Postecoglou revels in first Celtic silverware
Ange Postecoglou said Celtic's Scottish League Cup final win is 'just the start' as he eyes more glory with the rebuilding Scottish giant.
Celtic's wait for silverware is over, after a double to Japanese star Kyogo Furuhashi lifted the Bhoys to a 2-1 Scottish League Cup final win over Hibernian.
The result continues a success-soaked coaching journey for Australian manager Ange Postecoglou, whose growing resume includes A-League titles, an Asian Cup, a J.League title and now, a Scottish League Cup trophy.
“This is the start. When I took over I knew after the last year that this club couldn’t wait another year for success, it had to happen right away," Postecoglou said.
“From the moment I arrived it hasn’t been smooth and we had to withstand significant obstacles almost on a daily basis.
“They’ve always found a way and they really believe in what we’re doing. Even today, the challenge of conceding a goal and their response is one of a team worthy of being champions in this competition and I’m sure proud of them.
“This club’s had a lot of success in recent times but this is a new team and yet they’ve been determined to lay their own mark right from the start.
“I took that responsibility seriously and if I didn’t think I could take us to this point then I wouldn’t have accepted it because that’s the expectation.
“This is part one and we still have a lot of growth but if we keep showing the same sort of resilience then we can do it.”
Postecoglou reserved special praise for Kyogo, the Australian's first signing after linking up with Celtic in June.
“He’s a fantastic player but he’s also a great human being," he said. “He just had it in his head that he was going to play today no matter what anyone else told him. From the moment he got injured he just thought he was going to be here on this day.
“He wasn’t 100 per cent and I was kind of hoping he would just play within himself but he’s a quality player and a person.
“This is part one and we still have a lot of growth but if we keep showing the same sort of resilience then we can do it.”
The final was won as a collective team effort, but one man stole the headlines for his contribution to the success.
