Whisper it on the streets of Glasgow, but Ange Postecoglou and Giovanni van Bronckhorst might just be cut from the same cloth.
They’re on opposite sides of world football’s biggest divide and now entrenched in a bitter Old Firm rivalry.
No one would expect them to be best friends – but the Aussie and the Dutchman have plenty in common, the Daily Record reports.
There’s a refreshing honesty and integrity about the pair.
They’re both driven, motivated coaches with a clear ideology on how they want their teams to play.
Styles and systems might be different but their conviction for what they believe in rarely, if ever, wavers.
And most important of all is the mutual respect they have for each other.
If that rubs off on some of those immersed in this fixture, they’ll be better for it.
On Wednesday night at Parkhead, there will be passion in both technical areas. But when the dust settles there will be no histrionics from either gaffer.
Postecoglou has already bumped into Van Bronckhorst a few times in the city. Earlier this season they were even pictured chatting in a cafe.
That might not have aligned with the usual Celtic vs Rangers narrative.
But for him it was no big deal. You wouldn’t mess with Postecoglou anyway but he says he’s had little aggro since arriving in Scotland last summer.
As far as he sees it, he likes Van Bronckhorst and that won’t change just because he’s in charge of Celtic’s deadliest rivals.
Ahead of the vital Premiership clash in midweek, Postecoglou said: “I’m not out and about too much to get exposed to the rivalry.
“But the interactions I’ve had with supporters of other clubs have been fairly friendly, plenty of banter.
“You’re always a bit wary but so far it’s been good natured. I understand they’re passionate about their club and that’s what I expect them to be.
“And I enjoy meeting people who are passionate about football.
“In terms of meeting Gio, it’s just human nature. I’m not going to dislike somebody because people want me to dislike them.
“I’ll make my own assessments about people. I understand and respect every other manager because I know how difficult a job it is.
“I know what I have to go through on a daily basis so I appreciate that.
“I’ve bumped into Gio a couple of times and he’s a nice guy. He’s passionate and wants success for his club. He knows I’m the same.
“But that doesn’t mean we somehow change who we are.
“On a game day we both want our teams to win.
“But if I bump into him afterwards, like every other manager, I’ll treat him with respect because that’s more important than anything else. We’re in privileged positions.
“We must set an example as people will look at our behaviour.
“I want to make sure that, in my dealings, I represent Celtic in the right manner because my club will always be respectful of everybody.”
Postecoglou has been nothing if not consistent in his messaging this season, whether that’s to players or punters. After a sticky start when his side almost immediately trailed the champions, some people already had the flag heading back to Ibrox.
Having been here a while, he understands the interest and intensity a bit more now.
But he’s as clear now as he was in August – league medals aren’t handed out before May.
And irrespective of what happens on Wednesday, he’s convinced that the title race will go to the wire.
Postecoglou said: “People were calling the league back in October. That was kind of unusual to me.
“Even now, there aren’t going to be any trophies handed out at the end of the Rangers game.
“I get it if there’s a big gap and it’s impossible to change the fortunes.
“But I just felt they wanted to call the end result way too early.
“I reckon it will go the distance. That’s my sense, that it’s unlikely there will be a massive gap. But things can change very quickly.
“My gut tells me it will be a tight title race. But instead of calling it, let’s see how it develops.”
This derby has to go better for Postecoglou than his first, which ended in a 1-0 defeat at Ibrox.
If Odsonne Edouard hadn’t missed a sitter and Kyogo Furhuhashi taken some late opportunities the outcome might have been different.
The Celtic manager admits the loss was painful but he and his players have learned from it.
He said: “Even if you play well you still don’t take defeat well. And there were things we could have handled better that day.
“We didn’t take our opportunities and got punished. There’s a good lesson in there and the important thing is how you respond.
“We’ve rolled our sleeves up to go again and be more resilient as a team.
“In the last few months, we’ve been as consistent as anyone. That’s what I’m looking for.
“The important thing when something hurts you is what you deal with it. And credit to my players, they’ve responded in the right way.”
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