Brendan Fraudgers!

Being schooled

 

Merry Christmas Da,

Love you x

 

THERE can be few better feelings for a player or manager than when a packed stadium gathers its collective voice and sings a song in tribute to them. When it is the supporters of the team that you’ve always supported, then that feeling is all the more special.

Celtic fans have been singing in praise of Brendan Rodgers since the day he arrived at Paradise back in May 2016, and the unprecedented success he has delivered to the club since then has only served to amplify those voices.

It’s something that the manager appreciates and his satisfaction in so far winning seven trophies in a row is in the knowledge of the happiness that it brings to the players and to his fellow Celtic supporters.

In taking up the Celtic View music challenge for the Christmas issue of the magazine, the manager’s song selection brings him happiness in that the tune evoke cherished memories of the most important people in his life.

“The songs I remember are attached to people, and music is a wonderful way of communicating,” he told the View. “I always say that, if I could do two things in the world, it would be to be able to play every musical instrument and speak every language – because it’s a way of communicating and connecting.

“I love music – I wouldn’t say it would be any particular type – I just love music in general.”

And in amongst the managers’s top tracks, you’ll also find his festive favourite and his No.1 Celtic song… with no real surprises as to what that is…

YOU RAISE ME UP: Westlife
This song in memory of my mum. She loved that song and she used to always sing it, and when I would travel back home from England, she would love it. That song brings back lots of happy memories of my mum. When I hear it, it’s a nice memory because she loved that song. It was a song that we played at her funeral back in 2010.

PIANO MAN & LEAVE A TENDER MOMENT ALONE: Billy Joel
I grew up in a house where there was a lot of music played, a lot of Motown tunes, and then the likes of Billy Joel and Hall & Oates - really what my mum and dad played. So, songs like Piano Man and Leave A Tender Moment Alone were prominent in the house, and that’s a memory I have of the two of them, with that sort of upbeat music around the house. I haven’t managed to see Billy Joel live in concert yet but that’s definitely on my tick list. When I was younger I didn’t really get the opportunity to go and see many artists perform live because I lived too far away from where all that was happening. A particular song connects me to a moment of time, and with the likes of Billy Joel and Hall & Oates, I’ll still play now because it reminds me of a lovely time in my life, growing up with

BILLIE JEAN: Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson was someone I admired growing up, for his sheer talent. Billie Jean was a song that everyone loved when that was out. He was huge back then, and even now, kids still listen to his music and admire the talent. There was sheer talent but also a lot of hard work, and he was a phenomenon really at that time, and he rolled out song after song that just gripped the world. When everyone hears the start of Billie Jean, they recognise it instantly, and maybe remember back to when they heard it when it was first out… and then everyone tries to do the Moonwalk! So he was iconic growing up and all his tunes were huge.


I BELIEVE I CAN FLY: R. Kelly
BUILD ME UP BUTTERCUP: The Foundations
I Believe I Can Fly was a song my son, Anton, used to sing as a child, at the top of his voice. So whenever I hear that song, it reminds me of Anton. I think it was a song which caught his attention. He heard it from one of the Disney films, Space Jam. And the song that Mischa used to sing was Build Me Up Buttercup. As soon as I asked her what it was, she remembered right away. My happiness is from others – like with songs, a happy song reminds me of something.

NITE FLITE: Various Artists
When I was a teenager, about 15 or 16, I was travelling a lot to clubs and also with the Northern Ireland team, and I would listen to my Walkman. Some of what I listened to at that time was a tape called Nite Flite. They were actually a series of soul music tapes, which were great. I remember being over at Luton Town. I’d been going over there for a while and I really enjoyed it, and actually thought I was going to sign with them. I had my Walkman on one night in my room in my digs – it was leading up to my 16th birthday – and I was singing away to the music. The digs lady came running up the stairs, knocked on the door and then put the light on. She said, ‘Are you okay, Brendan?’ I said I was fine, and she said, ‘We were downstairs and we heard you screaming.’ And I said, ‘Sorry, but I was just singing.’ That was the point when I realised I wasn’t going to make it as a singer, and that I would just stick to the football!

YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE: Celtic supporters
This is one I could never leave out because I grew up with this song, and it’s followed me through life and into my football career. It was an important song for me as a young guy growing up, being a Celtic supporter and seeing that being sung with the scarves aloft. Then, moving into managing Liverpool, I always felt a real pride when I managed at Anfield, and I heard the song. Then, following that through to now at Celtic Park, where You’ll Never Walk Alone first began for me. So that’s a song and an anthem which has been with me virtually all my life. It’s a special feeling when I hear that song – every game. It gives you such a feeling of pride and responsibility, and it doesn’t change. The scarves are up, the passion is there and it’s an incredible tune. It means so much, the words in it, and the feelings behind it. There’s not a point in my life when I can remember not hearing it, so you recognise it from when you’re younger and comes right all the way through with you. After the League Cup final at Hampden, for example, you could see Ryan Christie had been living for that moment as a Celtic player, and he was enjoying every second of it, holding the cup and singing You’ll Never Walk Alone. He’d probably dreamed of that, and now it was real for him.

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE:
This is a song that my stepdaughter, Lola, sings to Charlotte, and that’s something which makes me smile. It’s something that’s in their family, throughout their lives. Charlotte’s grandmother sang it to her daughter – Charlotte’s mum – and she sang it to Charlotte. And then Charlotte sang it to Lola, and now Lola sings it back to her mum. It’s a lovely thing that’s been passed down through the generations.

I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY: Wizzard
I was going to pick Last Christmas, which was a classic until my name came into it and spoiled it! So, apart from The Pogues, Fairytale of New York, I also like I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day, which is a great Christmas song. It’s a classic 1970s song. I don’t really have a favourite Christmas film, although I always enjoyed watching The Wizard of Oz, which always seemed to be on at Christmas.

 

BR: "It was a very good game. We thoroughly deserved to win. We had good control for large parts of the game

BR: "They make it difficult for you with their man marking. You have to try and find the solutions in the game and the space to penetrate. We did that well for the first goal but we gave away a daft penalty which we shouldn’t concede."

BR: "I didn’t think it was a penalty when Graeme fell over. That gave them some oxygen in the game. At 4-2 it was a reflection of the game but they scored late on which makes it look a bit tighter."

BR on
@Scotty_Sinclair
: "He knows where the goal is and wants to be in there to score. He’s done it since he was 16 years of age. In big games he’s always produced and he loves that type of occasion

BR on
@Oedouard22
: "Young Odsonne coming into the game made a big difference. For his goal, to score with that composure and poise was a brilliant finish to * the keeper. You could see his speed and power to get through to square for Scott’s hat-trick."

BR on
@kierantierney1
: "We’ll see how he is in the next 48 hours. If not, it’s unfortunate but as we’ve seen with the young guys there’s other guys who can come in."

BR: "I’m happy for our supporters. That’s two years running now that they’ve travelled big distances to follow the team on Boxing Day."

 

Premiership = 2/2
League Cup = 3/3
Scottish Cup = 2/2
CL Groups = 2/3
EL Last 32 = 2/3

 

imagine if we gave him money to spend ...

 

BR on
@kierantierney1
: "He is a doubt, but we'll assess after training and see how he is."

BR: "
@SimunovicJozo
was back in training and everyone else is fine from the game the other day. We'll go in fit and ready."

BR: "It's a big game but these are games we've really enjoyed. We'll look to arrive into it to get the win."

BR: "We approach the game as we normally do. We'll give them the respect they deserve, as we do with every team.

BR: "The team has shown in these last few years when they're in these adverse moments, they can respond. I was so impressed the other day. We stayed focus and played right to the very end which was a great win for us."


BR: "I've always been one to focus on my own team. I always respect the opposition but we we create our own standard and look at our own game and that's what's important.

 

CL winners 3/3

 

Brendan is here for 10 in a row.

 

Hun Managers Sacked = 3/3

 

This is all his fault so far. Better change something and fast.

 

To be fair though we haven't had any luck with injuries. Limited in team choice and a. Shambles of a summer window Is to blame for that. Needs to make January count.

 

* it with selection today make the changes and give a massive team talk

 

Made an utter * of it again tactically today. I don't know if he's trying to put pressure on the board to give him big bucks to spend or if he's too cocky or something else but it's shambolic the way we've lined up today, same as it was against Hibs.

 

This is a * up of a performance and Rodgers has to take most the blame. We now only have two substitutions to change things after Benkovic went off. Needlessly in a * situation at half time.

 

Never learns.

Stop fannying about with the team.