Sir Alex Ferguson called it squeaky bum time. Others call it the business end. Ange Postecoglou reckons it’s just a Grand old time.
While others are getting twitchy, this is the time of the season the Celtic manager really gets his kicks. It’s when the hard work potentially pays off and the prizes are up for grabs – and the juices start really flowing for Postecoglou. He caught the bug a quarter of a century ago, when in his second season at South Melbourne he steered his side into the Grand Finals series – the end of term play-offs that determine the champions – on his way to his first piece of major silverware.
Postecoglou has been stockpiling them ever since. The league race turns into a knockout competition in his homeland but he still has that all or nothing attitude here, even if the format is different. Celtic have six Premiership games to go and a couple of wins will see them retain the title.
Chuck in next week’s Scottish Cup semi-final clash with Rangers and a potential end-of-season showpiece at Hampden and it might be eight more matches – starting with Motherwell today – for the Parkhead gaffer to savour. That buzz from 25 years ago still remains today – along with treating every single hurdle like an all-or-nothing cup final.
Postecoglou said: “It was my second season in charge at South Melbourne and we won 2-1 in the Grand Final against Carlton with an 87th minute winner. That was 25 years ago and my first title as a manager – but I am still loving it now and I am still as ambitious as ever.
“I have been really blessed to have won a fair bit in my career and I have loved every minute of it. I still enjoy it as much today as I did with that first one, and I have learned a lot along the way. The basics of who I was back then, I’d like to think anyone who has come across me will say I haven’t changed too much as a person, and in terms of my values and how I work.”
Postecoglou loved the knife-edged format Down Under – and he’s relishing the race for the line in Scotland. He said: “I have always loved the big games and I love this time of the year.
“To win titles in Australia, you had to go through the Grand Finals series. Back in 1998, we won the league and then we had to go through finals to be declared champions.
“That’s just how it is structured in Australia. You had to perform on the day, no matter what had happened prior to that in the season.
“It doesn’t matter what the gap between first and second was in the table - it came down to that final. We won the Grand Final in 1998 and 1999 – and it was special.
“When it gets to this time of the season, I always think back to Australia and this is when everything was getting decided.
“I loved the finals season, I loved the end to the campaign and I am looking forward to this one as well.”
The desire to finish strongly means there’s no chance Postecoglou will allow his side to believe the title is in the bag.
Celts are on the verge of 18 wins on the spin in all competitions, surpassing the 17 clocked up by Brendan Rodgers and a run not seen since 1966 when Jock Stein was forging legends in Glasgow’s East End.
The chat has already moved on from retaining the title to breaking the 100 point barrier and shooting for records set by Martin O’Neill and Brendan Rodgers.
It hasn’t happened by accident. Postecoglou said: “We don’t look at what the outcomes could potentially be – we just try to knock it off one at a time.
“Wherever that takes us, whether that is records or winning runs, we can’t look too far ahead. If we do that, then it could all unravel and then it means nothing as you haven’t won the game.
“There will be a time for reflection in the future but there is no doubt the boys have been outstanding this year. The level of performance they have delivered, irrespective of the competition, opponent and venue.
“And irrespective of the challenges we have faced from injuries and absences. They have just maintained a high standard every week and it means if someone is going to knock us off, they will have to be very good.”
That means no talking about Hampden next week, that’s for sure. Celtic fans are drawing up their plans for the National Stadium, where Rangers await.
But anyone mentioning the Scottish Cup clash around Lennoxtown will get short shrift. Postecoglou said: “Yeah, that has been the constant of the consistency we have had.
“We have never looked beyond the next challenge we face. The group is really good at preparing for the next one and making sure we are focused.
“Every single game has the potential to trip you up if you are not performing at the levels you need to. You can drop points, or put in a poor performance, but anyone watching us will see we are performing at a high level.
“We are not scraping through games - we are trying to bring the best of ourselves every weekend. We are focused in training every day to be at our best in the games.”
