‘I’m famous for moaning about pitches’ says Postecoglou as Celtic boss defends Hampden rant and gives Kobayashi update
ANGE POSTECOGLOU is probably aware he has a resting pitch face.
Back in Australia, fans and football chiefs alike got to see it often enough.
Usually when he was moaning about the surfaces in stadiums Down Under.
So it’s nothing really new for the Celtic boss to complain like he did after the Viaplay Cup semi-final against Kilmarnock.
Postecoglou let rip at the state of the turf at Hampden and rightly so.
It was an embarrassment.
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But he insists it’s vital the SFA and SPFL don’t cut corners on this sort of thing if our game is ever to progress.
Postecoglou said: “Mate, in Australia I was known for complaining about pitches. I would do it on a consistent basis, because there we had to share pitches with different codes.
“It used to do my head in because it detracted from the growth of the game in Australia.
“It was a much bigger issue there than it is here. Most clubs in Scotland are trying and are working hard on it.
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“I’ve already said it, but credit to Motherwell when you see what they have done.
“They have invested in their pitch, and they will get the rewards from that in the way the Scottish game is presented at their ground.
“So, certainly for our showcase events, we want to try to put the best picture out there for people. That’s self-explanatory, everyone wants the final to be a showcase event, and that includes the way you present the stadium.
“I have sympathy that the weather conditions on the weekend weren’t great, but at the same time it could have been presented in a better manner.
“Everyone has acknowledged that. We all want it to be better, and hopefully it will be.
“I don’t want to be seen as picking on things that we can do better, because we all have our own responsibilities.
“I have a responsibility to this club to make it the best it can possibly be, and to be a good manager too.
“But people understand if we are going to improve as a league, and improve in our status in world football, which moves forward pretty quickly, then these are the things we need to do. We have to invest in them, because they are just as important as us trying to improve the playing standards.
“The infrastructure around it has to improve.”
One thing Postecoglou doesn’t want is for the League Cup to be scrapped.
Many countries around the globe only have one major cup competition. But the Hoops boss added: “Both cups have their place in Scottish football, and you’ve got to remember, it’s not just about us or Rangers.
“There have been other clubs in the past who have won the League Cup.
“That’s been a fantastic achievement for them and something for them to aim for.
“It has been my experience in other countries that you want to give opportunities as much as possible, to players and clubs.
“I don’t have an issue with both cups, they are part of the calendar. We would all have loved to have European football in the back half of this year, and that’s why we have built a squad to cater for it.
“We’re not in it, our goal next year is to make sure we are. But if you look at Celtic in recent years, they have consistently played between 50 and 60 games.
“The players adapt to it, so it’s up to me to make sure we have a strong enough squad to be able to challenge on all fronts.”
Hampden was such an energy-draining experience for Celts last Saturday that Postecoglou is now planning to make changes for the clash with St Mirren.
He said: “It was a tough game last weekend for all the players with the conditions the way they were. James Forrest, Dave Turnbull and Giorgos Giakoumakis all came on and contributed to our second goal, and that’s been consistent for us this season.
“I don’t have any fears about the guys being ready.”
Hoops fans heading to Parkhead could get to see new signing Yuki Kobayashi. But Tomoki Iwata won’t figure.
Postecoglou added: “It depends. Tomoki probably not yet, he only really joined us in the last week and he has missed a bit.
“Yuki is close, he came to us having started a pre-season camp, so he’s had a good three or four weeks of training.
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“He obviously lacks some game-time. And we will probably give him some of that through the next couple of fixtures, with the quick turnaround from midweek to Saturday.
“Yuki’s definitely close, but for Tomoki, it will probably be another week or so before he’s in a condition to be given an opportunity.”
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