Ange Shows How Far He’s Come As He Savages The Media’s Ibrox Love-A-Thon.

It’s been nearly two years now since Ange Postecoglou rolled into town, and when he faced the media for his first ever presser he could feel the contempt and the ridicule radiating from the press corps.

When he then stepped into his second major appointment with the scribes that day he found a much different atmosphere. I know, because I was there.

By the time the boss faced the fan media my initial concerns had largely subsided. But I had questions I wanted to ask – about his use of sports science and analytics and about how he intended to utilise the youth academy – and I thought his answers might be interesting, and they were, but they weren’t the most interesting things to come out of that afternoon.

His first experience of fan media was a question – more a statement – from Dave Faulds of The Celtic Star.

He told Ange “your only real friends are the people in this room” and assured him that the media, who he had just spent time with, might sometimes appear benign but in fact would hunt him if they thought they could get away with it.

He has shown his understanding of this several times down through the last two seasons, but today’s performance in front of the media was that of a man who is now fully comfortable with that fact and fully prepared to hit back at their shady narratives with fact and truth and biting sarcasm. No longer a man content to play nice, he savaged them.

When asked about the team and what he’s learned, he said simply; “I learned that we’re champions. So, that is a pretty good feeling and what we set out to do. We did it and there is nothing else I need to know, really, apart from the fact they have been outstanding this year. They have won the competition, they have won another competition [the League Cup]and they have an opportunity to win another competition.”

The sound of that slap would have reverberated through the press if only he had left it there, but Ange was only warming up. He had a much wider point to make, and when he was asked about the Ibrox rebuild – a ridiculous question, one that The Mooch would never be asked about Celtic – he unleashed his full wit and controlled anger.

“I don’t know why that would even concern me to be honest. I think this time last year Rangers were in a Europa League Final and a Scottish Cup Final and they strengthened after the season didn’t they? So, does anyone really care? Like, seriously?”

He continued. “We didn’t start favourites in my first year, probably weren’t overwhelming favourites this year so people will say what they want mate. Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched on the nose and you reassess from there. When we start next year, everyone will see who’s really strong and who isn’t strong and all that sort of stuff. Right now, league wise anyway, it’s the equivalent of junk time mate. We just get on with it.”

The man has now come full circle. Ange Postecoglou has realised what these people are; in a way he’s always known.

But now he recognises that softly-softly and tiptoeing around them will not make them less aggressive in their questioning or make their behaviour balanced.

He knows exactly what he’s dealing with … and he’s acting accordingly.

These are changed days.

This man is not willing to tolerate this anymore.