BRENDAN RODGERS is back in charge of Celtic after an absence of over four years.
The Irishman won seven successive domestic honours during his first spell as manager after arriving in May 2016.
It was a rollercoaster two and a half years before he departed Parkhead in hasty and controversial exit.
Life was rarely dull when the charismatic gaffer was around.
In another CQN EXCLUSIVE series, we are celebrating Rodgers’ second homecoming by reviewing his Celtic adventure from the beginning.
Author Alex Gordon, who has had fifteen Celtic books published, including ‘50 Flags Plus One‘, ‘CELTIC: The Awakening‘ and ‘That Season in Paradise‘, opens the pages of another publication, ‘CELTIC: Treble Treble‘, to chart the progress of an extraordinary character.
Please enjoy.
BRENDAN RODGERS stunned the Celtic fans with his swift exit on the morning of Tuesday February 26 2019 as he quit the champions and agreed a three-year deal with Leicester City.
As the day’s astonishing turn of events settled, the Irishman took the opportunity to thank the Hoops followers for their support during his 33-month stint at Parkhead.
Rodgers, who won back-to-back clean sweeps and was edging towards a historic treble treble, said it had been “a real honour” to work for the club he had supported growing up in Northern Ireland.
The outgoing gaffer said: “It has been a real honour to serve the club and its supporters across the past three seasons. “I have been a Celtic supporter all my life and the reason I came to Glasgow was to work for the club I had such love and affection for.
“From the moment I walked into Celtic Park, I have been living my dream and, together with the players, staff and supporters, we have been on an amazing journey, which I will never forget.
THE LAST SALUTE…Brendan Rodgers ackowledges the Celtic support after the champions’ 4-1 win over Motherwell at Parkhead on Sunday, February 24 2019. Two days later he departed the Hoops.
“To be welcomed in the way I was on my first day at Celtic Park is something I will always treasure. From that day I have given my all to the role of Celtic manager. I would like to sincerely thank the Board at Celtic for giving me the opportunity to manage Celtic in the first place and for the support they have given me throughout my time as manager.
“It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Peter, Ian, Dermot and the rest of the Celtic Board and together we have done everything we could to bring success to our supporters.
“I want to make a special mention to the Celtic players.
“They were an absolute pleasure to work with and I want to thank them all for the commitment and positivity they gave to my coaching philosophy each and every day.
“Every one of them will be a friend for life.
“Celtic is in great hands for the future and I am sure the club is in a wonderful position to continue to dominate Scottish football and do well in Europe, I know that will be the aim of everyone at the club.
“Celtic will always be my club and I wish everyone connected to Celtic – the Board of Directors, the staff and, of course, the Celtic supporters – every success in the future.”
* TOMORROW: Don’t miss the fourteenth and concluding instalment of the remarkable Brendan Rodgers Story so far.
