Mail Online

PLEASE DON’T GO

Hart urges title winner Ange to stay at Parkhead for long haul amid Tottenham links

By Graeme Croser

JOE HART last night proclaimed the Celtic dressing-room united in its desire for Ange Postecoglou to remain in charge beyond the summer.

Postecoglou and his players lifted the cinch Premiership trophy for the second successive season yesterday as bookmakers continued to price the Australian as favourite for the managerial vacancy at Tottenham Hotspur, ahead of ex-Parkhead boss Brendan Rodgers.

Hart, who left the North London club to join Postecoglou at Celtic in the summer of 2021, appreciates that his boss’s success is inevitably attracting interest from England’s Premier League.

However, as he looked ahead to the prospect of completing a Treble at Hampden next weekend, the former England keeper admitted the entire club is rooting for the 57–year-old to remain.

‘It goes without saying we want

him to stay for the long-term,’ said Hart after the 5-0 victory over Aberdeen that rounded off the league campaign.

‘The whole place does. We’re loving every moment. He includes us in the collective, staff, players, people behind the scenes, the Celtic family. But football is what it is. When you perform to the levels he has there is always going to be that speculation.

‘He was fully committed to us today, fully committed to Saturday. Football is a mad world but when you see the appreciation and the love and the way we all work for him and he works for us, it is a good thing.’

Hart was reluctant to be drawn on the specific Tottenham link, adding: ‘Respectfully, I have nothing to do with Tottenham anymore.

‘I appreciated the moments I was there but I’m all-in Celtic now.

‘It’s important to live in the moment. That’s what I’m doing and it’s what the manager’s doing.

‘Obviously, we want that to continue.’

Having lifted two trophies in his first season, Postecoglou will complete a Treble should Celtic defeat Inverness in next weekend’s Scottish Cup final.

Having deftly manoeuvred his way through several questions on the Tottenham link during his pre-match media conference, Postecoglou strode into Celtic Park for league trophy day behind predecessor Martin O’Neill.

Later, he insisted that he does not take for granted his status at Celtic.

‘I feel it every day,’ he said, ‘I know it is a special football club and I’ve had wonderful support from day one.

‘I am enjoying it but I also take the responsibility seriously. Days like today are about appreciating the great people I have around me, the staff and my own family.’ Images of Jock Stein and Willie Maley adorned a wraparound pre-match display and the team rose to the occasion with a performance that saw them break the Lisbon Lions’ post-war record for goals scored in a league season.

‘I’m really proud of that,’ he added. ‘It’s kind of what my football is about. I have said before, I set my teams up to win and hopefully entertain the fans.

‘The players have done that this year. They have been relentless. Just the sheer volume of goals and even on a day like this, not relaxing when it’s 3-0 or even 4-0. They want to make every moment in the game count.’

Postecoglou invoked the late Tommy Burns during a post-match speech on the pitch but paid special tribute to O’Neill for sharing in the day.

He added: ‘Martin is a legend in his own right and a legend of this football club, it was just great to share that moment with him. It’s a special day. We do trophy days well.

‘I guess it’s a constant reminder that the success we are having now is not unique.

‘We follow in the long shadows of some unbelievable people who have represented this football club. Our role as custodians is just to uphold those values.

‘It’s not about emulating Martin because I don’t think I ever will and Martin would probably tell me that before anyone else.

‘It’s just about bringing another special season to this club. You don’t take these things for granted. I know the club’s had a lot of success recently — and a lot of Trebles. But that doesn’t mean you start every year with a given right to win.

‘We have got ourselves into a great position where we are one game away.’

Football

en-gb

2023-05-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-05-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://mailonline.pressreader.com/article/283596699667403

dmg media (UK)