Goldson reveals his fear of losing the title to new boss Ange Postecoglou: “I could see what was happening.”
Connor Goldson has admitted that during the 2021 pre-season, he feared Celtic might reclaim the SPFL Premiership title.
Despite Rangers’ dominant 25-point title win the previous season, the prospect of Celtic’s resurgence under Ange Postecoglou wasn’t far from Goldson’s mind. With the new manager tasked with a massive rebuild and the transfer window winding down, Celtic’s early struggles were evident.
They were eliminated from the Champions League by Danish side Midtjylland in the second qualifying round, and domestically, they earned just 10 points from their first seven matches, with little sign of confidence in ‘Angeball’.
Steven Gerrard had managed to retain all of his title-winning players, and although losing to Malmo in the Champions League third round was a setback, their victory in the August Glasgow Derby seemed to solidify their position as favorites following the previous season’s triumph.
Celtic’s progress was slower, but on November 11, Gerrard departed Ibrox for Aston Villa. The following weekend, Celtic beat St Johnstone in the League Cup semi-final, while Goldson’s side suffered a crushing defeat to Hibs, trailing 3-0 at halftime in the League Cup semi-final at Hampden. Goldson didn’t hold back in his criticism of his teammates during a post-match interview.
In the following month, Celtic claimed the League Cup with a 2-1 win over Hibs, and Postecoglou delivered his first trophy, while doubts began to creep in at Ibrox. The atmosphere had shifted, with fans back in the stadium providing an added intensity to the title race.
In an interview with the Daily Record, Goldson reflected on how Celtic seized control domestically:
“I remember doing an interview after we lost to Hibs in the League Cup semi-final when Steven left. I got absolutely hammered for it at the time. But that was me saying we came back and weren’t as hungry as we were the year before when everything was on the line.
I could feel it in pre-season. The running we did the previous year… suddenly, people didn’t want to do it anymore. After that semi-final, I felt it was the right time to say it, even if it didn’t come across well. But I always felt I was the one at the club who had to speak up.
I took the stick for it, but do I regret it? No. We didn’t look as hungry or as fit as we had been when we won the league. Celtic lost key players that summer, and it was fortunate for them—no one expected Ange to do what he did there.”
The entire football club lost focus when Celtic lost several key players and their manager. Unfortunately for us, they quickly regained their footing. I could see what was happening at the time, and it frustrated me.
Even during the season, when we dropped points and the title race remained tight, I felt I needed to speak up to spark a reaction. It didn’t go down well, but looking at how things have unfolded, I believe I was right. When Steven left, the standards at the club dropped.
Celtic took top spot in the Premiership on February 2, and went on to defeat us at Ibrox, ultimately securing the title by six points.
Since the summer of 2021, the trophy count stands at 9-2 in Celtic’s favor, with every sign pointing to them extending that lead this season.
Source: https://videocelts.com/2024/11/blogs/latest-news/i-could-see-what-was-happening-goldson-reveals-how-he-feared-losing-title-to-new-boss-ange-postecoglou/