Brendan Rodgers Discussion Thread

The formation (4-3-3) is fine I think. Its the standard formation in football.

The key things are how you play within that. Speed, movement, direction, tempo etc

We are stuck obsessively trying to get the ball out wide - where right now we are weakest. I mean we had Scales and Yang on the left at one point and Ralston and Forrest on the right. Yet our whole approach is to get the ball out to them. And doing it at a pedestrian pace. Our midfield provide no options. Its awful to be honest.

We could play 4-3-3 but completely refresh our approach. Have midfielders actually make run into space. Play the ball more direct. Move the ball quicker front to back. Try balls in behind. We rarely try anything different.

 

Manager Brendan Rodgers insists the failure to strengthen Celtic's squad for their Champions League play off with Kairat was "not my decision" and concedes that he has to "accept where it's at".

The Scottish champions - heavy favourites to progress - were listless in being held to a goalless draw by their Kazakhstan counterparts.

Now must travel more than 3,500 miles for next Tuesday's second leg just short of the Chinese border, knowing that they need a far better showing if they are to return to the top table of continental competition this season.

Celtic have recruited seven players this summer, paying fees for Benjamin Nygren, Hayato Inamura, Shin Yamada and Callum Osmand, with Kieran Tierney and Ross Doohan arriving on frees and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey on loan.

Only Nygren and Tierney started on Wednesday, while the likes of Nicolas Kuhn and Kyogo Furuhashi who starred in the Champions League last term have been sold and not replaced, while Jota is out injured long term.

"We need to improve the squad," Rodgers said. "There's been clarity around that for a long time. Supporters see that. Hopefully between now and the end of the season, the club will get that and that will support us.

"It's not my decision in the end. I can prepare the players that are here. We are all clear on where we need to improve, and for whatever reason we haven't been able to do that.

"We're in this position, we have to accept that and not dwell on it, and try and come through it.

"There's only so many ways that I can dress up that we don't have the players here.

"It was pretty clear. You don't need to look into the future too far. You know these games are tough and you want to have players in as quick as you can to tackle these situations. It is what it is. I have to accept where it's at.

 

Bingo. Most of our success has been in spite of them.

 

He's Desmond's man so I actually do think he should be going above those * and threatening to walk. He's far too diplomatic and accepting of this behaviour from the board. Cryptic media messages won't cut it, go to the * at the top who pulled all the stops to hire you and get it sorted, for everyone's sake.

 

Still partly to blame, seems to just make random decisions. Like how did Kenny start against Falkirk if Yamada was brought on the night.

Engels should be playing as well even with Nygren on the right wing.

 

We had one injury . Did you even watch the game ? Same * tactics , never changes . The whole team looked flat from the start , he has to take some blame .

 

I * hate the word entitlement and how it gets thrown around with our support these days but all week I've seen folk saying take 5 or 6 and rest players next week and I just never understood where that confidence was coming from firstly it's Celtic it never works like that but secondly every single forward player we have just now is sub par the one who isn't is Maeda and he looks miles off his usual self currently. I thought we would win but thought it would be pretty close given the options we have at the moment. If we had gone out and done what we should have done in the window then I would have shared the confidence but we haven't

 

He was mortified when he was asked the question about why he brought on Kenny over Shin then brought on Shin the next two games . I've long given up trying to understand Brodge.

 

Any chance of keeping him beyond this season (at the absolute most) are long gone. Yet again we’ve taken the cheap option and gambled on just about having enough to scrape through a qualifier before no doubt panicking and throwing money at a target who would’ve been way down the list at one point.

Other than the fact he’s a fan of the club there can’t be much motivation to stay here. He’s a top drawer coach and manager yet working under the most unambitious of dinosaurs who haven’t learned their lessons from last time they * him about. Sadly this is going the same way and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s keeping a close eye on what’s going on down in the epl, because he must be thinking * this to himself after watching that tonight.

He had us looking like an actual decent champions league level side last season yet somehow 6 months and about £60m in the bank down the line we’ve got a squad which resembles that of a conference league team.

 

Absolutely no doubt the board have shafted him and he's essential working with at least 1 hand tied behind his back but he's not blameless either.

We've known since the start of pre season we didn't have any wingers of the required standard yet he had continually stuck to his rigid 433 formation.

You can only * with the * you've got so if you've not got wingers you adjust and you stop playing a system that's relies heavily on wingers.

Look at what's on the bench, Engels, McCowan, Bernardo, Trusty, 3 other strikers. We have personnel and quality to play a 442 diamond, 4222, 352, 3421 yet hes not even shifted from a formation that is starting to be found out even once.

Any half decent team or half decent coach must fancy their chances against us bcoz you know exactly how we are going to play. If you are well organised and well disciplined then there's a fair chance a Brendan Rodgers team will struggle against you.

 

Knowing our board we'll be in this exact same position in 12 months time, but with Lennon back for a third spell.

