In 2014 Brendan Rodgers was within touching distance of immortality on Merseyside, but Manchester City were on Liverpool’s tail throughout the campaign and snatched the title by two points.
The locals were distraught but loved the incredibly attacking formations Rodgers deployed. Liverpool were back, or so it seemed. Within 17 months, Jurgen Klopp made his availability known to Liverpool and in October last year Brendan was out of a job.
Celtic wanted Rodgers from the off but their major concern from the start was the familiar lure of English and Welsh lucre. Average managers there can command between £3m and £5m a year, getting on for 10% of Celtic’s income – and we pay tax and employer’s National Insurance, remember!
In recent weeks it became clear that Brendan is a Celtic man and was very interested in the job, while an offer he couldn’t refuse from England or Wales didn’t materialise. What went wrong for Brendan in Liverpool, after coming so close to the title, opened the door for Celtic.
The Merseyside team dropped from second to sixth last season, still higher than they were when he picked them up, but the slip worried the club to the extent that they could not resist Klopp’s availability. There’s reason to believe Liverpool were a tad hasty.
Much of Rodger’s success at Liverpool was based on getting the very best out of Suarez and Sturridge. They electrified English football in a manner which just didn’t happen before Brendan arrived, but Suarez fled for Barcelona as soon as he returned from his infamous World Cup, while Sturridge missed most of the following season through injury.
Suarez will be the first to break the Messi-Ronaldo Ballon d’Or duopoly. He is one of the world’s truly great players. Remember our own experiences when losing world class players.
We went from double winners to fifth (and sacked Jock Stein) when Dalglish left, and from 26 consecutive league wins to second when Larsson went. Losing one of the best players in the world takes time to recover from. What made Liverpool championship contenders just wasn’t there anymore. This cost Brendan his job, and a little of his reputation.
Before last night’s Europa League final the inane commentators told us, when discussing Klopp, that good managers can always improve players. This wasn’t meant to be a slight on Rodgers, but neither was it a deserved accolade for Klopp. Liverpool finished the season 8th in the league, lower than at any of Rodgers’ finishes.
Good managers can improve players, but only if they are taking over from less-effective managers. Klopp is one of the very best in the business, but Brendan Rodgers bettered him with the same team. He’s a manager at the absolute peak of our reach, it will be a remarkable appointment.
Usual caveats apply, until the lawyers have triplicate copies signed……
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Who do you think the manager should be after the manager who replaces Brendan leaves? (Or gets sacked)
Mike in Toronto
I couldnt agree more !! HH
MIKE IN TORONTO
Sometimes good just to enjoy the moment rather than worry about where you’re going to ditch the condom:))
HH
Philboy
I think by the time Brendan leaves-Then big yogi leaves- Jordan Larrson will have retired from football so theres yer man there! :)
Phil..with K Tierney as his assistant of course!
Emmy bee,
Good luck and ktf
HH
MWD
“Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in!”
btw
re the Mc John Namee Q yesterday John Kurrila played at r/half
GM- I’ll get a band…..:0 ta
Starry … I’m Irish Catholic, a theologian and a lawyer …. and my mother’s son …. worry and guilt are my stock-in-trade! :)
JOHANN MURDOCH
Young Larsson is getting good reviews by some on here.
Is he worth a punt?
Don’t think his Dad would have too many objections.
MIKE IN TORONTO
Hahaha post of day:)))
I’m enjoying the Rollercoaster the day:))
Feckless CSC
Dexter says HAVE WE ALL FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE LIVING WAGE AT CELTIC PARK??? on 19th May 2016 2:47 pm
If Rodgers signs, I give it 5 mins before the Stevie G on loan rumour begins.
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Sorry, but that rumour began in my head 2 days ago.
i already have him lining up in the ‘Gerrard 34′ Hoops prior to our CL quarter-final first leg away to Leicester.
i’ll let you know how it goes. Fancy Stevie to nick us an away goal. Or at least to set up Brendan Rodgers’ former Swansea super-striker Wilfred Bony, currently on loan to us from Man City, to score it.
Oh yeah, that was the other rumour I just started…
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 18TH MAY 2016 9:13 PM
Quonno @ 7.01
You dodged the main point about Sepeartists supporting Euro Union- it’s only the English they want to separate from.
