Ange Postecoglou, just like me, never stops working. Only 3 months after his departure, he has already found new work.
This time at another club looking to restore its European Glory days. And Ange is the man.
Here is how he can REVOLUTIONISE Nottingham Forest.
THREAD
Bayern Munich 1-1 Celtic (agg 3-2)
Having watched Scottish teams in European competition man and boy for 45 years tonight I witnessed – beyond dispute – one of the greatest from Brendan Rodgers and Celtic in the Allianz in Munich.
Celtic fans will feel emotionally burgled by Bayern’s equaliser with 15 seconds to go, thus denying them the chance to take the German tyrants to 30 minutes of extra time in the Champions League. But this was a towering Celtic performance which deserved every last paeon of praise.
How many teams – German or otherwise – go to Munich and are composed while creating such scoring chances? Yet this Celtic performance in Germany was not truly based on attacking.
Celtic’s predisposition, field-shape and use of the ball were all thoroughly impressive.
This was the ultimate testimony of Brendan Rodgers’ ability as a manager. Celtic – streets behind Bayern in financial power – played a tactical, passing and pressing game which spoke of a club buying decent players and a coach imbuing his team with belief and knowledge. The number of times Celtic played the ball calmly and astutely out of their first third spoke of a manager saying: “This is how we do it. Believe in ourselves. Believe in our system.”
I had found it scarcely believable the way Rodgers spoke in recent days with a calm voice about Celtic’s chances in Munich, against such a formidable, dominant team. Well…so much for my understanding of football. Brendan’s tone proved thoroughly justified.
Let it also be noted: Rodgers and Martin O’Neill, for all sorts of complicated reasons, have not always been mutual admirers. This week, all of that has been done away with. O’Neill knows – and acknowledges – that Rodgers is top-notch. O’Neill was ecstatic with Celtic’s performance tonight.
Celtic have made some incredible finds in recent years and one of their greatest has to be Alistair Johnston. This tough, intuitive, unrelenting Canadian right-back could play for any club in Britain and hold his own. Johnston tonight, as ever, was formidable, rarely letting the best in Europe get past him.
As for Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty: Celtic have a pair of terrific centre-backs (that’s 1970s speak).
Before this tie, frankly, I thought: fat chance for Celtic. Bayern for 70 minutes had been so dominant in Glasgow last week – “so very Bayern” in fact – that I couldn’t see Celtic being able to match them. Yet the Scottish champions could have been 3-0 up after 20 minutes.
It is true that Kasper Schmeichel made some excellent saves – this goalkeeper has been one of Celtic’s best signings of the past 10 years – yet Celtic were thoroughly deserving of their opening goal after 63 minutes from Nicolas Kuhn. From a Scottish point of view (excepting Rangers fans) the pain was rubbed in when Bayern equalised with – I calculated from the added-time clock – 15 seconds to go.
This is the irony. Celtic, the original British winners of Europe’s elite club trophy, are out of Europe, having delivered one of the greatest European away performances of any British club in recent years. For Celtic, this was both a painful failure and a reputational success.
Little wonder Brendan Rodgers was bursting with pride for his players. Rodgers, in these 90 minutes, has also just reminded his doubters that he is among the elite coaches of the game.
James Earl Jones was an icon. He will always live on with his legacy of playing some of the greatest characters of all time. But we all know about his tremendous acting ability. So I want to talk about his heart. When we filmed Conan, I was the new kid on the block, and he couldn’t have been more welcoming. He was always willing to read lines with me in his trailer, and he always had the perfect acting advice. He was a fantastic mentor who taught me about the craft and about Hollywood. He didn’t have to do that, and it shows you how big his heart was. I’ll miss him, and I will never forget him.