.
He said: “The troubles they had getting a manager in and then the recruitment throughout the summer wasn’t what they wanted it to be.
“The start of the season has really reflected that.
“They were poor on Sunday. In possession, they didn’t move the ball quickly enough and out of possession their intensity against United wasn’t good enough.
“They didn’t get to the ball, they didn’t put them under enough pressure and I felt United were full value for the point they got.”
ANGE Postecoglou looks to me to be the new Ronny Deila.
I am not sure Postecoglou has realised how big Celtic really are before he came in.
I believe he has missed a pitch.
I think Ange thought he would just come in here and his playing style would get him o ver t he l ine, no problem.
It is not about style, it is about winning. Ronny came in and thought ‘I will get the players really fit’.
He then brought in John Collins to help him and it got results but in the long-term teams were getting closer to Celtic and they had to bring in Brendan Rodgers.
People are dressing him up as the next Tony Mowbray.
Funds
In Tony’s defence, he was told before he took the Celtic job there were funds but they were never produced.
Tony was then left exposed and what followed on from that was Neil Lennon’s first spell at the club.
I am not saying Ange is being exposed but he is not making the best of things.
Celtic are in meltdown just now. I know Ange is going to fight and scrap against anything but he is standing there without even his own No. 2 beside him.
He has no protection or help. The manager is not under pressure for his job, in my opinion.
Some fans might start to debate that but they are entitled to their opinion.
I know it is a results business and his team is not playing well.
The responsibility for things on the pitch should lie at the manager’s door.
This manager is on the edge. Thursday against Bayer Leverkusen is not going to help him and if they were to lose in Aberdeen then I think a lot of the fans would turn.
The structure of the manager’s play is interesting.
I watched them against Dundee United.
Came ron Cart e r Vickers should have been red- carded and United should have been given a penalty.
Average
It is falling into the category of being so average again. There is no shape or structure to it.
It has got to the stage where how much do they miss Callum McGregor in the midfield? It really is scary.
I think it is a gigantic week for Celtic and if they don’t get results then Ange won’t be sacked but the pressure will grow on the Celtic board.
It is the biggest week in probably the last 10 years or even longer.
If he doesn’t come through it then the board will get it.
Celt ic’s board and
This board has camouflaged behind managers before.
Brendan Rodgers, they went along for the ride but they failed to support him when he wanted Dedryck Boyata on a new contract or to find a similar replacement.
Spent
Soon Brendan was moving on. He was the best of the best since Jock Stein.
Legendary status is what you build and leave at a club.
People talk about Martin O’Neill but what he spent and then Celtic had to sell and recoup. Gordon Strachan came in and then had to suffer, which meant he had to get rid of the bigger earners.
When Brendan left, he left the club in prime condition that would last another 12 to 15 months.
Now Ange has been taken in and asked to try and tidy things up like Strachan had to after O’Neill.
The chances are that Postecoglou won’t be able to have the same success as Strachan because this is such a bog-standard Celtic team.