Ange Postecoglou isn’t fussed Barry Ferguson reckons Rangers have got his game plan sussed – as the Celtic boss insists his Plan A is a winning formula.
The Aussie brushed off the former Ibrox skipper’s claims in his Record Sport column yesterday that Light Blues gaffer Gio van Bronckhorst had worked out how to get the better of the champions ahead of today’s Old Firm showdown. Postecoglou insisted his side have plenty of surprises up their sleeves – but he’ll be sticking to his guns while he continues to stockpile silverware. He said: “People have been telling me my whole career I’ve only got a Plan A – and they are right!
“My Plan A is to win things. That’s all I’ve tried to do my whole career and as long as I’m winning things then it’s a pretty good bet to keep doing what I’m doing. If I stop winning things then maybe I’ll look to change the way my teams play.
“At the moment that’s where my focus is. When you look at my team anyway, the players we have all bring different qualities. I’ve tried to build the squad that way. Yes, we have some principles around our football, but if you look at the areas of the side, they all bring different attributes which can change the nature of the game.”
Postecoglou has no beef with the former Rangers skipper for voicing his view – but the Hoops boss is hoping to have the last word after today’s collision. He said: “That’s okay. Barry’s entitled to his opinion. He gets asked these questions and if that’s what he believes then that’s what he believes.
“What does it mean to me? I don’t know. I really have no idea. It doesn’t affect me. I’d be safe to assume Gio will be preparing his team well for the game and that’s what I’m doing. I’m sure there will be opinions about my team and who will be the victor all the way to kick-off and there will be more opinions afterwards. It’s all part of the fun of the game.”
Postecoglou is determined to steal a march in the title race by putting Rangers to the sword at Celtic Park today and blasting five points clear at the top of the Premiership. But the Hoops gaffer insisted the championship will be far from decided in 90 minutes this lunchtime – or in just the four league clashes between the sides.
Postecoglou said: “So if we get really motivated for this game, play really well and win then come next game against Livi producing a sub par performance and dropping points, what will it all mean?
“I said this time last year the champions are there after 38 games. That’s when we’ll look at the table.
“Right now we have a tough game and have to be at our best to overcome a good opponent. Everything else takes care of itself.”
Today’s showdown will come too soon for deadline day signing Oliver Abildgaard but Postecoglou admitted he was thrilled to land the midfielder from Rubin Kazan. The Denmark cap is on loan for the season but FIFA fuzzy rules on contacts for foreign players in Russia meant the option to buy next summer isn’t clear cut.
Postecoglou said: “It’s not that straightforward but we’ve got him for this year and that’s what we are focused on. Come the end of the year we will see where we are and what the options are.
"Oliver is someone we’ve been tracking for quite a while. Obviously we needed some movement out at well as we didn’t want to be carrying too big a squad.
“He’s an experienced player and a really good pro. Everyone I’ve spoken to about him says he’s a really good character and a top professional.
“His playing style will suit us, but he does give us something different with him bringing his size to the no.6 area. I think he’ll be a good option for us.”
Postecoglou snapped up nine new signings over the summer while Mikey Johnston, Albian Ajeti and Liam Shaw went out on loan while Christopher Jullien returned to France The Hoops manager said: “The transfer window has been positive. We had some objectives going into it, obviously our priority was to sign Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota on permanent deals and then make sure we plugged the gaps in our squad.
“We’ve come out of it with a squad that’s capable of tackling what’s ahead. We’ve also given some guys opportunities to get game time elsewhere, which is important in terms of the size of the squad.”
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