Was it the costliest cup of coffee Giovanni van Bronckhorst has ever had?
The one he had in the company of Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou, when the pair accidentally met in a restaurant favoured by both men near their homes in Glasgow’s West End. The breakfast beverage that ultimately meant his tea was out. Old Firm employees are effectively under 24-hour surveillance in the age of social media and there was an intrepid snooper on hand, of course, to photograph the moment for posterity.
And a seed of doubt over the Dutchman’s credentials was sown the moment the snapper put his photograph out in the public domain. Rangers supporters don’t like to see fraternisation with the enemy, particularly since Postecoglou had developed a habit of handing out severe beatings to Gio’s side whenever the teams met. One man’s civilised behaviour is another man’s questionable conduct when it’s a rivalry that doesn’t really do etiquette. The fans, I think, ultimately found their manager to be too polite and less combative than they were looking for. Those embraces with Postecoglou before and after the derby games were just too fraternal to fit the abrasive nature of the occasion.
