What it’s like to play under Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou

Ryan McGowan had the fortune of playing under Postecoglou at under-17 and full international level - and, for him, there is nobody better. He is the best manager the 32-year-old ever worked with.

But what makes the current Celtic boss so special? More than a few things, according to McGowan. From inspiring pre-match chats to recruitment acumen, Postecoglou ticks the boxes.

"His team talks before games were incredible," McGowan explains to The Celtic Way. "He has an amazing skill of being able to hold a room and have everyone in it believing what he's saying.

"It is one of his main strengths in being able to get a group all to believe in what he's saying and working towards the same goal.

"But I would be lying to you if I said I knew what Ange Postecoglou was like outside of football. He's said on many occasions he keeps his distance as a manager... but you always knew that he had your back as a player."

One particular team talk sticks out. It has been widely circulated since his move to Celtic and was delivered as he addressed the Australian national team before they competed in the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia.

It features Postecoglou reminding his men that they're playing for those people in their lives who believed in them when nobody else did. That they "walk with them". He tells them that, for him, that person is his father. Here is the clip:

McGowan was present in the room at the time. He witnessed first-hand the raw passion and emotion of Postecoglou's words.

The former Hearts and Dundee United midfielder posted the clip on Twitter recently with the comment: "What a team talk this was. Done it just before lunch, so I two-footed the waiter as we walked out the meeting..."

McGowan's joke was down to the fact that Postecoglou had riled his players up and stirred the blood so much that they were straining at the leash to play the match right there and then.

"With the national team, he had some really good ones," McGowan recalls. "I was lucky enough to have him at under-17 level and then again with the full national team. He is the best I've ever worked with.

"I love that the video gave people a little glimpse into some of the speeches as they are truly great."

More than the words, McGowan believes Postecoglou's player recruitment policy sets him apart too.

Of the signings that the manager has brought into Celtic so far, it's difficult to argue any have been 'wrong' and McGowan says that he possesses both an instinct and a gift in his ability to identify what player will fit into his team and system.

"Postecoglou has said previously that he knows exactly what a player needs to be able to fit into his style of play, which I believe is half the battle," said McGowan.

"He never strays from the type of football he plays, which makes it easier for players coming in. And when scouting players he will be looking at them to see if they fit the positions he wants and have the skillset required for those positions.

READ MORE: Giorgos Giakoumakis has cutthroat instincts to cement place in derby folklore just like I did - John Hartson

"He knows exactly what he wants from a winger, striker, centre-back... so when scouting them, if they don't fit in with that style or have the attributes to be able to be moulded into that role, he won't sign them.

"(For instance) all his strikers will need to work hard off the ball to be able to press how he likes, make runs off the last defender and have excellent movement in the box.

"Once you know his principles and patterns of play, the game becomes easier as you have so many options on the ball. If you stick to that Postecoglou blueprint then it usually transpires that nine games out of 10 are winning ones."

For that reason, McGowan was convinced Postecoglou would be successful once the Celtic players got their head around his style of play and footballing philosophy.

While he knew that the initial appointment would be treated with scepticism he sensed that before long his former mentor would win everybody over and that he would be a good fit for the Parkhead club.

"I actually sent him an email not long after he got the Celtic job to congratulate him," McGowan said. "The next day I received a great email back which shows the type of man he is.

"As an Aussie myself it didn't really surprise me (that his appointment was met with scepticism) as we are used to most of European Football looking down on us. But, as someone who's played in Scotland, I also knew the reaction he would get with his limited experience in the UK with Football.

"The UK sometimes seems to forget that there are some good footballers and coaches who have never worked in the UK which doesn't mean they have no idea what they are doing.

"I knew that if he was given time he would be a good fit with Celtic and be successful. My fear was that, as you see now, he has one style of play which takes time for players to adjust to.

"That style can lead to being caught in transitions as players slowly get used to playing it. Historically that has happened at every team Postecoglou has been at but - knowing Celtic, Scottish football and how it works - I feared that with his already low reputation in the country if he suffered a few bad results he could be in trouble. 

Postecoglou has already won the League Cup

"But I feel that once most Celtic fans did a little bit of research about his style of play and saw what type of coach he was, then they were pretty excited about him and most of them have been on board since day one.

"I was delighted for him when he won the League Cup. Celtic didn't win silverware the year before and there was a lot of pressure on that first trophy so I'm sure that cup win helped settle him down as manager of the club."

It's all a far cry from last season when the men from Glasgow's east end limped in 25 points behind Rangers as their 10-in-a-row title bid crashed and burned badly.

Under Postecoglou, victory against Rangers at Ibrox this weekend will move Celtic six points clear of their rivals at the summit.

One can only begin to imagine the kind of speech the manager will give to his charges ahead of Sunday's crunch encounter.

As McGowan himself said, he has the skill of being able to "get a group all to believe in what he's saying and working towards the same goal". The same goal - the Scottish Premiership title - is almost within touching distance.

While Celtic may be entering a hostile lion's den in Govan on Sunday, Postecoglou will walk beside every one of his players at high noon.

Because Postecoglou has his players' backs, always.