Brendan Rodgers Discussion Thread

I think the players are being more clinical this season which has helped a lot.
Worked keepers more and not taking 5 attempts to score. That's kyogo scored 2 with his first attempt

 

Aye we were let down with some proper pish finishing last season

 

Most chances we have ever created and had the most possession we've had.
That has been a massive improvement between. League and Europe...especially CL

 

Admired his 'control'/'pragmatism' last night. Team is growing in confidence.

 

The biggest improvement from last night was that we conceded twice, but did not fall apart mentally. If this draw instills a resolute fighting spirit in the squad, then it will be the greatest benefit we could reap.

 

I think people get a bit carried away with the CL campaign with Ange last year. We looked good going forward - we always do - bit defensively we were terrible. Like hot knife through butter, bad.

This season we’ve been much more pragmatic, and barring a short spell against Feyenoord after the first sending off, I don’t feel as though teams are cutting through us nearly as easily. We’re also playing some really good, and we’ll controlled stuff.

It was Ange’s biggest blind spot for me. Not convinced that style would’ve ever worked at CL level without a better standard of player right across the team.

 

Brendan Rodgers has slammed Celtic's post-Christmas fixture list as he reckons there's some 'tricks' going on behind the scenes.

The Hoops are away from home once again after Christmas Day with a trip to face Dundee in the books for Boxing Day, that comes a few days prior to facing Philippe Clement and Rangers at Parkhead on the final game of 2023. But Rodgers is lamenting that Celtic are on the road after Christmas again as he tallied up it's been that way for the previous seven seasons. The Irishman has a stacked fixture list to consider heading in to the New Year with Champions League and domestic action



And Rodgers is finding the decision makers potentially up to some 'tricks', either that or he sees Celtic have been extremely unlucky to draw the short straw of being away from home once again. He said: "I just saw that, we would have preferred it to stay as it was. Especially at that time of the year. It's interesting, I'm pretty sure I'm correct in this, the last seven years Celtic have been away at that period of the season.




Either we're very, very unlucky or someone is making tricks behind the scenes. It's seven years on the spin we've been away at that time of the season. That's not right for supporters so hopefully they can make it up and look at that going forward."

 

Good on him for speaking out about it.

 

Well Said

 

There is definitely shenanigans going on with our fixtures. Some mutant * looks at the calendar including CL dates and slots us in for away games. Trying their best to give the scum an advantage but * them because bit hasn’t worked out. 7 years away from home at Xmas time is no coincidence. The mason hand at work. Dirty stinking inbred *. GIRFUT.

 

We were at home christmas eve last season.

 

The discussion is around our post-Christmas fixtures.

 

Christmas eve and boxing day is the same group of fixtures, just depends where xmas falls in the week that decides if we play the day before or after really, it's splitting hairs to count one and not the other as part of the run because of a day of difference in between.

 

Rodgers on Simeone 'handshake', and Celtic earning respect




THE token, almost derisory, slap of his hand from Diego Simeone not only lacked class, but reeked of disrespect. The Atletico Madrid manager’s words about Celtic though in the aftermath of the pulsating 2-2 draw during the week, in Brendan Rodgers’ view, perhaps spoke louder than his actions.

Rodgers was unperturbed when Simeone – famous as he is for avoiding flash points and confrontation – looked first to be ignoring his rival altogether as he strode over to the opposition dugout to warmly offer his hand at the final whistle, and then belatedly responded with a momentary wet fish of a handshake before abruptly disappearing up the tunnel.

“In this country we’re very much around respect,” Rodgers said.

“You always hold out your hand. I know abroad they’re not so keen on it and they do their own thing. It doesn’t worry me.”

Instead, Rodgers puts more stock in Simeone’s assessment of their encounter in the Spanish press.





“We probably surprised Atletico Madrid with our genuine quality and intensity,” he said.

“So, afterwards they would have gone back home and sat on the plane saying we were a good side.

“He’s a fantastic manager and he’s done great things with them, so it doesn’t matter to me.”

What does matter to Rodgers is that his team are clearly progressing at Champions League level. The point they gained matters too, even though he feels they could and probably should have bagged two more.

“I hate the condolences after you play well and lose, or you don’t get the result,” he said.

“But you always have to look at performance, and when you are performing at the level we were at against a team that will have a genuine feeling they can have a chance in the competition, then it’s a great testament to the bravery and courage of the players and how well they’ve performed.

