67 Hail Hail - Celtic FC News

Celtic were comfortable victors over Aberdeen in the semi-final of the Premier Sports Cup, defeating the Don’s 6-0 to progress to the final in December.

Although many predicted a tight affair due to Aberdeen’s impressive league start, it was quite the contrary as Celtic cruised to victory and Jimmy Thelin suffered his first loss as Aberdeen manager.

Celtic will now face Rangers in the final after they defeated Motherwell 2-1 in the other semi-final thanks to goals from Cyriel Dessers and Nedim Bajrmai.

The game is set to take place on the 15th of December 2024 and will be the second Old Firm fixture of the season, and just three days prior, a familiar face will be back in Scotland – only behind enemy lines.

Ange Postecoglou will return to Scotland to face Rangers before Premier Sports Cup Final

Three days before the Premier Sports Cup Final, Rangers will go up against Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur side on matchday six of the Europa League.

This will be Postecoglou’s first competitive match in Scotland in almost two years, as earlier this year Spurs thrashed Hearts 5-1 in a pre-season friendly.

‘Big Ange’ knows all about the intensity of a match against Rangers, as he managed Celtic on 11 occasions against their Glasgow rivals winning six, drawing two, and losing three others.

The Aussie led ‘The Hoops’ to back-to-back league titles in his tenure as boss, and also helped Celtic win a domestic treble in his second season. Despite his success, Ange was admired for his captivating style of play and the never-say-die attitude that he instilled within his teams.

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Life for Ange Postecoglou as Tottenham Manager

Postecoglou has made a good start to life at Tottenham, as his side finished 5th in the table last season, which was three places above their finish the season prior.

He has stuck to his morals and often refused to alter his style of play or way of thinking, which many Spurs fans seem to respect.

This season, they are still in all the available cup competitions and are sitting 7th in the table. Ange has gone on record reminding supporters that he has always won trophies in his second season at a club.

Ange Postecoglou’s post-Celtic career has not yet taken off.

The Australian was beloved at Parkhead with droves of supporters following his two season stint in Glasgow where he lifted five trophies which landed him his big move to the Premier League.

It was a baptism of fire last term for Postecoglou having joined Tottenham Hotspur who had just lost Harry Kane to Bayern Munich but he managed to guide them to a respectable fifth.

Fast forward a few months, though, and his time in North London has not been as rosy this term.

The club sit ninth with three victories and as many defeats in seven fixtures and their form has had some punters questioning his future.

It leaves open an intriguing possibility with the club also in the midst of a potential takeover by Amanda Staveley and her husband and business partner Mehrdad Ghodoussi who previously co-owned Newcastle United.

And that’s where the Celtic link reignites with a former managerial rival of Postecoglou’s for the Hoops job, Eddie Howe, being named by the Sun as a possible replacement option if the bid goes through.

Ange Postecoglou is under pressure at Tottenham Hotspur

Howe was desperately close to agreeing terms with the Celtic board back in May of 2021 after Neil Lennon had resigned and got so far down the line that he was attempting to pick out backroom staff members.

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The board confirmed, however, that following the collapse of the move, they had indeed hoped to bring in the Englishman.

Eddie Howe was also a Celtic manager target like Postecoglou after Neil Lennon resigned

Howe and Ange’s paths have crossed more than once, then, both on and off the field and outside of the dugout and there are claims that Stavely and her team would consider reaching out to Howe’s camp should they manage the takeover.

Postecoglou has been adamant in recent weeks that he can turn things around as he demanded that reporters show him respect over his trophy haul.

Ange Postecoglou hit Celtic like a hurricane in 2021, revitalising multiple areas of the club from the doldrums of the prior failed season.

Not only did he bring a new swashbuckling style of play to the team but he injected urgency into the club’s transfer dealings too, as well as bringing a brilliant inclusive attitude to the Celtic support.

Having made his name in football in less glamorous markets, Postecoglou knew full well the value of untapped leagues as he looked to attract new quality to Scotland.

Signing Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate – amongst others – the Australian found fan-favourite stars on the cheap from Japan.

Currently on tour there with his Spurs side, he’s made it clear it’s something he’d like to replicate in London.

Postecoglou references Celtic work when discussing Spurs transfers

The former Celtic manager said in a press conference earlier [Football London]: “Everyone knows me. I spent close to four years here in Japan. I think the J League is a competition that ranks, with apart from the big five leagues in Europe, I believe it ranks in quality with other leagues.

“Japan has a lot of players who are doing well across the world. We’ve seen Mitoma go to Brighton and the Premier League and I took a number of players to Celtic.”

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Postecoglou reckons South Korea has value too, again referencing the work he did with the Bhoys.

He continued: “I’m well aware of the quality of the K League. When I was at Celtic we were looking to bring over a couple of Korean players. They have made a fantastic impact across Europe, none bigger than our Sonny. He’s an outstanding indivudual. So yes, we’ll be looking far and wide for players.”

Celtic can still find Asian bargains without Ange

Even after Postecoglou waved goodbye to Glasgow, the club has persisted in looking at Asian markets. Although likely scouted when he was still here, Hyunjun Yang and Hyeokkyu Kwon arrived under Brendan Rodgers.

They’ve been less successful than other imports at Celtic but still hold potential. The club will likely continue to look at far-flung leagues to find a gem or two, even if Rodgers is more focused on quality closer to home.

Getting that balance right between developing emerging talent and keeping the starting eleven stocked with players who can push the team on to new heights is a fine line that the club will hopefully walk successfully over the next few years.