It was an incredible scene in Sydney. On one side was the famous Harbour Bridge, on the other the equally renowned Opera House, and the Celtic squad in between, writes Michael Gannon in Sydney .
All of a sudden…. Hail, hail, the Celts are here. Not the song though. Actual hailstones. That were like blooming golf balls. Ange Postecoglou has joked about Scottish weather while it’s been about 80 degrees all week in New South Wales. But as soon as the Hoops turned out Sydney went all Saltcoats in the winter. The timing could not have been worse.
Postecoglou and his squad were posing for photos as part of their big welcome to Australia. But the clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped like an angry parter returning to a dirty house. First there was the rumble, then the flash of lightning. Then the sky erupted. Ange and the players were dashing back on to the bus as hailstones lashed down while the folk gathered tried to duck for cover under some trees.
Which in hindsight might not have been the best idea during a lightning storm. Fortunately the wacky weather cleared in time for Celtic’s open training session at the Allianz Stadium, where they face Sydney FC tonight. Around 1000 fans turned up to watch their heroes and it was definitely worth their while. Organisers opened up the bar for the supporters with free pints – but it was after the light session that will have been priceless for punters.
Big Ange and the team hung around for ages signing autographs and posing for pictures with the crowd. Reo Hatate got a surprise visit from some family friends from Japan, former Celtic hero Scott McDonald turned up to say hello and John Kennedy had a welcome surprise too. One fan called out the coach, claiming to be his biggest fan and asking for a pic. Kennedy is one of the most humble guys in the game and thought it was a wind up. Parkhead chief Michael Nicholson was also out with the touring party and took in the training session.
The CEO had an interesting journey over to say the least. He was on the same plane as former PM Boris Johnson, en route to Singapore. Mind you, with so many Celtic fans on board, at least it wasn’t his namesake Mo… Apparently there was also some serious turbulence on the journey, but then again, it always is a bumpy ride when Boris is involved.
Nicholson might have needed a stiff drink, and he could have asked Ange for a drop from his wine collection. Sir Rod Stewart, who is also in Oz this week promoting his tour, revealed he sends Postecoglou a box of wine after every win against Rangers.
READ NEXT:
