‘Did fantastically well’ ‘I’ve got a lot of respect’ ‘credit to him’ Ange praised from a very unlikely source

Steven Gerrard has delivered a very complimentary assessment of Ange Postecoglou. 

Twelve months ago the two men went head-to-head for the SPFL Premiership title but before November was out the former Liverpool skipper had jumped ship to Aston Villa as his opponent started to build momentum. 

In December Celtic won the League Cup, followed that up with two wins in the Glasgow Derby to claim the title while Gerrard clocked up a less than inspiring 10 wins, five draws and 13 defeats from 28 matches in charge of Aston Villa. 

The two men never across the dug-out but from near and far the Aston Villa boss was impressed by the work carried out by the ‘unknown’ that took charge of Celtic 13 months ago. 

Speaking to Fox Sports in Australia Gerrard said: 

Ange did fantastically well. He came in with his own style. It took a little bit of time for him to implement that but once the players got used to that, they went on to win the league title and the League Cup as well, so it was a very successful season for him 

He’s someone who I’ve got a lot of respect for and a lot of admiration for, and he’s done ever so well, so credit to him. 

He’s obviously got big experience. He’s had a lot of success throughout his career, and he comes across as a very humble guy. 

Obviously I’m Rangers through and through. I want Rangers to do well. I’m sure he appreciates that but from coach to coach, he’s someone that I’ve got a lot of respect for. 

In one season managing Celtic Postecoglou won twice the number of trophies that Gerrard won in four seasons at Ibrox.