“So, I take my hat off, it’s consistency and growth, that’s what we want to see.”

Another indication that Celtic are starting to make the big boys of European football sit up and take notice of them as a footballing force once more, is that their post-match assessments of their experience in Glasgow now don’t solely centre around the elite level atmosphere in their stadium.

“That’s the combination, that’s what the force of Celtic is,” he said.

“The process for me is about remembering what Celtic used to be at the Champions League level.


“I know where the Champions League has gone, but for us to get back to be a team that can be feared on the pitch as well as off the pitch, that’s the reality. I think we can see the beginnings of that with this group.

“You can’t just attack well at this level and be fast and dynamic. You’ve got to be compact and tight and aggressive, and be able to cope with different situations within the game.

“I’ve been really pleased by that aspect within the team.”

Rodgers and his team now travel to face Hibernian this afternoon at Easter Road, with the switch back to domestic football normally requiring Celtic to alter their mindset to overcoming a low block and a packed defence.

He doesn’t expect that to be the case at Easter Road though, with new Hibs manager Nick Montgomery copping some flak for sticking to his attacking principles in last weekend’s 4-0 hounding against Rangers at Ibrox.

Rodgers hopes that his critics won’t deter Montgomery from holding his nerve and going out on the front foot when the champions come to town, having faced similar doubts throughout his own career.

“I’ve heard it all before,” he said.

“It’s all part of the journey as a coach and manager. It’s being able to stick with your principles whenever the world is telling you that’s not how you’ll get a result.

I’ve had it all my career. That’s where the mental strength comes from. It’s what you believe in and what you study.

“With the greatest respect, why listen to someone who doesn’t know the players and hasn’t studied to the level you have and doesn’t have to stand on the touchline and feel the pressure?

“Because as a manager, you have to know if you are going to fail, it will be on what you believe in. You don’t want to not succeed with someone else’s vision.

“He’s about 65 games into his career as a young manager. He was a fantastic player with more than 500 games, he’ll know what football looks like and what he likes to watch.

“He clearly likes his teams to be offensive, to take and pass the ball.”

 

His hard on for Forrest is embarrassing. Hopefully doesn't start with Johnston because they're dreadful subs who should not still be here

 

He's got to carry the can for that today. Mikey * Johnstone

 

His insistence on patient build-up is why I don't like him, or even Ange at times. A smart manager would train hoofball with the team every so often, so that we can brute-force our way to points. This way, with time ticking, our players play accurate, yet useless passes into the feet of a marked player.

There's a * killer cyborg up top, go find him!!

 

If he had managed the squad better we could be rotating the team and still winning games like that.

Like Ralston could be starting the odd game, Turnbull and Iwata getting more minutes, Oh starting the odd game or getting at least 30 minutes per sub appearance.

Ange I felt managed the squad well where subs all got good game time even if they were always on the bench.Like Abada, Ralston, Iwata, Oh they came on all the time and got games a lot, Mooy or O'Riley.

Now players probably feel isolated. Like Oh for definite will be absolutley raging at how many times he's been snubbed as a sub, Turnbull also at doing ok then going games without being used even Iwata played well coming on in midfield last week then unused two games since.

Feels like Rodgers is making it clear to the board he doesn't like the squad and needs to spend money. But if he just got on with it guys would be coming off the bench with more confidence.

Even goes back to in August, that game he brought on Bernabei and Haksabanovic to rescue us near the end of the window you could tell the two of them were raging and couldn't give a * as they hadn't had a sniff of game time in the first 3/4/5 games.

Feels now the subs are completely isolated and probably desperate to leave. They aren't coming on thinking im going to rescue us and get a game next week, Oh and Turnbull for example probably think they are done here so will Mikey Johnston.

 

He's done a fantastic job so far, but today he plays a huge part in what went wrong.

Was clear after the first 15 minutes how knackered the entire team were. Misplaced passes and no urgency within the team. Not making changes at half time was poor, bringing Forrest on is worse.

Our depth is horrific, I get that, but this is an abysmal Hibs side who had one chance the entire game.

We've genuinely dropped points against the two worst sides we've played this season, so frustrating.

 

Judging by his comments at the end of the window where he felt like we hadn't recruited as best we could've, it certainly feels like that.

I hope that's what he's doing, anyway.