Ange Postecoglou is not gregarious by nature but looks quietly troubled by what continues to transpire in front of him
When once presented with a question about his philosophy, Martin O’Neill told the story of the new manager who lost his first three fixtures 3-2, 4-3 and 5-4. By the time a fourth high-scoring defeat in a row arrived, boardroom purring over style had given way to edginess and questions on whether victory was likely at any point in the future. O’Neill’s Celtic side would never win awards for artistic merit but the Irishman’s generally successful tenure meant supporters had little cause to bother. As Tiger Woods puts it, winning takes care of everything.
Celtic do not make a habit of losing their opening league fixture; their defeat against Hearts on Saturday was their first at such a juncture since 1997. One must go back further decades to discover the last time Celtic did not win any of their first three competitive matches in a season. That a Champions League qualifying-stage exit to Midtjylland does not even register as a mild embarrassment says everything about Celtic’s dysfunctional state. This week, a club which prides itself on status far beyond Scotland will begin their quest to scrape towards the Europa League by seeing off Jablonec. It is far from a given.