Things may look bad right now. In fact, let’s not gloss over it. They are bad but they WILL get better. That’s the message from Jack Austin at Fox News this morning for the Celtic fans.
After more dropped points against Dundee United at Celtic Park over the weekend, some fans are shuffling uncomfortably in their seats whilst the majority of the media are hitting the panic button.
But Jack Austin at Fox News Australia has seen this all to often before.
And he is urging the Celtic fans to be patient.
In his column today he said, “A quick flick back at his career at Brisbane Roar or Yokohama F. Marinos would tell you that slow starts are the norm.
“He asked to be judged after a year, not a month, at Brisbane and after a slow start he duly delivered back-to-back A-League titles, a record-breaking unbeaten run and plenty of plaudits.
“At Yokohama, he fell as low as the relegation zone in his first year but his attacking football lifted them out of trouble and to the J-League Cup final.
“Yokohama score the second most goals in the league that season but also conceded the third most. The following season, he guided them to their first J-League title in 15 years.
“He’s not afraid of a rebuild either. He did it at the Roar and at Melbourne Victory, seeing a number of high-profile players depart and bringing in the players he wanted to fit his system.
“With Postecoglou, you have to trust the process.”
And that is a message that every single commentator and media pundit that has followed Ange Postecoglou’s career has said. Consistently.
And what is also consistent is that every single Celtic fan KNEW this was a rebuild of monumental proportions. So what has changed.
The taste for ‘Angeball’ changed it. It gave the fans hope that maybe the road to dominating Scottish football won’t be that long. And that is ultimately what has contributed to this sea change of opinion.
But I’ll leave the last word to Austin, and it is a message to the board. Show the courage of your convictions and back the manager, “And that’s a message that needs to be heard in the Celtic boardroom, who must realise that in hiring him, you’re agreeing to his style of play and the players he needs to implement it.”