TREBLE shooters
There’s history at stake.. these guys won’t give a toss about Ange hysteria
Today’s game has almost become an afterthought with all this talk about Spurs preparing to make their move.
But I can tell you who won’t be getting distracted by the furore – the players. Honestly, they won’t be giving a toss.
There are plenty of people who are saying they might get distracted, they might be unsettled by the uncertainty and it could affect them on the pitch. But that’s nonsense.
Sure, they might be chatting about it and considering the possibility of the manager going.
But it won’t matter a jot to them walking out at Hampden today.
This is the Treble. This is history. It’s huge. No matter what happens with Postecoglou and Tottenham, this is their opportunity to write their own names in the record books.
I know Celtic have been hoovering up Trebles in recent seasons but it’s not that common when you look back through history.
This would only be the eighth occasion in nearly 150 years. Who cares what’s going on with the manager?
As long as he’s turning up and his mind is on the job, I don’t think for a second the players will be focused elsewhere.
Most of them will have been through this in their careers. It’s the nature of the business.
Managers come and go. Some get sacked, some leave in a hurry, some hang around for too long.
Players just need to get on with it. If he does decide to go they may be disappointed but life will go on and there will be a new man coming in.
It’s the life of a footballer. It might sound brutal but that’s the reality.
There won’t be pictures up on the walls at Celtic Park with an asterisk saying the players were put off by the speculation about their manager.
When Wim Jansen left after winning the league in 1998 there would have been players who knew he was going before it came out.
They still made sure they won the title and ended Rangers’ 10-in-a-row bid. I’m sure there was plenty of talk about managers when I was a player – but I certainly didn’t notice.
We had great times under Martin O’Neill but I don’t remember being all worried he’d be leaving at any stage, even if there was speculation at times.
Maybe that was just me but I didn’t get a sense of it in the dressing room and I don’t think that will be the case in this Celtic squad.
They have Callum McGregor there to keep them right but I really don’t think he’ll need to keep anyone from taking their eye off this one.
He has seen it before. Brendan Rodgers leaving would have been a shock a few years ago. But McGregor and the rest didn’t think, ‘Oh well, that’s the season done.’ No, they got on with the job – and they won a Treble.
That’s what is at stake again here today. They can dress it up as the perfect farewell for Postecoglou, or the last dance or whatever.
We don’t know what will unfold in the coming days but if the Parkhead boss does go there won’t – and shouldn’t – be the same outcry there was when Rodgers departed for Leicester.
No one could grudge him taking the Spurs job.
But it won’t have an influence on the team’s mentality this evening. They will
know what’s at stake and the hard work required to get them to this point.
It’s tough winning a Treble. That’s why they don’t actually happen too often.
And Celtic also can’t afford to think they can just turn up and collect the trophy today.
We know Inverness are rank outsiders. Of course, if the Highlanders win it would be arguably the biggest shock ever in the competition.
But they also understand Caley Thistle have a puncher’s chance.
Funny things sometimes happen in cup competitions – especially involving these clubs.
Inverness putting out John Barnes’ side in 2000 is the famous one.
They dumped our side out of the competition three years later, when they were a Premiership team.
We’d won at Anfield in the UEFA Cup a few days earlier but at least I can say I was injured that day and wasn’t involved.
But they did it to Neil Lennon’s team in the league during his first spell as gaffer, they killed off Ronny Delia’s Treble bid in 2015 with a 3-2 win in the semi-final.
Inverness have plenty of examples to be inspired by, even if it won’t have much bearing on the current line-ups.
They can take some heart from teams like St Mirren, who have made life awkward for Celtic this season.
That’s what Inverness need to try to do, while perhaps sneaking something on the break. It’s a major ask and Celtic could still steamroller them. But no one at Parkhead can afford to take that for granted. You don’t get gifted trophies. Postecoglou will want Kyogo fit, he’ll want Alistair Johnston available, as he’ll put out his strongest side and set them up to get at Inverness straight away. Put it to bed as quickly as possible and give Caley Thistle no encouragement. What will be, will be with Postecoglou and I still suspect there will be some twists in this tale. But if he does go the Celtic players will be out to make sure he leaves on a high – as much for themselves as for their boss.