Brendan Rodgers Discussion Thread

Nah, don't see that.. and he'll prove you wrong over the course of the season..

 

McGregor is more than fine, and is still our best player.

Regarding Rodgers, tomorrow is a massive test for him, any win will do.

 

To come out the transfer window weaker given that there I are key positions we have not even attempted to strengthen falls squarely at the door of the board. Do you honestly think Rodgers wouldn’t want an improvement on Taylor and Hart? If anyone thinks that they are living in cuckoo land in all honesty.

Rodgers signed a 4 year deal when he was here first time. So it wasn’t breaking a 30 year old policy for him to return. It’s the main reason we got as much as we did when he left for Leicester.

I’m not going to go into anything about Liverpool or Leicester because I couldn’t give two * what happened there to be fair.

The McGinn deal again is one that is on the board. They chose not to match Villa’s fee. McGinn would have walked on broken glass to sign with us, and his agent was still in discussions with Celtic when he was on his way down to sign for Villa pleading with them to pay the money. That come from a scout in Celtic Park.

In terms of his transfer record from first time round, I agree, on paper it doesn’t look good. When we sold players it still ended up in a nett plus however. The other thing to remember is that a lot of the players he brought in were bought for buttons. So if we aren’t prepared to pay half decent money for players, we will undoubtedly find a lot of duds. As we have over the years. We also don’t know how much control he had over transfers as the Shved deal throws a lot of confusion over how much power he actually had.

 

I'm sure it was a 12 month rolling deal he signed first time around.
https://www.celticfc.com/news/10565

 

Exactly. Every manager since the days of Fergus McCann's takeover has been on a 1 year rolling contract. Basically every manager from Tommy Burns onward. And that includes Martin O'Neill, Gordon Strachan, everyone.

Just so clarify a rolling contract does not runs out on June 30 and a new year starts over on July 1. This is not what a rolling contract is. It is every day it adds 1 year on. Obviously there are additional bonuses and incremental increases added in upon reaching goals, achieving targets etc.

 

How can you honestly say that is on the Board? The Board, for the record, are not football people as much as they are business people. It is not their job to sit there and tell the manager that we need a new long term GK for instance. BR had all of that window to assess and decide what he needed/wanted. He chose not to add in those areas - that is on him. He had the time, the means and the opportunity. That is on BR and BR alone.

I am not defending the Board just because, as they do have their issues as well and have plenty to answer for. But when Rodgers came back to the club, would've made sure when he did that he had agreements in writing concerning matters relating to budgeting and transfer dealings. After how much of a song and dance he made towards the end of his previous tenure do you honestly think he just agreed to come back and just accepted the exact same structure that he had worked under the first time? No fear. Celtic went after Rodgers, he didn't come cap in hand to Celtic.

And if you really believe that Rodgers came back in, after how things turned out the first time, considering all of the bargaining chips he possessed and would forfeit every one of them? You said yourself, we don't know what the structure was that he was working with the first time around but it clearly was one that he was not happy with in the end, so keeping that in mind, does it not seem logical therefore that he would have made a point of such things during his negotiations? Of course he would, and no doubt did. So again, whatever happened the first time it's not the same as it now is.

Besides, consider that Ange was pretty much an unknown in this part of the world when he arrived and yet was given that sort of control, in bringing in players to rebuild a squad that was in dire need of it. But what you're asking me to believe, on top of all that have pointted out to you above, that after Ange was given that sort of autonomy in transfer dealings, that Rodgers would be brought back in and not only having to kowtow and simply accept whatever scraps that they deigned to throw his way? Not a chance.

 

https://www.celticfc.com/news/12368

 

https://www.celticfc.com/news/12368

 

Aye, so he signed a rolling first, totally forgot he signed an extension tbf..

 

It’s not up to Brendan Rodgers to get deals over the line. We were linked with both a goalkeeper and a left back during the window. Do you honestly think Rodgers is happy with Taylor and Hart being our first choice goalkeeper and left back?

There is one man involved now compared to when Ange was here. It’s not an insignificant figure within Celtic Park either. Rodgers has no confirmed he wasn’t happy with our business. No wonder. He came here talking about progressing in Europe. The transfer window showed a total lack of ambition. Not one that will take us forward in Europe. Rodgers also said after a few pre-season games that he needed players that were first team ready.

The window was a * disgrace. If you think that is down to Rodgers then that’s your opinion. I think it’s crazy to suggest that is more on the manager than the board.

 

Aye, but ultimately signed a 4 year deal. So the claim that him signing a 3 year deal this time is breaking a 30 year policy is false.

 

That point is conceded, but his initial arrival was that on a 1yr rolling, and it is still an exception that has only been made for Rodgers. Subsequenrtly, Lennon and Ange were both on 1 year rolling deals.

 

Meant * all in the end.. like most contracts..

 

It meant we got more compensation. Then instead of using that money to try and bring in a manager of similar calibre, Lawwell decided to appoint Lennon on a permanent contract a few months later.

 

Good points regarding the level of control given to Ange but ur forgetting the elephant in the room.

Ange was given control because for the 2 years he was here the control freak who runs our club wasn't. He's back now and it's back to his way.

I 100% believe the same as you that rodgers wanted assurances regarding transfers, budgets etc. But I also belive he's been let down by those above him. Almost every interview he goes out of his way to mention the structure and how his job is to work with the players he's given. He couldn't make it any clearer, he's going out of his way to distance himself from the recruitment side of things.

And this clearly wasn't the case under Ange. At the very least 5 or 6 signings were 100% his signings, guys he had coached or guys he knew well from his time in Japan.

Rodgers isn't getting that same level of involvment.

 

Don't think anyone is ever going to dispute that. Bringing Lenny in as interum, didn't have a problem with that and it made sense, as it gave the Board literally a couple of months to find a F/T replacement, but to just go and give him the job in the Hampden showers after the Cup Final... wtaf?

 

I don't know that Ange was given more control than any other manager, at least not initially (he probably was towards the end when he had clearly earned it). I know I repeat myself too much, but if you take away the guys Ange knew personally (i.e. Mooy and the Japanese guys), to me our signings during that period look pretty typical for us.

As for Lawwell, what exactly is his role this time, how exactly does it differ from last time and what evidence is there that he's interfering? I was under the impression that he isn't involved in recruitment now.

 

It appeared Ange had more control because we actually functioned like a professional team does. We have reverted back to type this season however. There is a common denominator in that. A man with a bigger ego than Rodgers.

 

Tom Boyd?

 

I'd say it was 60/40 in terms of signings with Ange. Yeah there was similar types as we've seen over last few years eg Bernabei, AJ, Abada but the 6 japanese boys, Mooy and probably Giakoumakis were Ange signings.

I dont think any of the 8 signings that have came in are Rodgers signings. At a push I'd say Phillips but he's here as an emergency loan for 4 months.

He was chief exec last time and was acting as a director of football, by all accounts he's type of guy who's fingerprints are all over every department. Also think It's telling that since he's came back Nicolson has became almost a ghost.