Ange Postecoglou admits he was Celtic 'joke' as sceptics fired reminder after Scottish Cup victory seals Treble

That’s how Ange Postecoglou describes the perception of him when he arrived at Celtic two years ago. But who’s laughing now?

The Hoops boss delivered a world record eight Treble for the club at Hampden yesterday by seeing off Inverness Caley Thistle in the Scottish Cup Final. And irrespective of whether he’ll still be at Parkhead or in London with Spurs - no-one can say he hasn’t left an imprint on the club.

Before skipper Callum McGregor lifted the trophy, 45,000 Celtic fans sang Postecoglou’s name in unison. They’ve forged a bond with the Australian and don’t want to see it broken. Postecoglou savoured that moment in front of the supporters. Because he knows that when he turned up in Glasgow as second choice to Eddie Howe from the Japanese J-League, there were sceptics everywhere.

He feels the only people who didn’t immediately write him off were the Celtic fans. And he says the faith they showed in him will never be forgotten.

After securing more silverware at Hampden, Postecoglou refused to be drawn on his future with Spurs talks planned this week. Whether it’s a goodbye or not, he hailed the Celtic support who have taken him to their hearts.

He said: “I have appreciated the support I’ve had from day one. Because of the way I came into the football club.

“Without beating about the bush I was a joke. A lot of people made fun of me. But the supporters, for their own reasons, put their collective arm around me and said: ‘No, he’s one of ours’.

“It was up to me to repay that faith. The reason they feel so close to this team and so close to me is because, while others may have mocked, they stood behind me.

“I think they deserve a lot of credit for what has happened because it would have been easy for our supporters to