Ange Postecoglou sent one month Celtic title warning by ex-Rangers keeper

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Former Rangers keeper Cammy Bell has warned new Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou that he could only have a month to keep his side’s title hopes alive ahead of the Australian’s first season in charge.

After watching his old side romp to the Premiership title with the biggest points margin over their Old Firm rivals ever, Bell warned the Parkhead boss that if Rangers pick up where they left off, he could be in trouble early on.

With a “massive” rebuild job on his hands at Celtic, Postecoglou only has a matter of weeks until his first competitive game and Bell expects that the pressure to keep within touching distance of Rangers will be felt right away.

“I think there is a lot going on at Celtic at the minute. I think they have three and a half weeks before a massive game, which Ange will get judged on,” Bell told BBC Sportsound [via Daily Record].

“If he goes out of the Champions League the Celtic fans won’t forget that, so he has got three and a half weeks to turn this around.

“You’ve got Ajer, Edouard, Christie, Nthcham, Griffiths, Hendry gone, Brown gone; so without those players there is a lot of uncertainty at Celtic and they have got three and a half weeks.

“They might not be up to speed by the start of the season. They could be out of the Champions League, and the league could be gone if Rangers continue the form they had last season.

“If Celtic don’t start the season well, the league could be gone within the first month.

“Rangers won’t lose many games if they continue to go the way they did last season. He’s got a massive job on his hands and he’s probably going to feel the pressure pretty quickly.”

Rangers need to be cautious of complacency ahead of title defence

While there is sure to be pressure on Postecoglou, Rangers boss Steven Gerrard will also be feeling it, with the Liverpool legend the Old Firm veteran of the two.

Rangers can’t simply expect to show up and win otherwise they’ll quickly find themselves engulfed in the sort of chaos that led to Postecoglou’s appointment at Parkhead.

Celtic face FC Midtjylland in Champions League qualifying before the Premiership season gets underway with the first Old Firm coming four weeks into the season on August 29.