 

Sorry, but the manager shouldn’t have to change a full system that worked very well in Europe last season due to the board not backing him. I don’t buy into that at all. The reality is, if we had acted like a professional club, we would have played our same formation as last season and totally ran over the top of that team tonight.

 

Lambs to the slaighter in those interviews yet again..

He shouldn't have started Idah for me
I'd personally be starting Trusty, certainly away
I would've started Engels centrally and Nygren right

It is what it is though..

No wonder he's leaving..

 

Full quotes from his post match conference




If you got that goal, James Forrest denied by the combination of the keeper and the post. If you'd got that, it could be sitting here and having a very different conversation but ultimately must have been frustrating overall?

"Yeah, because of course you want to take the advantage, but I've also been here before when we've drawn nil-nil in a qualification game against Rosenborg. They were a good side and we were going to there to have to qualify and we did do. We played very well out there and won the game. There's no doubt we can go there and win. Of course you'd want to have taken an advantage with you, but it's still very much in the balance."




The support were pretty vocal at the end in their displeasure, their disappointment. Is that a justifiable reaction in your view?

"Well listen, what I do know is over many years that sack the board normally means sack the manager. It's normally the manager that goes when that starts to be sung. But no, listen, I think I can only really look at the players that we have here and the performance. We've known for a long time what we've needed as a squad, so I don't want to go into that. I can only concentrate on what we have here. Of course, at the end of the game, we're having to shuffle things about to try and make it work and playing players out of position. But the players' endeavor in the second half was really good, but at this level it's more than that. Hopefully we can show that. The boys are a great bunch of lads, really honest. They've started the season well. Defensively, they've been strong, but tonight we just, offensively, we just couldn't show those moments of quality to breakthrough."




Brendan, given that frustration in the stands, that's something you don't want to fester. What needs to happen on and off the field to make sure that that doesn't fester and the frustration doesn't build?

"I think that we need to improve the squad. There's clarity around that for a long time and we see that, you know, I think supporters see that. We certainly do in football. We need to improve. And then from that, then this is a performance club. This is a club that's to perform. And that starts on the field. And you do that with getting the very best players you possibly can to allow you to perform. It's getting performance on the pitch, a style and a type of football that excites supporters, and that's what this club is used to. We know that, and hopefully between now and the end of the window, we can get that. And then that'll support us going through the rest of the season."




But you knew you had this game, Brendan. Does that add to the frustration that this was always potentially going to be a tough tie whoever you got and maybe being in a better place going into it?

"Yeah, but I can't answer that because it's not my decision in the end. I can prepare the team with the staff, and the players that are here have been fantastic over pre-season. We were all clear on what we need to improve, and for whatever reason, we haven't been able to do that. Now we're in this position and we have to accept it and not dwell on it and try and come through it for Saturday and for Tuesday."






Do you feel you have enough to be able to do that then? There's enough game-changers in that team to get you through to the Champions League league phase?

"Yeah, well listen, whether I think it or not, we have to do it. But I do believe that we'll be better than what we were in the first half. The second half you see we dominated and arrived into a lot of good areas, but just that final ball, a little bit of finesse and that little extra bit of quality that's needed, as you come through the levels, that allows you to break teams down. That's something we'll look at and analyze and hopefully correct when we get out there."







You said, Brendan, that you need to accept it and move on. Should the fans accept it? Considering the money that's at this club, the amount of times you've sat here in this position at this time of the year saying that you need players, and now the playoff tie hasn't gone the way you want. Should fans accept how the club's been run at this point?

"Well listen, I, that's not for me to answer. I can answer for the team and what we're doing. I think we showed last season the hint, like I've said before, of what we can do. But that's all, that will always be based around the level of players that you have. And I believe that with a level of player that we can really push forward. But if we don't have that for whatever reason, we have to try and find a way to win here and to qualify. And up until tonight, as I said, the team have been moving along well. First half, I wasn't happy with the first half at all, just slow and waiting on the game. And like I said, we're the guys that can only change that future and that responsibility now is with us to do that. And for me to find a way to get us through the next leg. It was a wee bit messy towards the end, but that's not the players' fault. We're playing players out of position and trying to work the team to try and stimulate a goal and players maybe playing out of position a wee bit, but that's what we're at. But of course, our job is always to entertain our supporters."






I appreciate it's probably early, but in terms of Alistair Johnston, it didn't look great. How is the player and is there any sort of prognosis as to how bad it could be?

"Yeah, I haven't spoken to the medical guys yet, it looks like a hamstring injury, which is disappointing. But yeah, I'll get more in the morning."







Brendan, obviously Adam Idah got hooked at half-time, kind of struggling half the first half and maybe struggling at the start of the season as well. Is there a way to build him for him to get a wee bit of his confidence or what's the situation with Adam at the moment?