And the opposition to the OBaF is not “getting into bed with Tories” part 2- it is every other party bar the SNP who have signed up to sink the legislation, contrary to your claim that they would quietly drop it after the election campaign.
The SNP response has been to call this an anti-sectarian measure and its opponents are being pro-Sectarian and kneejerk anti-SNP.
Ah! The politics of Project Fear- I remember it well.
SFTBFR12&ON
Unfortunately our posts currently appear to be out of sync.
When talking about separating only from the English, you appear to ignore the Northern Irish and Welsh parts of the UK.
Nothing new in folk eschewing one union and embracing another.
A perfect example of this is the Czech Republic and Slovakia who fairly amicably, and there is the rub, fairly amicably, broke their union with each other and separately joined the EU.
Happy to amend ‘getting into bed with the Tories’, with ‘forming a strategic alliance with the Tories’. A rose by any other name is still a rose and there will still be a lot of horse trading, accompanied with a lot of manure, to be done.
~The only thing that currently unites three of the four opposition Holyrood parties is a visceral hatred of the SNP and that can only hold them together for so long.
I still stand by my previous position that the eventual outcome, still some way down the road will be an amended OB Act. This will entail all round face saving?
Philboy..not sure… if he is a midfielder no ..not another one! hh
Whats the white smoke for??
Emeraldbee-
You must be getting the boot because a certain event is happening this weekend that will have the medical services a wee bit stretched…
Philbhoy on 19th May 2016 4:27 pm
JOHANN MURDOCH
Young Larsson is getting good reviews by some on here.
Is he worth a punt?
====================================
Son of Ghod. Why we haven’t bought him already bemuses me. Get him, Brodge!
You’ll think you’ve seen a ghost…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3LEGYcDA_s
Safe-standing and now safe-sex. . . What a site!
Jordan Larsson has 7 goals in 44 games
With a record like that, I’m surprised we haven’t signed him
There seems to be an acceptance here today the Brendan Rodgers is the man.
Oddly enough, the oft derided quonno was posting that Celtic had dug a hole for itself of such a magnitude that only an appointment of substance would get them out of it. Just saying.
Ah well!
Last post should have read. Months ago the oft derided quonno was posting.
Peter Houston’s interview not to great then?
Hope these rumours are true. At last I’ll be able to top my Reggie Blinker wig. The Brodge black brimmer will look amazing on top of the ole dreads…
timaloy29 sleeps on the heated driveway on 19th May 2016 4:36 pm
Jordan Larsson has 7 goals in 44 games
With a record like that, I’m surprised we haven’t signed him
=======================================
So he’s got a better record than his Dad had when we signed him?
Note the kid’s got a great left peg on him, is taller and not afraid to get in there with his head (4th goal in video) and would appear to have the same team-first instincts as his Da (note the great set-up play for last goal).
The question you must address before we have to spalsh a few hundred grand on him (bargain) – would young Jordan be able to reach to heights of Cifti?
Hail Hail to the poster that received a text from Brendan’s brother to say he’d gotten the job.
Never doubted you for a second CSC
Quonno
I recall recently…in numerous posts, saying similar things.
I was told that European Football was not important to Celtic.
I tried to tell them different…would they listen:)
Seems we were right all along….but shhhhh:)
HH
Oh look there’s Frankie Boyle on again…
Starry Plough
Aye….but Frankie gets paid for his gags:)
HH
In no way is ‘Brodge’ an annoying nickname for BR.
THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD
I guess he’s no worried about you stealing his thunder:)))
Jude..,
Cause they couldn’t get black
Starry Plough
Its the other way round mate.
FB has picked up quite a few of my gags.
I want them back.
Duel at some neutral comedy venue:)
HH
Wonder how Neg will feel. Great I’m sure as he is a Tim. The board really pulled this out the hat did they not?
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 19TH MAY 2016 4:44 PM
Peter Houston’s interview not to great then?
—————————————————————
Ole Pete not exactly box office is he ..god love him though;)..would be very good no 2-though not sure if he would accept the drop in wages !! :)
no sure what all the excitement is about BR. On nice shiny surfaces against teams that take us on, perhaps. On boggy, bumpy pitches, against 11 20yards out, with ref allowing fouling without punishment. Not for me, we need someone who sets the team up hard first and foremost – Moyes would be my first choice !
THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD
Had a feeling you were a comedian:))