Ange Postecoglou isn’t much of a hoarder but he could fill a decent-sized shed with the hardware he has picked up this season after adding the Manager of the Year gong to his list of prizes.
There will need to be space left for the biggest trophy of the lot though.
There’s no mantelpiece in the Postecoglou residence sagging with the Manager of the Month trinkets or his League Cup winners’ medal.
The Aussie is not the kind of guy to dig out the brass on a daily basis and admire his treasure trove of spoils.
He will savour the success when the time comes – but his focus is only on bagging the one award he’s been desperate to get his hands on since he landed in Glasgow last summer.
He might not have to wait long. Sunday’s battling point against Rangers at Celtic Park was another huge step to a remarkable debut season in Scotland.
The Hoops boss has become a folk hero in the East End due to his attacking style but the Old Firm result was secured with some good old-fashioned hard graft to get them towards the Premiership finishing line.
Another victory in Celtic ’s last three games will leave their rivals needing some kind of cosmic intervention to prevent the Premiership trophy being delivered to Parkhead.
And it will be another shiny reminder for Postecoglou of the job he has done this term, even if his medal is unlikely to end up on the wall.
When asked if his rising collection of awards from all over the globe are out for constant display, Postecoglou shrugged and said: “I don’t really. I’ve always been the kind of guy who looks ahead at what’s next.
“It’s not that I dismiss it. I take huge pride because you are sharing it with people. What remains is the experience rather than the hardware.
“I’ve been fortunate in my career and all of those moments have been pretty special.
“One day I will have the time to reflect – but it’s not now.
“We still have the big one to try to win in the next couple of weeks.”
That’s not to say Postecoglou doesn’t like hoovering up accolades. It’s just that he prefers to share them.
On the PFA Manager of the Year award, Postecoglou said: “I’m super proud – and humbled.
“It’s great when it is voted by your peers because they understand what you’re going through.
“It has been a challenging year, no doubt. From our perspective, the award is representative of a whole group who work really hard.
“It’s well chronicled I came here alone and it needed a leap of faith by a lot of people to buy in to me and my vision for the football club.
“All of the staff have been outstanding with the way they have embraced what I wanted to do here.
“They have been super important. That’s why most managers usually take a group of people with them. You need that strong support staff.
“I did it in a different way. What I saw when I got here was yes, the club had a tough year last year, but previously they had a lot of success.” Postecoglou wants his entire team to bask in the glory but there’s one man in particular he singled out for special mention. John Kennedy.
The No.2 has been part of a trophy-laden decade at Parkhead but was dragged into the bitter blame vortex of last season’s failed 10-in-a-row bid.
Some fans saw the loyal servant as part of a problem. Postecoglou immediately
identified the coach as part of the solution.
The manager said: “John, in particular, has been at this club a long time as a player and part of the coaching staff.
“He has seen the best this club can be and seen it through tough times as well.
“I thought he’d be a fantastic ally for me, to help get my message across to everyone.
“I needed him to buy into my vision and the way I worked. He embraced it from the start and has been a key person in the set-up.”
Postecoglou has made a big show of sharing the spotlight with his staff any time he has added to his prize haul.
A succession of Manager of the Month gongs have led to group pictures with different folk who usually work behind the scenes.
Postecoglou said: “I wanted to show there’s a lot of people who work really hard. They don’t get the recognition their work sometimes deserves.
“I’ve tried to emphasise we’ve done it as a team, players and staff. It’s not one person making the difference, it’s certainly not just me.
“It’s important those guys get the encouragement and reward for their efforts.
“What’s most important to me is people believe in my vision and the support I’ve had since day one has been outstanding.”
Postecoglou has been happy to oblige during prize-giving season but he has constantly stressed the job is not done yet.
Celtic have come too far to take their eye off the ball now. The next few weeks could see the manager lifting more awards but if or when the time comes to lift aloft the league trophy, it’s a nice glass Postecoglou will be raising as well.
When asked what it would be like to get over the line, he said: “It will be special. I have already got a fairly decent collection of some fine Scottish whisky.
“If it does happen then I’ll break open up a couple of special ones and have a few quiet ones.”
