Brendan Rodgers Discussion Thread

Pointing out the positives is one thing. We all agree, for example, that Jota is a brilliant signing. That getting Tierney (for free) is a great move. That's not the point.

The point is that there is absolutely no positive in failing to replace Kyogo. It's a shocking blunder from the club and has led to us having, in my opinion, a poor window. Another one. We're all now banking on Idah to suddenly come on to a game (something which hasn't looked likely very often this season). An injury to him and holy *...

That disaster of a move overrides any positives from the window, because, once again, we're weaker then when we went in and shouldn't lead to the board being shielded from extreme criticism.

 

But there must have been some conversation with the board and Rodgers when they greenlit the £9M transfer fee to the effect of him saying that he saw Idah as either capable or fully envisioned as the "replacement for kyogo when he moves on" otherwise they'd never have stumped up that kind of money...

That means that either the board forgot itself and paid £9M for a squad player most think was only worth about £6M (unlikely !) or Rodgers vouched fully for him and the board went out on a limb and got the manager his man in the complete PLAN that he's now their #1 striker...

Replacement for kyogo can be read either way - replacing to the same/similar calibre or filling the vacant spot... The club seems to have acted as though bringing the young lad in to fill the gap and Maeda over to cover for Idah was the strategy. It's VERY risky, for the reasons you point out... I'm pretty sure the cl position had ZERO impact on their decisions.

Personally, it's put a serious spotlight on the season end and summer window now. If the lads perform to highest level it'll look inspired. If they're ok but we still need to strengthen we'll need a MAJOR addition to fill as definitive #1. If the lads flop there'll be poison in the air and atmosphere for the whole summer... Personally, I'd just have brought in a loan striker rather than risk it...

 

It is the equivalent of Bayern Munich drawing another top class team.....say Barcelona.
Then selling Harry Kane in the transfer window without replacing him and instead just promoting their number 2 striker. Right before the tie

There is no way this would happen and no big team would ever allow it to happen.
What does that say about us?
What does that say about how the board see our aspirations in general?
What does it say about how they view our chances against Bayern Munich?

We all know the answers

 

I moan about too many loan deals all the time.It would have been very last resort but at least it'd have been something. We'd have still moaned.

But not as much as we are moaning now cause our strikefore is a man down.
At least fill the position, even if it's just a temporary solution like a loan deal.
Don't just leave us a man down.....and our top striker aswell......which makes it worse obviously

 

I can't disagree with what you're saying here mate. I agree and it's a risk for me they should never be taking.

Apologies for being a bit defensive. Just raging about us letting our top striker leave and filling that hole for a crucial second half of the season.

 

Positive for me is that we have an opportunity to assess a younger player and give him an opportunity to stake his place in Kenny. He showed himself capable on loan, scoring against some good opponents in Europe for one of the weaker teams in the competition.

Would I have wanted a high level replacement up front? Definitely would have. We complain quite a lot about youngsters not getting a chance though, well now we have that opportunity.

We now have Idah, a guy we broke our transfer record for and a player that Rodgers made sure to get over the line as his main target in the summer to lead the line. Maeda as another option up top, and the first thing Rodgers done when he came back was try and move him upfront, lack of options last season didn’t allow that to happen.

Would I rather the window went better and we brought in a big money replacement for Kyogo? Of course, but it’s not a disaster here either.

 

Aye, suppose all the body language experts and transfer gurus still think Rodgers is walking away?

 

Brendan, your thoughts on that performance?

I thought from minute one to the 93rd minute we were outstanding in the game. Our hunger and mentality. I said the other day to you guys that we've got a different mindset defensively and obviously it creates the platform for our football and our football tonight.

Some of the goals were so good and just our general play was outstanding.

I know you said at the end of the transfer window you were maybe left a bit light up top. Was it good to see goals coming from different areas tonight, players getting on a score sheet?

Well, it's been no different. I think that's been our game all the way through the season. I think you have Daizen on 18 goals, numbers of assists. Nicolas is on 17 goals. I don't know how many assists, but he's got a lot.

