Hugh Keevins performs complete Ange u-turn as he finds new target

Hugh Keevins has performed the most incredible turnaround on Ange Postecoglou. 

A year ago there was a sneering ‘welcome’ for the new Celtic boss following a 106 day wait to find Neil Lennon’s successor. 

The Celtic board were certainly deserving of criticism for virtually every aspect of the 2020/21 season but the new manager deserved at least a fresh start as he inherited a squad in need of virtually a complete overhaul. 

After three competitive matches the knives were out, on the morning of 1 August 2021 Keevins informed Daily Record readers: 

At the very least we now know what the Ange in Ange Postecoglou stands for. 

Absolutely. Not. Good. Enough. 

And that description also holds good for the board, the chief executive, the team and the principal shareholder, Dermot Desmond, in the wake of yet more European humiliation for Celtic.  

Today, lecturing Steve Clarke on media relations, Keevins informs Record readers: 

Time to do an Ange Postecoglou. 

The Celtic manager arrived to hostility that would have affected anyone’s temperament and he has, I would argue, a job every bit, if not more, stressful than the national team manager’s gig. 

But Ange has turned his Press conferences into an exercise in thoughtful expression that has become the manager’s personal trademark. I’m not a psychologist, mate, but the Press are not your enemy, Steve. 

From Absolutely Not Good Enough to mentoring the Scotland international manager in less than 11 months is quite an achievement. From Day 1 the tone of Postecoglou’s media conferences hasn’t altered, he has his ways and doesn’t waver.

Why Postecoglou was greeted with media hostility is anyone’s guess. Unlike a club across the city Celtic provided free access to the media for pre-match media conferences, to attend matches and question the manager after the game. 

With clubs able to almost instantly share their content across social media Keevins is guilty of overstating the role of the old fashioned media. 

It is no longer of any importance to managers and players to strike up relationships with reporters to project a favorable image to the public. Postecoglou’s media appearances are there for all to see without editing or distortion.  

Having a press officer sift through the daily newspapers first thing in the morning is no longer necessary. At any time of the day a five minute look on a smart phone will allow anyone in the game to see how they are being perceived. 

When Postecoglou and Clarke get together how they are portrayed in the Daily Record is highly unlikely to feature in the conversation.