CONTRARY to popular opinion, Ange Postecoglou’s conduct with the media is affable and, at times, pleasantly colourful.

The Celtic manager has been fairly even-handed with journalists and is open and engaging company on a wide variety of subjects. 

There are, however, a few things notable from his press conferences. A request for injury updates is a wasted question and any bait offered to catch a line on a referee’s performance tends to go unbitten.

As John Beaton’s display came under the microscope on Sunday afternoon, Postecoglou once more refused to buy into anything that might alter the perception of the result. Insisting that the whistler had no real bearing on the outcome of the game was a tone in keeping with his approach throughout the duration of this season.  

Not even in the tumultuous early months of the campaign was there a temptation to lambast the performances of any of the whistlers – and there are a few that must have given him food for thought this season. The Scottish Cup semi-final perhaps might have encouraged some restraint given a few of the calls in that game.  

What it does, do, however, is confirm the almost statesmanlike quality that Postecoglou has taken on at Parkhead this season. A year ago there was a clamour for the club to recalibrate itself, invest in a director of football as well as a head of recruitment and move towards a more modern structure.  All has quietened on that front which is always the way when there is a successful team on the park. 

Postecoglou’s hand in transfer dealings has been clear given the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Jota, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley and the impact they have made this term. The Greek-Australian stopped short on Sunday in confirming that the title is all but secured but, with a six-point lead and a goal difference that is better than Rangers by 19, it would take an unimaginable collapse for the title not to be sealed in green and white ribbons.  

READ MORE: Detailed Celtic player ratings as Jota and Carl Starfelt help keep Rangers at arm's length with Parkhead point

And what that means is that the group stages of the lucrative Champions League that are often blurry at this stage of the season given the arduous nature of the qualification process now come into sharp focus for Celtic given Liverpool’s current lead over Villarreal in the Champions League semi-final that keeps the balance of that progress tipped in the Parkhead side’s favour. 

This summer’s budgets are not dependent on what may or may not be in terms of progress, which should facilitate a clear conversation about the funds available for recruitment.  

And key to any movement that happens this summer will be Callum McGregor. The midfielder claimed the PFA player of the year last night as he was confirmed as the best player in the country by his fellow professionals. His display yesterday afternoon underlined just how vital he is to this Celtic side with an intelligent performance that is married to a constant energy. 

As Hatate and O’Riley both seemed to wilt the longer the game went on – both were replaced on the hour mark – it was the responsibility of McGregor to keep up the ante in the middle of the park. Having grown seamlessly into the maturity demanded by the captaincy, he has echoed Postecoglou’s unambiguous philosophy on the park with a relentless drive throughout the campaign. 

Whatever tweaks are made this summer, McGregor will remain central to what Celtic are building. Postecoglou suggested after Sunday’s draw that this is a young team at ‘stage one.’ It will be interesting to see what he pinpoints in terms of personnel in taking them to stage two.