Ange Postecoglou knew people would be waiting for him to fail at Celtic.
A largely unknown Australian coach (in UK football circles) leaving the Japanese top flight to take over one of Scotland’s two biggest clubs.
It was always going to be hard work getting the locals on side.
After an indifferent beginning to life at Parkhead, things have turned under Postecoglou’s reign.
You see, success has followed Postecoglou wherever he has gone, but for some reason there has always been doubt surrounding his coaching ability.
That was the case when he took the role at Celtic in June, but fast forward to today and things are fairly rosy for the Bhoys.
Postecoglou is the Scottish Premier League’s Manager of the Month for October, Celtic is on an unbeaten run of eight matches in all competitions and sit only four points behind Glasgow rivals Rangers on the SPL table after 13 matches.
But did the former Australia national team boss believe people were counting the days until he was sacked?
“No doubt, but that’s been a constant wherever I’ve gone,” he said on SEN’s Whateley.
“Not that people want you to get sacked… Part of my frustration for finally leaving Australia was I thought when I got the national team (job) and particularly when we won the Asian Cup, I thought ok, now I’ve cracked it.
“My ambition was to be one of Australia’s greatest coaches, because I grew up admiring the (Ron) Barassis, the Wayne Bennetts, all these other coaches that are held in high regard. That’s what I wanted to be.
“Irrespective of what I did in Australia, it aways used to be - whether I won the national league - it was only the national league. The A-League was only the A-League, (winning) the Asian Cup or even qualifying for the World Cup was never enough.
“So I thought I’ve got to go abroad and crack it there. I did it in Japan, and it was, ‘Yeah, but he hasn’t done it in Europe’.
“There’s always been this thing about me. For a while it was probably a healthy thing and it fuelled me to become better, but I also resigned myself to the fact that maybe the end-game is not about that goal of wanting to become something special in my country. It’s just about me experiencing all of these things that I dreamt about.
“Getting here and getting the opportunity, all the doubts that come with every position I’ve had, that’s no problem. I’ve conquered this before and I’m confident I’ll conquer it again.”
But Postecoglou insists the majority of Celtic people have not taken that negative mindset, rather backing him in at every opportunity.
“They’ve embraced me from day one, which wasn’t an easy proposition,” he said.
“I was literally an unknown, but I got the feeling that Celtic supporters were not going to be told who they’re supposed to embrace and who not to.
“The more people that were painting me as this unknown that shouldn’t be where I am, the more they took personal offence to it and said he’s one of ours.”
Taking charge at a club like Celtic is the most significant role of his glittering coaching career.
Was he aware of the enormity of it all?
He added: “That was the bizarre thing for me when I finally landed in Scotland, people were saying, ‘Are you aware of the size of Celtic? Are you aware of the magnitude?’
“I was going, ‘Are you kidding me? Since I’ve been six years old I’ve known the size of Celtic’. It’s one of those clubs in the world that everybody knows. It’s one of those clubs you hold in a higher esteem than a lot of others.
“It’s one of the most famous clubs in the world.
“So the fact it landed on that club… My thinking was that the move across to Europe may have been at a lower level club or a different league and move my way up.
“To get the opportunity to do it at such a famous club and get that first opportunity, it was kind of mind-blowing in terms of the context of everything I’d thought about when I started this journey.”
The 56-year-old feels he was destined for a job like this.
Deeply entrenched in a two-team town of passion and fervour where there’s little else to do or discuss other than the Hoops or the ‘Gers.
“It is on another scale,” he said further.
“Even compared to England, the situation in Scotland is further amplified.
“Like in an AFL context, it would be like Melbourne having only Collingwood and Carlton, and that’s it, and every day somebody would have to be talking about one or the other.
“There’s no other clubs to talk about, there’s nothing else to talk about, so it’s literally a daily influx in your in-tray of news stories from either side.
“In reality, not much happens in 24 hours in that cycle, but it’s just what all people want to talk about.
“They call it a fishbowl and a cauldron, it is all of that, absolutely. At the same time, for somebody like me who was seeking it and wanting that, I’m enjoying it.”
Despite the daily pressures, for Postecoglou, it’s what he has always craved.
“I’ve had this seed in my head for such a long time about being in this position that finally being here, it kind of fits,” he said.
“From the moment I started it’s been pretty much full-on every day. That’s the bit I’ve loved. I’ve always wanted to be in the centre of that chaos and intensity, it’s kind of what I’ve been craving my whole career.
“To be in the middle of it, it’s all I expected and more, but at the same time it feels like a good fit.
“It’s what I’ve almost been preparing myself for.”
Celtic remains in the hunt for the Scottish Premier League title, breathing down the neck of Rangers who recently waved goodbye to manager Steven Gerrard, after he departed to shack up at Aston Villa.
The Hoops are still alive in the UEFA Europa League where they next meet German outfit Bayer Leverkusen next week, following their Scottish League Cup semi-final against St Johnstone at home this weekend.