Had Ange Postecoglou logged on to twitter just before half time on Sunday afternoon then he might have been fairly taken aback at some of the personnel changes that were been demanded of him during the break.

The biggest call was for our Portuguese winger Jota to be given the rest of the afternoon off, and to be joined in that by Australian international Arron Mooy.

To make those changes would have denied us a player who played a key role in Celtic’s first two goals against St Mirren, as well as one who eventually left the park with a hat-trick of assists to his name.

Granted both players would accept that they’ve had better halves of football than their first 45 minutes showings in Paisley, but surely by now we owe it to this group of players – as well as their manager – to show a bit of faith when it comes to getting the job done.

DOMESTIC DOMINANCE CONTINUES

This isn’t a Celtic side that’s devoid of ideas or one that’s struggling to put points – or goals – on the board.

Quite the opposite.

Sunday’s 5-1 win at the SMiSA Stadium was our 25^th domestic game without defeat and the 16^th time this season that we’ve scored 4 goals or more in a game.

Indeed the only time that Celtic have tasted defeat in the league in a period now extending to a highly impressive 59 games was at the very same venue back in September of last year.

Following on from last season’s double success we’ve already retained the League Cup, opened up a commanding 9 point lead in the Scottish Premiership, and on Saturday will compete in the quarter finals of the Scottish Cup.

This Celtic side under Ange Postecoglou have credit in the bank.

A MATTER OF OPINION

This article shouldn’t be confused for one suggesting that supporters shouldn’t be voicing their opinions on all things Celtic.

Far from it.

Lively, healthy debate is one of the things we all love most about following Celtic. The varied and differing opinions of the club’s global fanbase – online, at the games, in the pub – are one of the many things that add to the enjoyment of supporting the club.

Celtic is a passion that we all share and – so long as it’s delivered in a respectful manner – we should be encouraged to add our voices to something that we all care so deeply about.

When it comes to anyone representing Celtic it’s part of the deal that, so long as they are giving their all for the shirt (or jumper in Age’s case), then they should be given our full backing.

That we have someone like Ange Postecoglou at the helm of our great club at this moment in time is something we should be extremely proud of.

He’s a ‘once in a lifetime’ Celtic manager and it’s hard to think of anyone in the game just now who would be a better fit for our club in any possible way.

On and off the park he is a class act.

ANGE KNOWS WHAT HE’S DOING

Ahead of the recent League Cup Final Ange gave us a short reminder – if we needed one of his managerial credentials.

“It’s been my job for 26 years.

When a pilot lands a plane, he knows what he’s doing. You’re not making it up as you go along.

I’d like to think after 26 years, I know what I’m doing.”

This isn’t arrogance or cockiness, but simply someone with unwavering confidence in his abilities as a football manager.

Having won titles all across the globe, managed his country at a World Cup, and won 3 of the 4 trophies he’s competed for here in Scotland, he’s earned the right to that confidence.

Ange Postecoglou is humble enough to concede that he’s probably not got everything 100% right since arriving at Celtic Park, but show us any manager in the history of the game who hasn’t had their failings.

Whilst the spells of players such as Yosuke Ideguchi, Moritz Jenz and Oliver Abildgaard didn’t quite work out as hoped it has to be said that the success rate of Ange’s signings for Celtic have been quite remarkable.

It could also be argued that there have been individual moments in games – either in terms of the choice of playing personnel choice or with tactics – that he would perhaps have done differently.

But by and large his Celtic record speaks for itself.

THE NEXT STAGE IN THE JOURNEY

The one area we’ve yet to achieve tangible success under Ange Postecoglou is on the European stage, but have no doubt that this is something the manager himself is keen to address.

He talks frequently of building a side that can compete at the very top level and recent acquisitions such as Alistair Johnston and Tomoki Iwata seem to have been made with half an eye on how they can make us more robust on European football’s biggest stage.

This season’s group campaign will have provided some sharp lessons for many of the current playing squad, and though painful at the time they’ll be better for their experiences at the hands of Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk.

Should Celtic reclaim the title that Ange masterminded us towards last season then we’ll be given another opportunity to show just how far we’ve come under the Australian.

If progress continues on the same upward trajectory we’ve seen since his arrival at Celtic Park then we could be set for some more big occasions under Ange as he himself looks to add a few more achievements to his ever growing CV.

Listen to the latest episode of The Celtic Exchange Weekly now as we discuss Trusting in Ange, The Liel Abada Contract Conundrum & Reaching 250 Goals in The Ange Era.

Available wherever you get your podcasts, on the player below, or here at The Celtic Exchange website.