Ange Postecoglou’s arrival at Celtic was met with a mixed response from not only the Celtic supporters but also the Scottish media.
A relatively unknown quantity, the Australian arrived in Glasgow with no backroom team and led the club to a domestic double in his first season and then a historic treble in his second.
It really was quite remarkable when you think about what he did. And just how did he manage it? Former Rangers striker, Kenny Miller believes he knows one of the reasons why.
Discussing how Postecoglou has moved to Tottenham and is looking like he is replicating what he did at Celtic, Miller said the backroom set-up at Parkhead was key in helping Ange deliver five out of six trophies.
Miller said [Clyde SSB], “You know what I think is important in terms of Celtic? It’s what’s going on in the backroom at Celtic. There’s been a consistency there with the likes of John Kennedy, Stephen McManus was involved at a time. [Gavin] Strachan’s in it as well.
“Darren O’Dea is also in there as an ex-player. So they’ve got a decent enough structure behind the manager there as well.
“Not just in terms of his immediate staff, but guys that are behind it as well working with a B team and things like that. So there’s a decent enough structure there to help any new manager coming in.”
And Celtic maintained that structure when Ange left to join Tottenham in the summer. Persuading John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan to stay at the club was key for the Celtic board as they drafted in Brendan Rodgers for his second term as the manager.
The continuity that was maintained behind the scenes was pivotal in helping to ensure the disruption of losing the manager was kept to a minimum and the Celtic board should be commended for that.
For Rodgers though, having John Kennedy at the club was also important as he was one of the key figures that helped him deliver success during his first tenure.
Let’s hope that keeping that core nucleus of people in and around the backroom pays off. Celtic will still be looking to defend the league and Scottish Cup as well as delivering on the European stage and those names that Miller mentioned will be pivotal to that.
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