Bitter Boyd accuses Giakoumakis in his reluctant salute to champions Celtic

Kris Boyd has delivered a reluctant salute to Celtic after Ange Postecoglou’s side clinched the SPFL title at Tannadice. The regular face of Sky Sports’ coverage of Scottish football was in a London studio covering other matches when the title was decided. 

The former Kilmarnock striker had Postecoglou written off on July 30, suggesting  in The Sun that he should quit. As well as leading his side to the Premiership title the hoops boss has been voted Manager of the Year by PFA Scotland and the Football Writers Association. 

Right now, if I was him I’d pack my bags and go. Postecoglou might as well hand in his resignation and take himself back to Australia. 

This is a guy who had to stew in a hotel room when he was required to go into quarantine when he first arrived in the country. Yet now he’s forced to wait for players who will have to go through the same process. 

Have Celtic not noticed? The league starts this weekend, but they are nowhere near ready to challenge Rangers for the title. 

A 31 match unbeaten run, winning the title with a game to spare and a goal difference advantage of plus 17 tells the tale of a side that fully deserved to win the Premiership title. 

In The Sun Boyd claims: 

All six of Celtic’s front men do a terrific job and the team isn’t weakened when any of them drop out. That’s a great asset to have and Postecoglou deserves huge credit for getting most of them to the club. 

Giakoumakis didn’t get quite the same credit as the Japanese forwards but for me he was equally important. Having decided to get himself fit during the winter break he played a big role. 

He returned with back-to-back hat-tricks and provided more competition for places. 

Giakoumakis didn’t decide to get himself fit during the winter break. From the moment he joined Celtic at the end of August he was trying his upmost to get match fit after missing the start of the season at VVV Venlo as he waited on a transfer. 

Moving on Boyd adds: 

Of course the Hoops rebuild didn’t come cheaply, with Postecoglou handed £25million. But he spent it well.  He brought players who fitted into his system and shared the same beliefs. 

That £25m didn’t fall out of a magic money tree. In July Kris Ajer was sold for around £13m, a month later Odsonne Edouard was sold to Crystal Palace for £15m. 

Edouard started three of Celtic’s first four SPFL matches. Postecoglou knew that he was almost certain to leave but got a tune out of the Frenchman then had to reshape his side at the start of September without Edouard and Ryan Christie. That is what management is about- managing players.