"Yeah, there's, listen, there's no rocket science in it. It's all hard work. It's all preparation. That will obviously lead to confidence and then you normally succeed then as a player from that. So yeah, I didn't quite go for him first half. I wanted a little bit more activity in and around the box because I felt that we could get up there. And yeah, so yeah, he's, Adam's a good boy, he's an honest boy. Hasn't quite started how he would have liked. But in games like these here, I can't afford to wait. And that's why I made the change at halftime."






Just coming back to kind of some of the kind of fan unrest and displeasure about the kind of activity in the transfer window. A lot of these questions that you rightly say you can't answer yourself, but you're having to answer these questions on a weekly basis. Is it starting to get a point that it's not really fair that you're having to answer these questions when it's probably for the guys who are being targeted by the fans at the moment?

"Yeah listen, I accept the responsibility as the manager of the club. I'm just, I can't tell you anything that which I would like to, but yeah, there's only so many ways I can dress up that we haven't got any players in. But I accept the responsibility to stand here, or sit here, sorry, and tell you where we're at. And no, it's listen, the privilege is mine to be here and if it's my role to do that, then of course I will do that. So yeah, that's what we're at."









Again, Brendan, forgive me because I do appreciate it's difficult for you to speak about it, but at the same time, is it fair to say that this is a situation that you feared, that you envisaged, that you maybe warned was going to be a possibility if things didn't happen as maybe you hoped they would?

"I think it was pretty clear. I think you don't need to look into the future too far. You know these games are tough games and you know that you want to have your best players in and have players in as quick as you can to tackle these sorts of situations. So yeah, but it is what it is. And I just have to accept where it's at. And we shall, as I said, get ready now for Saturday and then get ready for the long haul Sunday and really try and get through on Tuesday."





In terms of next week, what's it going to take from your point of view? You're saying about the team being quite passive tonight at the start. What do you think it's going to take over in Almaty next week?

"Well, I think the beauty is it's a one-off game now. You know, sometimes over two games, they come and you see they sit in and they defend quite well and get one or two little moments. For us, we weren't quite quick enough, but we now know it's a one-off game. We know we can win. We know we can win there and we know we can play better. For sure, that's especially on the first half showing. So I think we can, absolutely, I think we can go out there and win, but we're just going to have to, as I said, not wait on the game. And I said to the players, you know, at halftime, I was saying that I've heard before, if you're going to miss the bus, make sure you run when you miss it. So don't be walking. And for us, whatever happens in this next game now, we have to go and give everything and make sure we're running. If it doesn't happen for us, we've given everything. And I thought we wasted 45 minutes tonight, which has surprised me a little bit because up until that point of the season, we've been good. So we have to correct that. And we'll start that on Saturday and then get ourselves ready and then it's a one-off game and I've got every confidence that we can do that and win."






Brendan, if if you do it next week, will that be one of your more satisfying results in the circumstances?

"Yeah, I would say going into these sort of games, this is probably the lightest that we've been in certain key areas of the of the pitch. You can see over the course of the season so far, we haven't given away a great deal. Defended well, defended strong. But of course, goals win games and that's the area of the pitch where we've been we've been short. And it's more just in terms of freshness and energy and that bit of quality. We're having to get midfield players out there and players playing two or three positions and then it can become a little bit messy. But yeah, listen, we've started the season well. Wee bit of a blip tonight in terms of the result we wanted, but I've got every confidence we can go out there and win."







Brendan, you said yesterday about not having the control over, you know, the time scale of bringing players in. Is that something you'd like to have more control over?

"Listen, I just want what's the best for Celtic. I don't necessarily need control. If there's alignment and everything is aligned and I want what's best for the football team, that's where my strengths are. And like I said, this is a performance club. This is where you need to perform. And for that, it's getting players in, getting the team prepared to the best level that you possibly can and then going on journeys that can excite supporters and create great memories. That's why I'm here, in order to do that. So it's not about control. I just want what is the best for Celtic."








Does it feel like that alignment is there at the moment?

"Well listen, at this moment in time, the focus is on the team. Focus is on us getting through into the group stages. And that's my only focus

 

I was at the game. Maeda is injured and was so just before he went through on the goalie. Ralston hobbled off, Hatate signalled to the bench about some knee issue. Add that to a bare squad and you get what you get. Ok you dislike BR, watch what you wish for, he’s the best we can get and that’s only because he’s a Celtic fan.

 

im scunnered

im thinking rodgers should have left in the summer

his big costly players trusty idah engles dont seem to have worked cost around £26m

he wants more players but their expensive and board appear to be reluctant to sanction them as his target players last time round havent worked

i bet if he had have quit in the summer the board would have been happy and would have got in someone like ange who could work wonders with cheaper players

 

The reason his system isn't working is because we haven't replaced those we have sold. We have no wingers but we also have no reliable striking option at all. Having a go at him for anything tonight is misplaced anger imo

 

his signings none of them have worked would you give him more money to waste