Barry Ferguson believes there’s truth in what Michael Beale said about Ange Postecoglou being a lucky man. Still, he also believes the Celtic manager started the verbal jousting on day one.
In true Troy McClure fashion — you may remember him from such headlines as ‘Gio has Ange sussed’ or ‘I’m calling the title race in Rangers favour NOW.’ For clarity — Gio was sacked, and the title race was won by Celtic.
His latest offering isn’t as bad as the aforementioned columns, but it still has the whiff of wishful thinking and an absence of substance. If his statement is accurate, how has Ange been so fortunate? The Australian had to part with 40 million plus worth of talent when he took charge of Celtic, which appears to be quite the opposite of lucky. Investing the money earned through player sales is simply how football works when done correctly.
Barry opened his column by joking he’d drive Ange down to Leeds just to get rid of him. Making the statement all Gers fans would quietly like to see the Australian move on.
‘I don’t know where Ange Postecoglou’s house is. But if someone would be kind enough to pass me his home address, I’ll gladly nip over there this afternoon and offer him a lift down the road to Leeds United.’ Barry wrote in his Record Column.
‘Let’s be honest, they might not be willing to admit it but there’s hardly a Rangers fan out there who wouldn’t be quietly relieved if the big Aussie was tempted away from Glasgow for a shot at the English Premier League. And I’m pretty sure Michael Beale would feel the same way.
Barry then reveals he quite fancies Ange staying to build a rivalry with Beale. Insisting the Celtic manager started the whole thing by declaring he was more concerned about his dinner that night than who became The Rangers manager.
‘But there’s also a part of me that won’t be too disappointed if the Celtic boss says he’s going nowhere. Because I’m starting to really enjoy the potential rivalry between these two managers as well as the little bit of needle that is creeping into the relationship. Postecoglou fired the first shot on day one when he was asked about Beale’s appointment across the city.’
There’s a clamour from many in the media to try and inflate Michael Beale’s standing. Keith Jackson of the Daily Record and others have tried to push the narrative Beale has got under Ange’s skin. It’s playground stuff.
Beale says something that’s fundamentally wrong. If Ange says nothing, it goes unchecked and allowed to permeate. The Celtic manager decides to make a joke of the comments and he’s suddenly rattled. Give me a break.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ange rattled once since taking this job.
Celtic are nine points clear at the top of the table, and deservedly so. There’s an attempt to make meta battles to keep things a bit more interesting. All it’s doing is fuelling Celtic’s amusement. The Verve’s ‘Lucky Man’ playing at Celtic Park last week a perfect example of how the club is treating this nonsense.
What I can see is a Celtic manager who was laughed into the building now being treated with the utmost severity across the city. They either want him gone or want his achievements diminished. It’s all a bit pathetic.
