Jackson Irvine admits he was given a 'hard time' for touting Ange Postecoglou for the Celtic job before the Australian arrived.
The former Celtic academy prospect, who now plays for St Pauli in Germany's second tier, admits he was one of the first to weigh up Postecoglou as an excellent candidate to replace Neil Lennon before the Australian arrived in Glasgow. The former Socceroos coach was a relatively-unknown name in the scope of Scottish football but provided unbridled success in his first season at Parkhead with a domestic double.
World Cup star Irvine was one of the least shocked when Postecoglou was handed the role and says he went to bat for the 57-year-old publicly but faced some backlash over the Australian's credentials at the time.
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He told the Celtic View podcast : "It's so funny how things work out. I spoke about Ange a few weeks before he got the job and people started referring back to that clip straight away when he was linked.
"People were giving me a hard time because of it. Being like 'Bloody Jackson Irvine says he's good, he must be great - who the hell is this guy'?
"Then obviously he's come in and done really well. Everyone who has worked with him and knows what he is about will tell you it was a recipe for success.
"I'm delighted to see how well he's done and the transformation he's made on the team in such a short space of time has been very impressive to watch. It's no surprise from those that have worked with him that he has brought success."
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