I think now is a good time to take the job at Tottenham. Really and truly. Given all their recent woes, a manager with a clear plan has a chance to go there, make an impact and be seen as a savior.
Will that be Ange Postecoglou? Time will tell. But there is no doubt that more news about Spurs’ intentions will be eagerly awaited. On both sides of Glasgow.
Many Rangers fans – and I think Michael Beale too – would like to see Postecoglou move from Celtic. In my opinion, it would be a feather in the hat for Scottish football if its outstanding performances in the Premiership were recognized by an approach from a club like Spurs.
If he accepted, Celtic would obviously do everything they could to find the best possible replacement.
However, it often takes a while for a new manager to transfer his own ideas and implement the desired changes. A certain amount of uncertainty is introduced.
Ange Postecoglou has emerged as a serious contender to land the vacant Spurs job
Postecoglou’s departure from Scottish football would be welcomed by Rangers boss Michael Beale
Postecoglou’s departure would not give Rangers the upper hand for next season. Not with the structure and team the Australian has put in place at Parkhead.
But it would at least give my old club a chance to even things out if they got their own house in order this summer. That last point remains absolutely crucial no matter what happens to Postecoglou.
I have never hidden my admiration for the Celtic manager’s work. The speed with which he introduced a new culture to the club was sensational – contrary to the norm – and he reaped huge rewards. He raised the bar in Scottish football and has done pretty much everything right since joining.
It seems that Spurs are now very interested. And I can certainly understand that.
As I said, people might look at the problems Tottenham are having at the moment and think it’s a bad point to take the lead in North London. I totally disagree with this.
This is a team that underperforms and gets a lot of criticism. There is also a lot of anti-aircraft fire aimed at Daniel Levy.
If a new manager comes in, stabilizes things and gets Spurs on track, he would get so much credit. So it’s a good chance. With the right guidance, the only way should be up.
There’s a bit of a resemblance to what Postecoglou did in Parkhead. When he took over, Celtic were in a very difficult situation after the disaster of their failed ten-straight effort.
Rangers seemed to be the dominant club at the time. But he quickly turned it around.
Postecoglou has managed to lead Celtic to victory despite the club’s disorderly takeover
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has polled Postecoglou as a leading management candidate
Of course, the English Premier League is a completely different beast. The competition down there is incredibly tough.
But nobody expects Tottenham to suddenly become a title favorite next season. It would be about building back to European qualification and progressing from there.
If an offer comes, Postecoglou will have to think very carefully. For now I’m sure his thoughts will be on winning the Treble in this weekend’s Scottish Cup Final against Inverness. It could be two seasons with five trophies and a lot of good football.
His only regret, if he left this summer, would be the Champions League. He would have liked to show that Celtic could get results in Europe in his own way.
However, if you look at the two years as a whole, I am sure he will be fondly remembered for a very long time. Continuing during a closed season also causes far fewer problems than leaving in the middle of a campaign.
Common sense just says it’s a huge decision for him if Spurs make a real offer. If that happened, I’d see him go. The timing could be right.
While that would be good news for the Rangers, it won’t matter much unless they get their team perfectly rebuilt this summer. We’ve already seen a good impact from Beale’s signings in January – Nico Raskin and Todd Cantwell – but there’s still a hell of a lot of work to be done.
The Australian takes the Premiership title, which they clinched with a seven-point lead over second place
Rangers need players of similar skill level as goalkeeper, centre-back, winger and striker. For starters.
They have to be successful in all those areas if they want to make a real title push next season. Although a lot can happen at Celtic in the coming weeks, the Rangers must first and foremost get their own house in order.
In that regard, I like what I’ve heard from Beale when he talks about adding some experience. Because you need a balance.
It’s always good to bring in young players. They are hungry, have good potential to improve and are easier to buy financially.
However, you also need experience to support them. And there’s no question that Rangers are losing a lot of that this summer.
Allan McGregor and Scott Arfield are two obvious ones, but even Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent have seen and done so much at the age of 26.
You need new additions you can count on. Guys who don’t get too nervous or heavy-legged when it comes down to it. Yes, they can be more expensive, but sometimes you have to spend a little more to be sure of what you’re getting.
Players of that kind are not only important for big games. They also continue to have standards in training sessions.
It’s vital because there simply can’t be a repeat of this season. No trophies at Rangers is never acceptable and we all know the kind of criticism that will follow if they don’t start the new campaign on a positive note.
With that in mind, I’ve also seen Beale say he wants players as early as possible. Kieran Dowell has already signed, while reports suggest Dujon Sterling will soon do so.
Rangers’ latest signing Kieran Dowell sits in the stands during a recent game at Ibrox
The club will be back in preparation for the season at the end of June and the value of having a large number of new faces already present is significant.
You need time to gel. You need time for players to realize what exactly Rangers is asking for and where they fit into Beale’s style of play.
The sooner that happens, the greater the chance of success. New players always need some leeway to adapt, but patience is limited at Ibrox. That’s just the way.
But are Rangers building to take on a Celtic squad under Postecoglou or someone new? We should know soon.