THERE would perhaps be no better tribute to Jock Stein on what would have been his 100th birthday than a Celtic win in Europe’s premier competition against RB Leipzig tonight. But current Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has given a strong attempt at topping even that.
The impact that Stein had on Celtic and on Scottish football is well documented and unquestionable, but the impact he had on Postecoglou and the way that he himself has approached the Celtic job is also undeniable.
The attacking principles. The ethos of placing the club’s support at the centre of what they do and why they do it. These are the values Postecoglou now tries to adhere to, and that clearly still resonate with him, as he reflected on Stein’s legacy.
“His feats in terms of success are unquestionable, particularly with winning the European Cup and his domestic dominance,” Postecoglou said. “But I think his legacy goes way beyond that.
“He’s one of those figures that exists in football, where his impact on a football club goes beyond just the success. It was about the way the team played, the way they conducted themselves, the connection the team had with the fans and the connection he had with the fans.
“So, he’s one of those figures that even though his record was unbelievable, it goes beyond that.
“For guys like me, you’re not so much following in his footsteps as standing on his shoulders and trying to uphold, hopefully, those values.
“I obviously want to bring success to this football club, that’s my aim, but I also want to uphold those values in terms of the way we play our football, understanding what our supporters mean to the football club and all those kinds of things which I think were just as important to Jock Stein.
“I was well versed in it anyway [before I came to Celtic], because they are one of those clubs that historically people always bring up when they talk about major accomplishments and a style of football, that’s one of the teams.
“So, I was always well versed in it, but the beauty of this football club is that you are never too far away from it, there are people who are still there from that era who will remind you of it, it’s written on the walls and you just feel it in the air what this football club is about.
“I think there is definitely an alignment there in the way I want our team to play and the way I want us to connect with our fans that resonates well.
“I’ve certainly felt, for me, it’s been an easy transition into understanding the football club, because a lot of those values are really close to my heart anyway.
“It’s been easy for me to understand and try to get us on a road that I believe the fans of this football club want us to be.”
A history of such success at a football club can sometimes be something of a millstone, as Manchester United are currently finding at present for example, as they try to forge a new path into the future while still burdened by trying to live up to the glories of the past.
For Postecoglou though, Stein was always – and still remains – an inspiration.
“I think it can potentially become a burden if you try to emulate his feats, because I don’t think anyone is going to get there,” he said.
“The spirit in which he managed this football club, the way he go the team to play, I’m really big on that.
“I’ve said from day one, I want us to be a team that people talk about, not just because of our success, but because of the way we play our football.
“I think that is what that Celtic team embodied. They were exciting to watch irrespective of whether you were a follower of the club or a follower of Scottish football, everyone in the world knew that when Celtic played the football they played it was worth a watch.
“That’s what I want to try to create with us.”
Postecoglou also senses something of a kindred spirit in RB Leipzig manager Marco Rose, who he will pit his wits against tonight at the Red Bull Arena as Celtic try to plot a path into the knockout stages of the Champions League.
With both teams sure to be set up to attack aggressively, Postecoglou believes it could be quite a contest.
“There are definitely elements of their game that are like ours,” he said.
“Both clubs are very aggressive in the way they attack and the way they defend. I like those kind of teams.
“The football I want us to play is because I believe it can be successful but also because I think it is exciting and it’s what the fans want to see. I like to see teams with similar make-ups. They are of interest to me.
“From our perspective, that’s the challenge. We are meeting a team that have similar characteristics to us - not totally the same - and it’s how we cope with it.”
