Accent ON THE POSITIVE
“There’s no point in feeling sorry for myself... that’s not the team we are and it’s not the type of person I am”
AMID Celtic’s poor start to the season, it is tempting to conclude that if it wasn’t for bad luck, Ange Postecoglou would have no luck at all.
The absence of key players like Kyogo Furuhashi, James Forrest and captain Callum McGregor through injury has been keenly felt in a dire run of four defeats in five games.
Scotland international left-back Greg Taylor faces two months on the sidelines after having shoulder surgery, while new striker Giorgos Giakoumakis is still not fit enough to start a game.
Yet, asked if he felt like he had walked under a ladder, the Parkhead boss wisely declined the chance to shelter behind bad fortune, insisting he and Celtic will emerge from this period stronger for the experience.
‘There’s no point feeling sorry for myself,’ said Postecoglou. ‘That’s not the type of team we want to be or the type of person I am.
‘It’s what we have been dealt but I know it will settle down. At some point, we will get into a position where we have all our players available and we can get some consistency into our team.
‘Until that time comes, we have to stay strong, resilient and, as they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. But I don’t feel like I’m walking around with a dark cloud over my head.
‘I’m still very positive about what we are doing and I’ve no doubt we are heading in the right direction.
‘It’s just about me making sure the players, and everyone involved in the football club, knows that once we’ve come through this period, we will be a better club coming out of it.’
After making clear that self-pity is not on his agenda, Postecoglou insists he welcomes his work being forensically analysed during the club’s worst league start in 23 years. Just don’t expect it to alter the way he operates as a manager.
‘Anyone who gets into this job and doesn’t want scrutiny or criticism will quickly realise that sort of utopia does not exist,’ he said. ‘The most successful managers still get scrutiny, so I don’t think there should be anyone in the food chain who feels they should escape it.
‘But it doesn’t mean that’s going to dictate my mood, my demeanour or make me angry or make me change my approach.
‘You have to accept scrutiny and criticism. It’s part of the game. Some people will understand the circumstances we are in and will be measured, while others will have different agendas and they will be harder.
‘But it doesn’t affect me. I’ll never let that guide what I do or who I am as a person because the reality of it is whoever is making the assessments on our current state is making it on limited information.
‘It’s impossible for people outside this football club to know exactly the information that I have and what we are trying to create and achieve here.’
New midfield signing James McCarthy is another who has found himself under fierce scrutiny after an underwhelming first start in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Livingston.
‘James is a big boy and I’m sure he’s had plenty of criticism in his career,’ said Postecoglou ahead of tonight’s visit of Raith Rovers in the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup.
‘It was his first game and he will be the first to admit he didn’t have a great one, but there were plenty of others alongside him who would also admit the same.
‘I didn’t have a great day at the office either, mate. That’s just what happens sometimes. You just have to get on with it.
‘We’re not going to sit here feeling sorry for ourselves because some people didn’t like what we did at the weekend. We have a
responsibility as a whole group to go out there tonight and represent our club and our supporters and those kind of opinions can change quickly. I’m sure James is aware of that.
‘Having our next three games at home will help. Our home form’s great. Having our supporters there is great, the pitch suits us and I think the players feel comfortable at Celtic Park. So that’s definitely good for us.
‘It is an opportunity for us to progress to the last four of the tournament, and be a step away from competing for silverware and that is what this club’s all about.’
Postecoglou admits he was not aware of Raith Rovers infamously beating Celtic in the 1994 final of the League Cup.
But he will afford John McGlynn’s Championship side every respect this evening.
‘That’s one I wasn’t aware of,’ he said. ‘I’m aware of many facts about Celtic but that one obviously was a fair while ago.
‘Cup ties, whether it’s against opponents in the same division or a lower division, are never easy affairs.
‘It is why people love cup competitions. We are certainly not going into it thinking we have some advantage because of our stature as a football club.
‘All we can do is go out there and make sure we play our football and impose our will on the game, get our support behind us and make it as uncomfortable for the opposition as possible so we can try and be successful.’
David Turnbull is in line to make his 50th appearance for Celtic tonight. The Scotland midfielder hopes the evening ends with Postecoglou taking a big step towards the first trophy of his Celtic reign.
He said: ‘Sunday against Livingston was tough but we want to put it right in this next game.
‘The boys are fired up and looking forward to it because a win takes us into the semi-finals, which would be a step in the right direction.
‘It would be great to get to Hampden again and see where it takes us.
‘It would be great to get some silverware so early in the season. It would give everybody confidence going into the second half of the season.’