There is a certain art to becoming comfortable in the uncomfortable.
Ange Postecoglou was a relative unknown as he marched into Lennoxtown on his own.
Before he'd even touched down in Glasgow he was being written off in some quarters as a soon-to-be management casualty.
Postecoglou, however, had other ideas of his arrival at Glasgow and has taken the all-encompassing nature of Scottish football in his stride, be it the microscopic coverage and analysis of every tactical tweak or press conference comment, or even his position on whether a guard of honour should be facilitated at the home of a rival club. It's not an easy setting in which to acclimatise.
Just ask Neil Lennon who knows all about the glory and not-so-glamourous side of being in the Celtic Park hotseat.
“I’ve been very impressed by how he’s handled everything," admitted Lennon. "But he has good staff there with John Kennedy, Gavin Strachan and the other boys. They’re very experienced.
“Ange has also put his own stamp on the team and he’s recruited very well – he’s used the transfer market brilliantly. He looks comfortable, if you can ever really be comfortable in that job.
“He’s mature enough to deal with that. He’s been coaching for 25 years now so it’s not down to luck or coincidence that he’s come to this point in his career. He’s worked hard and earned it.
“Ange is on the verge of winning his first treble, which takes some doing. He thoroughly deserved to win the Manager of the Year for a second time.
“His team has played brilliantly. The consistency they’ve shown throughout the season has been remarkable and the quality of the football has been really good as well.
“They can also break the 100-point barrier, which is a hard thing to do.”
While Postecoglou's solo arrival at Celtic has turned out to be a masterstroke and allowed for the crafting of a fresh and dynamic new squad, Lennon insists it hasn't come easy.
Instead, he warned that the "blank canvas" which has turned out to be a blessing for Celtic under Postecoglou could quite easily have instead been a curse were it not for the Aussie's shrewd management.
“He didn’t just bring in very good players but players who were hungry and wanted to make an impression," Lennon said of Postecoglou's transfer business.
“Kyogo’s been a revelation and Reo Hatate’s been pretty special but even when another successful signing, Josip Juranovic, was sold to Union Berlin I thought he’d be a huge loss but Alastair Johnston was brought in and he’s been terrific – it’s been a seamless transition.
“He more or less had a blank canvas to begin with, which is never easy. It took him a few months to impose his own style on the job but when he beat Rangers 3-0 at Parkhead to go top of the table in February of last year that was the Boom! Moment.
“That was really laying down a marker and they’ve never looked back since. His behaviour and his approach to the games has been excellent.”
There is little criticism that can be levelled at two-time PFA Scotland Manager of the Year Postecoglou over his tenure to date, perhaps best proved by the reaction to defeat against Rangers at Ibrox.
No outcry, no panic button and little concern was created by the 3-0 loss - Michael Beale's first win over Celtic as manager - and Lennon is confident the result will have little bearing on next season.
He commented: “I don’t know how upset Celtic fans were by that result but it’s academic, really. Ange did the right thing by making a few changes because he has to see whether some of the fringe players can adapt to that environment and, with the league over, he could afford to do that.
“That also meant he could give some regulars a rest. It’s been a long season and a few of them have looked a little fatigued in recent weeks but at this stage that’s more of a mental issue than a physical one.
“Getting the team over the line is a great feeling and it’s a relief for everyone once you know you’re the champions again."
Reflecting on the defeat to Rangers in 2018/19 during his time in charge and possible comparisons drawn, Lennon insisted the perceived laying down of a marker is of little consequence.
“That didn’t happen and it never does," he said. "Rangers will look completely different come August or September and I’m sure Celtic will have different personnel by then too.
“So you can’t look too much into that 3-0 game. The edge had gone from Celtic after they won the title at Tynecastle the week before.
“You can talk about playing for pride at Ibrox if you want to call it that but I wouldn’t take much from it in terms of what might happen going forward.”
