Ange is a man under pressure.
He doesn’t seem bothered by it. He accepts it and gets on with it.
This was the message he sent out to the media yesterday and I can’t say I was surprised by it.
He has guts this guy, he’s not afraid of being in the spotlight.
This guy would not have taken this job if these kinds of things were going to bother him. He enjoys the spotlight. He seems to enjoy the pressure.
We are in the midst of major injury issues right now, but the message from the manager is that we accept what is and we carry on. What else is there for it? Ange won’t sit and feel sorry for himself, or down the tools and chuck it as a bad deal.
What’s more, he’s made it clear that he won’t let the players do so either.
He is not going to make excuses. He is not going to accept them. Ange knows we should be beating Dundee Utd tomorrow. Leverkusen is a different matter; they are getting us at a good time for them.
Aberdeen next weekend, away, will be a tough battle … but again, Ange won’t let us go into that one seeking anything but a victory.
Frankly, we can’t afford anything but a victory, and he went out of his way to say that yesterday as well. He did the right thing. All involved in this team need to know what the stakes are and he’s made sure they do.
For the next two months every day is a cup final.
Some couldn’t handle pressure like that.
Some of them will be inside Celtic Park. We’re going to find out who they are in short order. But I know this; the manager is not one of them. He can take it. He sometimes comes across like a guy who can take anything.