Celtic have been warned to brace themselves for a new brand of crisis management if Ange Postecoglou gets the Parkhead gig.
But his former Australia team-mate Alan Davidson doesn’t doubt the impact his pal can make at a club requiring a new broom and a blast of tough love.
The 61-year-old Socceroos legend believes the Hoops supporters should relax and prepare themselves for a revolution where nobody is safe.
And Postecoglou won’t care about making any friends in Glasgow if he is able to bring glory back to Parkhead.
As talks continue with the would-be heir to Neil Lennon ’s throne, Davidson said: “Celtic need someone to come in, clean up the mess and revamp the club.
“Ange is the perfect man to do that. Fools won’t be suffered or idiots ignored.
“Ange will ship out the big names and rebuild by going with younger players – he’ll clean up the place. We played for Australia together when he was coming through the ranks. He was a quiet boy but a good player.
“He just took to coaching and when he became national coach he picked my son Jason.
“I had to take a step back from him as I didn’t want to be the overbearing father.
“After the previous coach was sacked, Ange went for a more youthful team with older players, such as Tim Cahill, being used more as mentors.
“He led the team to the Brazil 2014 World Cup and won the Asian Cup the following year. Ange was a successful coach in the Australian A League before that with Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory.
“He had suffered a torrid time with the Australian youth team but left for Greece before coming back and putting his stamp on how he wanted his sides to play.
“He doesn’t waver from his beliefs and is a formidable force after winning the J League in Japan, which is no easy task.
“He now flies the flag for Australian coaching and I’m proud of him.
“As a coach he’s a quiet achiever and doesn’t say much. He doesn’t get embroiled in politics but, behind the scenes, he has ferocious determination. Celtic will soon discover that.
“As an ex-footballer I like the way he
operates, he doesn’t get close to anyone, even the senior players. That is his major point of success. He’s always professional and talks well on behalf of the team but will always take a back step within the structure.
“In football it doesn’t matter if you are Pep Guardiola or Jose Mourinho, if you don’t have the backing of the board then you have no chance.”
The 51-times capped Aussie believes Celtic are a natural progression for Postecoglou.
His pal has taken a tough route to the top and hasn’t been afraid to put noses out of joint on a journey that has taken him to current club Yokohama in the J League.
He said: “Ange went to Brisbane Roar and axed the biggest players at the club. Everyone thought he was crazy, even I thought he’d lost his mind.
“He brought in his own younger boys and they went on to win the A League. From then on he made his mark in Australian football, he had no fear in sacking the big names.
“Boys like Craig Moore, Charlie Miller and Bob Malcolm all went. I thought at the time that if he didn’t have the backing of the board then he’d be a goner.
“But he had that support and he’ll need that at Celtic.
“He set a record of unbeaten games at Brisbane and has just gone higher and higher so Celtic are a great next step.
“We are good mates and I respect what he’s achieved. I’m loyal to him and I only wish him the best. He has a huge respect within the game here.
“Celtic are massive, the biggest club in Scotland, but I know if I said that to a
Rangers fan I’d get a smack over the head.
“The Old Firm is similar to South American football. It’s more of a religion, an addiction.
“I saw that when I played in Britain (for Nottingham Forest) and against Scotland at Hampden with Australia.
“People in my country don’t understand how big a deal Celtic are. It’s like leaving primary school and going straight into Oxford University.”