Adam getting his goal and you see him now, he's moving differently and just freed up a bit and he’s wanting to really prove a point and show that he can be a number nine here consistently for Celtic. The other players, the midfield players, getting in on the act. So that's always been our aim.

So, I'm obviously greedy and I want more and I want more players. I want to keep our levels, to keep improving because it's not just about each week and each month. It's each game we want to improve and be the best that we can.


Is the most pleasing thing the relentless nature of the team?

The team is hungry. I think that we knew when we played Dundee before that we were okay going forward. We scored three goals, but defensively, that wasn't quite good.

I think that just came at the end of, you know, it's seven games in 21 days. So, we just weren't concentrated on our defending. But tonight, you see we hunted the game in packs and numbers around the ball, winning it back and that, just to sustain the attacks.

And then some of our goals were a joy to see


Which one was the best goal?

I think Daizen Maeda’s was a great goal. Why? Because it starts right in the very corner.

We're under pressure. Dundee are there. They want to press.

We stay calm. We connect the game, take it out, get it out the other side. Arne’s pass and then probably no one would see Daizen scoring a goal like that.

But what a finish it was. So, yeah, that was a great goal, as was Nicolas’. And in fairness to Trevor Carson in their goal, you can't really do anything about all the goals.

The goals were of the highest quality.


You mentioned the other day that Jota is maybe a wee bit far away from full fitness, but he showed today, it's not just tricks and flicks, although he's got that in his locker, it's a real substance to it as well, isn't it?

I absolutely agree. I'd obviously seen him before from the outside looking in and then I've seen him train and work.

But he's a big player, so I can't wait for him to get up to the level in terms of that football fitness. He's missed a lot of football, hasn't played a great deal, but he's a class act, how he takes the ball. He has a lovely arrogance with the ball.

But like you say, he's effective. He doesn't just look a good player, he is a good player. He can beat people and make a pass, make a cross, make a shot.

He's a big talent


How pleased are you with Adam Idah’s development and growth?

Yes, he was always going to have to be patient here and obviously the nature of having a brilliant, striker in Kyogo, that fit a lot of how I want the team to play and pressing and everything else. So he comes in and he has to sort of fit around that, but he still made big contributions.

But now I think he's taken that responsibility now. He sees this as an opportunity for him because he knows it's something you have to produce and you have to produce consistently. I'm so pleased for him.

He's just moving different now and again he was a real handful tonight. And his goal was very good, makes a good run, gets his shot off, doesn't lie about the floor, gets up and then he's able to get the rebound and it was a really good finish. So, yes, I'm very pleased for him


Fans were a wee bit nervous when he was holding his back just before half-time, but is he the type of player that he needs that momentum?

I think a lot of strikers will tell you that. They need games, they need the rhythm, they need the confidence, all those sorts of things. So, yes, you're going to take knocks here and there and you've got to expect it, especially when you are that type of striker.

I thought he was very good tonight.


13 games to play, you must be very pleased about how this title charge is shaping up going into the last few months?

Yes, well, we can't complain because I think that until this moment now, we've had an absolutely outstanding season. Like you say, 13 games left, 13 points clear, a big goal difference, which is always worth a point in itself.

So, I've always said it's really narrowing in the focus at this point of the season. Keep your hunger, keep your humility and keep thinking of performance. And that was the message this evening.

It's about winning and we know that, but it's about performing. And when we perform, we can play well and win games. So, we're in a good place.

But modern day culture is all about the next game. So, we'll get ready now for Raith Rovers


With that kind of performance from your players at that level, you possibly could have come out the window stronger in football in terms of when you went into it?

Listen, I'm not overthinking it. I'm not overthinking it. We knew what we wanted to do in January.

It's closed now. So, it's gone, thank *, to this summer. And we can just focus on the culture and the development of the team.

So, I think you see the response tonight. You know, there are no side effects. And that's what I said to you.

