Ange Postecoglou was back on “daddy duty” yesterday as one of his sons celebrated his birthday and was pleased that he was able, having led Celtic to a Viaplay Cup final victory over Rangers on Sunday, to join in with the festivities in an upbeat mood.

“It is not easy being the family of football manager,” he said. “They see me grumpy often enough so it’s important they can see me with a smile on my face. I enjoyed it.”

The supporters of the Parkhead club who were inside Hampden at the weekend certainly enjoyed themselves; they were unable to contain their glee as another Kyogo Furuhashi double clinched a sweet 2-1 triumph that kept alive hopes of a fifth treble in seven years.

For many of them, the win atoned for the extra-time Scottish Cup semi-final defeat they had suffered at the hands of their city rivals at the same venue last season which had denied them the chance to complete a clean sweep of domestic silverware.

A fair few, too, will have relished seeing Michael Beale, who made headlines with his comments about his “lucky” opposite number after replacing Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Ibrox at the end of November, suffer a painful loss.

Postecoglou, though, is not motivated by such things. The Greek-Australian exudes New World positivity in everything that he does at Celtic and has not been affected by the cynicism of the Scottish game.

For him, beating a decent side with a good coach in a big match playing entertaining football and bringing joy to paying spectators are ample rewards for his efforts.  

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“There is a real fixation on you having to hate and you having to want revenge and you having to be vindictive,” he said. “I get it. I don’t think it’s unique to this city. But it just doesn’t get my juices going.

“I get so much more excited by beating teams I think are really good and are managed by managers I respect who are on the top of their game. That is what gets me going. I don’t need words to fire me up or to hate the opposition or the opposition manager to get motivated. It is not what drives me.

“I have been pretty clear about what is going to motivate this group of players – it is about rising to the challenge of being the best football team you can be on a weekly basis.

“If you need these extra things to get motivated that is where you fall into the trap. You are going to have off weeks. What happens when somebody doesn’t get you motivated because they haven’t said anything nasty about you?

“It is just not the way I am wired. That is part of the landscape here. But, for me, I get really motivated by trying to be the best. If I am up against an opponent who I think is good then I am up for that contest.”

Proving those who ridiculed his appointment back in 2021 wrong and repaying the Celtic officials who had complete faith in his abilities and stood four-square behind him as he settled in Scotland, has also been satisfying for Postecoglou.

“I came in with my eyes open,” he said. “Look, most of you (the media) were after me. If I didn’t win anything in my first year, I had no chance of survival.

The Herald:

“The club have been fantastic with me from day one. The support I have had behind the scenes from the people who matter at this football club has been outstanding. I think they have seen something in me to believe in me.

“But that wasn’t enough for me. I really felt that I had to deliver if I was going to stay at this football club for any length of time and deliver in a meaningful way. I was determined to do that. I wasn’t going to shy away from it or bide time or ask for patience. I really felt that.

“Some of it is due to the fact I am nearly 58, mate. So the days are numbering down in terms of how many years I have got left in the game. So I am not going to waste it for myself let alone this football club.”

Postecoglou has been linked with the managerial vacancies which have arisen in the Premier League this season and has been tipped to follow the paths which his predecessors Gordon Strachan, Neil Lennon and Brendan Rodgers took and move down south.

Pundits and supporters have speculated in recent months that he may grow tired of the Scottish scene and might fancy a crack at the English game in the near future.

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However, the 57-year-old does not sound like someone who is hankering after a fresh challenge. He emphasised how energised he is by his high-profile role in Glasgow and stressed how much he savours occasions like the League Cup final on Sunday as he looked back on the encounter.

“I love all of it, mate,” he said. “There is nothing that is sort of monotonous or tedious for me, I love all of it. I love every day of it, I enjoy every day of it, I think every day is an opportunity to just do something special.

“The ultimate reward is just having some sort of success. Not for what it does for me personally. I think about our supporters and how they feel. They will remember the day forever. It is a game where their football club has won a trophy. The fact that I have contributed to that is priceless for me or any person I guess. It is why we do what we do. I don’t get sick of it. I love every minute of it.”

Postecoglou did not, despite his happiness at Celtic lifting another trophy, go overboard with his celebrations on Sunday evening.

“It was pretty tame, mate,” he said. “Just a glass of scotch. I love nights like that. I often tell the players that in my first year in senior football, when I was a young and kind of immature player myself, we won the championship.

“I don’t remember much from that night and I am forever regretful of it because you want to remember it, you want to remember what it does for everyone and you want to see how everyone feels about it. It was a night of reflection for me, just sort of taking it all in with my wife.”

For fans of the Scottish champions, Celtic and Ange Postecoglou has been a marriage made in heaven. Their love affair looks set to continue for some time.