ANGE LOVED TOM’S TREBLE YELL... NOW HE WANTS TO CREATE MORE ICONIC CUP MOMENTS
IT WAS the lightning bolt moment that secured an Invincible Treble for Celtic and sent a surge of electricity all the way to Australia. Tom Rogic’s angled finish was struck just as the sky crackled above Hampden Park, a meteorological coincidence that marked a piece of history in stoppage-time of the 2017 Scottish Cup final. Ange Postecoglou was four years away from being named manager at Parkhead but even from the other side of the world the then Socceroos national coach was mesmerised by the exploits of Rogic, a player who had helped him lift the Asia Cup two years earlier.
Although he subsequently drifted towards the exit door, Rogic remains a Celt and could play a key role as Postecoglou’s side attempt to advance to the last eight of this year’s competition as Raith Rovers visit today.
‘Tommy has a magnificent legacy already at this club and he’s scored a lot of iconic goals like that one,’ said Postecoglou. ‘That’s the beauty of cup finals, it’s why I’ve always loved them. Because there’s always a story or an incident that comes out of it.
‘It either takes a piece of magic or a calamity for the trophy to be won. That was one of those games.
‘The Scottish Cup final and FA Cup final were always big events Down Under in terms of people watching those games.
‘Because they always book end the season before the break. They’re great occasions.’
It goes without saying that Postecoglou wants to win this year’s edition of the cup and, with the League Cup already banked and his team sitting atop the Premiership table, another Treble is not outwith the realms of possibility.
So ravenous is the 56-year-old for success that you suspect he craves even more. Celtic enter Europe’s knock-out phase this week where they face Norwegians Bodo/Glimt in the new Europa Conference League.
Given the financial rewards at stake for winning the Premiership and gaining access to next season’s Champions League, there is an argument for making the title the primary goal for the club.
Postecoglou (below) doesn’t quite see it that way. Having weathered a tough Europa League group section featuring teams from the Bundesliga and La Liga to emerge with nine points he doesn’t want to pass up the chance of European progression.
‘I don’t like to prioritise any competition,’ he explains. ‘Because you go along and think to yourself: “How many opportunities are we going to have to do special things in Europe?”
‘I think you can take it for granted. We’re probably going to be in Europe every year but if you start to prioritise you can miss opportunities. There’s no doubt that the first part of the season was a massive challenge for us.
‘It was a doubleedged sword. We had done well in the League Cup, so we had a lot of games and wanted to do well in Europe. We were stretched in terms of players and injuries. But at the same time, we were really keen to make sure we were involved in Europe after the new year.
‘Our results against Ferencvaros helped us get to that space. We were all super excited to still be in Europe.
‘It’s another challenge for us and we want to test ourselves on the continent. This competition now gives us that opportunity.’
And yet when Celtic last played a European match — against Real Betis back on December 9 — the fixture looked like an inconvenience in a squad-stretching month.
With injuries affecting his team, Postecoglou rested a bunch of regulars and sent out a shadow side featuring the likes of Osaze Urhoghide, Liam Shaw and Ismaila Soro which managed to contrive a 3-2 victory on an entertaining night in Glasgow’s east end.
Now, with the transfer window having yielded the addition of four new first-team players and the winter break affording a rest cure for some creaking limbs, Celtic look equipped to compete on all fronts.
‘In the Real Betis game, we used guys who hadn’t been playing but we still wanted to win the game. A win in Europe is always significant no matter who you play against. They don’t come along that often — you have to fight to earn all of them.
‘So I’m not discounting this competition. I want us to perform well in it and win because it adds to the prestige and story of this football club.’
Few moments in recent history have done so much to define that legacy as Rogic’s winner against Aberdeen almost five years ago.
‘The Scottish Cup final is one of those competitions,’ adds Postecoglou. ‘Even from afar you watched from the other side of the world. I’ve always known the significance of that event. So yeah, it’s another competition I want to be successful in.
‘There’s still a bit to go before we start thinking about it because you have to go through the stages. And in any cup tournament, you have to be ready and on it, irrespective of the opposition or what league they’re in.
‘We have to be ready for the challenge for Sunday.’ With Thursday in mind, Postecoglou won’t send out his full artillery today but there will be an emphasis on a fast start.
And if the pathway to victory is not smooth, the boss reckons he has seen enough from his team to suggest they will find a way to prevail.
He says: ‘This team has shown different sides this season.
‘Against Dundee United recently, we scored in the last minute to win. That’s what I’ve been trying to emphasise to the players — it’s our resilience that has got us to this point, not just the brilliance of our football.
‘Whether it’s scoring late, early, or making sure we’re on it for 95 minutes — all of that has got us here. You can fall into the trap of saying if we hadn’t scored in the first 25 minutes, does that mean we’ve been struggling? That’s not always the case.
‘We’ve had games where we’ve dominated as much as we’ve done in the last three games but haven’t scored. We’ve missed chances.
‘That doesn’t mean we change what we’re doing or our mindset.
‘The pleasing thing is that we’ve found ways of overcoming all of those challenges.’
Brought in late and tasked with effecting a complete team rebuild, Postecoglou has been rewarded with maintaining faith in his process of adopting a relentless, high-tempo style of play.
There have been times when he has appeared drained — those early weeks when recruitment seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace seemed particularly painful — but he insists not too much should be read into his occasionally gruff exterior.
‘I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, I love it,’ he exclaims. ‘I love the fight and the struggle as well.
‘I loved the early bits when things weren’t going well. If it’s going too smoothly, that’s when you’ll hear me grumpy and unhappy!
‘I’ve enjoyed it immensely. I’m really passionate about what I do. I love this club and everything to do with Scottish football.
‘There are no bad bits for me, I’m enjoying every second of it. Long may it continue.’
‘RESILIENCE HAS GOT US TO THIS POINT, NOT JUST OUR BRILLIANCE’