I don't want to transfer any level of disappointment to the players, because they've been brilliant. And there's some new, young, fresh players coming in, with Jonny Kenny and obviously Jeffrey coming in, Jotaa coming in. So, we've got a nice little freshness whilst the others are still growing and developing.

I'm really excited about these next number of games. I'm not worrying about what we got or what we didn't get. Just focus on the players we have, coach them, improve them, and hopefully we can get more performances like that.

 

So we're 13 points ahead and there are 13 games to go for both teams. Even if they win both derby matches, that would still be 7 points with 11 games to go. And we have a far superior goal difference. So realistically, they would need to win every game not dropping a single point and they would need us to lose three games from 11. That seems unlikely. League Cup already in the bag. Into the knockout stages of the Champions League. Some of the best football I've seen in many years. Incredible job he's done.

 

They’re number two striker that was their record signing for a brief spell 6 months previously. Just to add a bit on context to your point.

 

I'll be honest, I would have voted for Jimmy Thelin. Very good looking in a fresh faced, wholesome, Scandinavian kind of way.

 

Yes it's insane the difference in quality they can attract
In Brendan's first time round Bayern played us at Celtic Park and made something like 9 changes or thereabouts.
Even although we played very well and ran them close, it still ended 1-2 for Bayern
That was basically they're reserve team and it looked a run-of-the-mill win for them. Nothing out the ordinary.

This season though they've lost a few times in Champ League and have not looked brilliant all the time. So we'll see...... It could go like Dortmund......or it could go like Leipzig......

L

 

Firstly I made a clear distinction between fans complaining, rightly so at times, and those constantly trying to say how easy this is/this is the way to do it blah blah. So no I clearly didn’t say “we are just supposed to say nothing”. But there is saying something constructive and just constantly ranting */creating scenarios that they think are correct.
You raise some good issues/fair points in a balanced unbiased way whereas the tuck shop FM experts just fling all sorts of wild unfounded accusations about.
Tbc as well I have never said they know everything either, however I’d rather have them running the Club over folk who continually throw about accusations of being unfit for purpose/only interested in the salary/dividends (LOL) etc. These accusations are just drivel but they do tell a story/paint a picture though.

 

Based on some of the election results I’ve witnessed this probably would improve things tbh

 

Hmm if that’s how you are conditioned/think fair enough. I don’t think/agree with it though, in fact I’d say that’s a subservient mindset tbh but heyho. Also, as I clearly state in the post, everyone is entitled to an opinion, so who has said “its not allowed to be discussed” rhetorical question, as you obviously just missed that bit huh.
I see my comparison between the merits/ability of the board members and some of those making the most noise - not fit for purpose/clueless/self sabotaging etc - was missed… ach well that’s no my concern.

 

Concerned Brendan Rodgers reckons Celtic fans won't listen to him after the use of pyrotechnics in the stands.

The Scottish Premiership leaders were in the UEFA dock after their supports use of pyro during their Champions League clash against English Premier League side Aston Villa. European football's governing body have now decided to dish out a financial punishment rather than ban the travelling punters from the stands their blockbuster showdown against Bayern Munich at the AllIanz Arena

After numerous warnings and fines for supporters' misbehaviour at Champions League matches - including political banners and pyrotechnics - the Hoops were handed a two-year suspended ban and €20,000 fine after their supporters ignored previous pyro warnings during the league phase defeat to Borussia Dortmund. And after previously pleading with punters to halt the pyro he confessed before the Scottish Cup clash with Raith Rovers on Saturday that his message may not be getting through


Rodgers said: "I'm not sure they are going to listen to me, if I'm honest, whoever that may be - but let's hope. It's not just a small group of Celtic supporters, you see if throughout football now, you see this element of ultras and this sort of thing throughout Europe, so it's not just Celtic supporters


But, my only worry is for Celtic and our club so we can maintain the status that we have which is a club with an amazing supporter base and a club that can travel anywhere in the world and always be welcome, and the door is always open for them. That is what I want to have

 

Have to agree with you.
When you see him out in town in Aberdeen, he is a * rat, right into the ladies.