With Brendan Rodgers about to imminently return to Celtic as manager, it is surely time for the Celtic support to put their past grievances aside & unite in backing him.
Firstly, I think most people agree the way the 50 year-old left Celtic in the lurch back in February 2019 with a crucial league game at Tynecastle followed by a Scottish Cup QF at Easter Road was poorly timed.
He undoubtedly at times played up to his ‘born into Celtic,’ David Brent like character. No doubt if he was chocolate, he would eat himself. Regaling many stories about his experiences with Danny McGran, his ‘Terminado’ comments, Patsy (his number 1 supporter) who went to every home & away game with Brendan scarfs & hats, the infamous Clyde tunnel incident he was supposed to have encountered. He even wrote a book with the title being ‘This Is How It Feels To Be Celtic’ to the song of Brendan Rodgers is here for 10 in a row.
I get all of this. His deception seems to be in his nature. It can also be perceived differently though. Often, he presented himself, especially to the press as thoughtful, insightful & regularly stories were shared of how well-natured he treated supporters & how he always gave up a lot of time for both the broadcast & written press.
Most certainly, if his name was not Brendan Rodgers & Ange’s successor was someone who had previously finished 2nd in the PL with Liverpool, 5th place twice with Leicester, won an FA Cup & Community Shield coupled with reaching a European semi-final with the Foxes, I think he would be paraded up the Celtic Way.
It was never about who was replacing Ange, it was always what was replacing Ange. Brendan ticks all the boxes. This is someone who strives daily on professionalism, maintaining the highest standards in the dressing room. A calm manager, who makes players & coaches around him better. His aura around players is also a key factor in the potential of this being a seamless transition for the players. Oh and I forgot the most important part, he is a serial winner!
We are not naive enough to dismiss Rodgers will eventually leave Celtic once again. However, from what we have heard this is a long-term vision & not a 1-2 year plan. Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson alongside Rodgers want to create a top class modern structure, which will help exceed the clubs growth on the European stage.
No CL qualifiers to deal with or an unsettled squad gives Rodgers the time to implement his plans structurally. This was a main reason why the Northern Irishman left his post in early 2019. The public nature of the fallout in the summer of 2018 after a calamitous defeat to AEK Athens in the CL qualifiers between then CEO & now Chairman Peter Lawwell & Brendan meant it was ultimately the beginning of the end for Rodgers. Doubters question his recruitment - that is true, because it was lamentable. He was not helped in situations like when he asked for McGinn & Castange & ended up with Mulumbu & Izaguirre. Concessions look to have been made & things are different at Celtic in the boardroom.
Succession planning has been utilised by Nicholson effectively, cashing in on key assets & replacing adequately - something that was not done during our trophy-laden spell between 2016-2019. For example, deciding against selling a 37 year-old Craig Gordon to Chelsea who was valued at £4million, rejecting a £17million bid from Porto for Olivier Ntcham. Not making any sufficient plans to improve the depth of the squad. All transfer policy & decision making that have been ironed out in the past two seasons headed by Mark Lawwell.
When Dermot first approached Brendan about the possibility of a return to Celtic, there was a 1% chance of him wanting a second-stint. But Desmond’s got a way of words. It is often said, when billionaires want something, they usually get it. With reports of Rodgers taking a sabbatical from football management, rejecting offers from Crystal Palace & Leeds, it makes you wonder why does he want to make the dramatic return to Parkhead?
The answer is that he has been impressed with the long-term vision that Celtic have presented to him. He holds the keys to not only strive to continually win domestically but more crucially making Celtic a force in Europe. Ange has laid groundwork for this Celtic side to be successful in Europe, it is time for Brendan to hold the mantelpiece & kickstart our European chapter this decade.
We should all be excited about the prospect of this unique character but fantastic manager choosing Celtic. Despite his ill-timed exit he has already written himself in Celtic folklore with winning 7/7 trophies. He will soon add 8, 9 & hopefully 10 to that list next season.
Time to move on Celtic fans, it is time to back Brendan!
Comentarios