The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
‘Sheer hard work’ key to Celtic’ s title: Ange
Ange Postecoglou insisted Celtic’s success was built on “sheer hard work” as he reflected on their cinch Premiership triumph of 2021-22.
The Hoops clinched the title last Wednesday with a 1-1 draw at Dundee United and picked up the trophy following their 6-0 thrashing of Motherwell at Parkhead on Saturday.
The former Australia manager, who has also won the League Cup in his first season at Celtic, watched Kyogo Furuhashi and substitute Giorgos Giakoumakis both score twice while David Turnbull and Portuguese winger Jota also netted in the rout.
Postecoglou said: “There is no secret. I tell the players every day that the magic that happens out there is sheer hard work every day.
“Respecting each other, pushing each other and respecting who you work alongside. It is sweat and tears and pushing yourself all the time. It is easy to say, but to be willing to do it on a daily basis, it is the only way you can make something special.
“This group have done that. They have been committed to a cause and we wanted to play our football a certain way.
“We have stuck to that and it was our roadmap to success and it meant that in the early days there were some tough times, especially in Europe. We got slapped a couple of times but we didn’t change our approach.”
Captain Callum McGregor also noted the benefits of working hard from the start of the season even when results initially were inconsistent.
The Scotland midfielder said: “You always have to go through difficult moments, especially when you are building a team.
“Everyone at the start of the season was giving us two or three years to build a team but I spoke right at the start and said if we had that mentality within the group we would never achieve anything.
“This club demands success and the reality is that after six weeks we were under pressure.
“That tells you what the expectation is and we knew that exactly. The pleasing thing is you could see everybody was hungry to do well and then we just had to fine tune it, build performances and togetherness within the team.
“I saw early on that we had recruited winners, guys who wanted to do well and others who experienced last year and didn’t want it again.
“That drove the standards and everything we do in training and what you saw out there was the end product of all that hard work and sacrifice.”
The former Australia manager brought with him the motto “we never stop” when he took over at Celtic last summer and after a tricky start, the Hoops have gone unbeaten in the league since last September and won the title over Rangers by four points.
Postecoglou told the fans after the game that Celtic would be back “bigger and better” next season and he insists they will have to be as expectations will be as high as ever.
Postecoglou will soak it all in and urged his players to do the same – as they will have to go again in the next campaign.
He said: “I have learned along the way that you need to take it in and enjoy it.
“Most managers are no different, we are always thinking about the next step but I have to stop and celebrate what this group of people have achieved.
“They need to know that they can enjoy it, they are going to enjoy it, because that’s why you do it. You do it for days like this.
He said: “Whether I said it or not (we’ll be back bigger and better) – that’s the expectations at this club.
“Let’s not kid ourselves. When we roll up for the first game next season, our supporters will expect us to play football a certain way, win and be successful.
“We have to be ready for that.
“That’s our responsibility while we’re at Celtic. And it’s the way I’m built.
“This was the first stage. We’ve put in place a really strong foundation and have overcome a lot of obstacles.
“But being champions gives you a little bit more belief.
“They’ve already climbed the mountain so they know they can do it.
“It’s about allowing them to enjoy it. But if they want this feeling again, they’ll need to come back better.”