Brendan Rodgers Discussion Thread

His post match interview out yet? My stream went to *

 

I think we are just a few players and a new contract for the manager away from something very, very special.
We have the resources, no excuses Celtic.
So excited about what can be with the right ambition - Peter don't feckin dare * all over it.

 

Iv been very critical of Rodgers in europe over the years, but tonight he deserves a lot of praise.
A real coming of age performance for this Celtic squad and hopefully the board back him now to have a squad ready for next seasons campaign.
No last minute panic buys, get the deals done early and back the manager and kick on from a position of strength.
Looking forward to what the rest of the season brings from here.

 

Best performance in Europe since Barca. Our manager

 

Brendan Rodgers believes Celtic have "restored their credibility" in European’s top competition.


Celtic put in a “real heroic” display during their UEFA Champions League knockout stage play-off second leg against Bayern Munich. Yet, they crashed out the tournament as a result of a last-gasp goal from Bayern substitute Alphonso Davies.

Rodgers’ side were on the cusp of pushing Bayern to extra-time as the clock struck 94 minutes thanks to Nicolas Kuhn’s strike just after the hour mark levelled the aggregate scoreline to 2-2.

But in the cruelest blow, they were hit with a late sickener, with the ball dropping in front of Davies from Kasper Schmeichel's initial save to tap into an empty net during the final action of what was a thrilling encounter.

Rodgers couldn't have asked for much more from his players, and very few would've argued if Celtic had taken Bayern to another 30 minutes.


That's how the Celtic manager can assess the sheer progression his men have made since a previous trip to Germany ended with a 7-1 Champions League hammering from Borussia Dortmund last October.

“It was [a suckerpunch], not what the players deserved especially right at the very end," Rodgers told Amazon Prime Sport as he reflected on Celtic's heartbreaking elimination



They gave so much to the game, they played with confidence.

“We didn’t give away too much, I felt our concentration was good and denied them space, and then we had quality and some great moves, and actually had the best chances in the game I felt.

“A real heroic performance, just unfortunate at the end.

"We wanted to start the game fast. It was important that we didn't give away much. We had aggression and control in our game with the ball and without the ball. We got into some great positions.

"We always felt that we were going to be there in the game, it was just about transferring that confidence into our play. It was just such a cruel way to not even lose the game but to go out of the competition.

“I think our European credibility has been restored this season, I think we’d built that up from last year, that’s my takeaway from this season. I think we have shown real quality at times, if you think of the last time we were in Germany and the improvements we have made now."



When questioned about what more this Celtic team can showcase at this level, Rodgers highlighted their potential for even greater achievements next season.

He said: "I think we need to improve the squad again. At this level you need to be able to bring quality off the bench as well and have that freshness. That's the next step for us.

"But I think this season has been so good. We have played some amazing football, we've had adverse moments but recovered.

"My objective is to make us a seasoned team at this level that you can consolidate.

"I came back here to make progress in Europe and if I judge that myself on tonight then they have gave me everything. Now our job is to learn from that, learn from the experiences we've had this season, and finish off our season really well. We need to get back into the Champions League next season and let's see if we can improve again."

 

The man is tremendous. What a manager, give him another contract.

 

Get hom the 3 or 4 players of quality he wants in the summer. Let's keep progressing. Let's get t9 the knockout stages again and win it.

Coming back from 2 down, to pull.it back to 2 each against Bayern is outstanding. Still room for growth. Just back him.

 

When he left I was devastated and took it personally. Looking back I was 28 and probably too emotional about it all. However being someone from the North of Ireland him leaving felt like a betrayal. Celtic is more than a club for supporters, it's a community. It's a family. When he walked away like a thief in the night it was a hammer blow. When he returned I placed my faith in him as a manager. I trusted him to do well and be the best man for the job. But emotionally I never reattached to him.

Tonight and throughout this campaign I have to say he has repaired a lot of damage. We have been superb. The most enjoyable European games in at least 10 years if not more. He has fully won me over now.

 

Sounds fairly optimistic about next season and the future in general … here’s hoping there’s a new contract on the horizon.

 

Probably leaving it until the end of the season

 

Apparently he's had one on offer for a while. Probably holding off to see if those useless * on the boardroom are going to back him in the summer.

 

Would be an absurdity to blame him, but we were begging for a sub that last couple of mins. On the ropes.

Easy to say in hindsight of course.

Anyway, back him in the summer and we come back stronger.

 

Aye had the offer since early last year

 

We really need to back him in the summer along with keeping as many key players as possible.

Very likely at least 2 or 3 will be going from the squad so we need to bring in quality replacements.

The money is there, get it spent.

 

What a manager. Unbelievable that he's done with us and no even fully backed..

 

A godlike manager who i've never doubted or called a rat or nothing

He does need let off the leash in the summer though. We are only 3-4 better squad players away from being really good.

If we had like a young Forrest, Lustig, Brown and Hooper in this squad then thats about as good as we could get.