I had to check I had this right.
Even after reading it three times I still wasn’t sure I was getting the name right.
But it was him. Really him!
Charlie Nicholas said something positive about Celtic.
And not only was it positive. He is now a fan of the club again!
Which is weird because fans can be balanced on their views about the club and Charlie, for all intents and purposes is rarely that.
But in an interview with the Press Association to promote Prostate Cancer Memorial (BT Sports), Nicholas was waxing lyrical about Celtic gaffer Ange Postecoglou AND Celtic, “I really like what Ange is trying to do. He’s building in a Tommy Burns style, if you like. It’s a front-foot approach with great energy to it.
“People sometimes say he doesn’t really have a Plan B. I don’t care. I didn’t care about that when Brendan Rodgers was the manager either. I just love watching what Ange is trying to create. This is the best feeling I’ve had watching Celtic for a while.
“I know there’s still problems in defence but you feel as if Celtic are coming back now. I thought it would maybe take six to eight months to get going and then you wonder if the manager will get that time from the fans but I think the fans are all enjoying it.
“I think he’s quite a bit ahead of schedule, certainly in relation to what I was expecting. Some people will debate that because I know they’re still second in the league and four points behind Rangers. But I just look at his team and think ‘yes, I like this a great deal’.
“Yes, there will be problems at the back along the way but tell me a Celtic team that didn’t make mistakes. There have been very few that didn’t. There’s an energy and drive about them. They want to please the fans, and that’s the Celtic way. I was brought up with that and that’s why I’m enjoying it.”
To be compared to the late, great Tommy Burns after just 5 months in charge is testament to the job Ange is already doing.
But Celtic fans saw this coming more than two months ago.
It’s no surprise to us.