We don’t often hear from largest shareholder Dermot Desmond, but he issued a statement after yesterday’s appointment of Brendan Rodgers saying, “In appointing Brendan we believe we have again brought that quality to the club. Brendan is a very talented manager, he has huge experience at the highest levels and is a man who knows how to win and do so in style.
There was no shortage of candidates for the role, but the first line of the quote tell the story of why Brendan was appointed. “Experience…. highest levels… knows how to win”. One candidate was not prepared to leave Norway, one could not speak English and several excellent prospects were short of experience at the top level. Brendan ticked all the boxes, the only candidate to do so.
When he arrived in 2016, he rang the changes. No disrespect meant to Ronny Deila or Neil Lennon, whose experience was limited to managing in Norwegian and Scottish football respectively, but Brendan had worked under Mourinho at Chelsea, then as boss at Liverpool, you’re just not going to get the same development opportunities at Stromsgodset. On his return in 2019, Neil Lennon was gracious enough to acknowledge the advancement made since he left five seasons before.
In the years since Brendan was last at Lennoxtown, Celtic have pushed ahead again, most crucially in recruitment. The systems and metrics used to evaluate players now are so far ahead of what Lee Congerton would recognise, it could be considered a whole new discipline. Brendan is clever, he has acknowledged and embraced the progress. He will also work with the prevailing financial and trading development plan – which is more expansive than it gets credit for. Nothing was changed to induce him.
We have a successful tactical strategy which needs to be further developed, not abandoned. John Kennedy, Gavin Strachan and Harry Kewell remain. Ange’s backroom team is now Brendan’s. His long-term partner Chris Davies went to Tottenham, but again, Brendan acknowledged and embraced the progress made in the coaching staff since his departure. As a result, I expect our style next season to be closer to that of Ange than it was previously under Brendan.
We are six weeks from the start of the season, bring it on.
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GREENPINATA on 20TH JUNE 2023 5:15 PM
Like many other long standing supporters, I really don’t give a flying f@ ck what the GB think about our new best fit manager.
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Like any new manager, Brendan should get our full support. No set of fans are any better than others. We can be sure the SMSM will be stirring the shite. Don’t be a daft wee rebel looking for a cause.
DENIABHOY on 20TH JUNE 2023 3:26 PM
What should BR try to improve?
In one word – Transition.
Particularly defensive transition. Relatively decent european team wins the ball in their own defensive 3rd. Ange’s team struggled. In year one there was a clear attempt to press the opposition in their own half, but we didn’t have a defensive shape/strategy beyond that.
As we got into year 2, Ange’s attacking transition strategy became less effective. In winning the ball in our own half, we no longer tried to take advantage of the space available and the speed of our forwards. Instead, we seemed to adopt a basketball approach. Pass the ball around in our own half, allow the opposition to get everyone back and get organized…then we’d try to pass our way through the 11 players in front of us.
So, if BR can sort Transition out on Day 1, that would be a good start. On Day 2, he can do what he wants…..
Ronnie
BADA BING
Third time lucky for Joe.
What a finish we’re in for.
loggin in to flounce off
ZIGGYDOC1 on 20TH JUNE 2023 6:18 PM
“Like any new manager, Brendan should get our full support. No set of fans are any better than others. We can be sure the SMSM will be stirring the shite. Don’t be a daft wee rebel looking for a cause”
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Daft wee rebels looking for a cause. Yup, your words just about sums them up.
The GB are entitled to their own opinion, or what their leaders tell them.
I really don’t care what their opinion is. They could have remained silent but they choose to air their views in public.
Why ?
Thanks for the cricket updates.
I hav
OOps, that didn’y work……
I have a theory, probably complete garbage but here goes, the GB reckon that Pedro and BR don’t get on, so they want to side with Pedro for a host of differing reasons, as I said could be total garbage, but it makes sense to me anyways.
Aussies win
Well Done the Aussies. Brave partnership between the captain and spinner needing 55 to win with only 2 wickets in hand when they came together.
Captivating stuff. Roll on Lords!
Chairbhoy @ 3.41
‘Net spend’ at Leicester and Celtic low at each club with two very different budget sizes and therefore calibre of players available. He wanted Tim Castagne at Celtic, we wouldn’t pay what the selling club were asking he got his man at Leicester, but he cost 20M Euros.
Re St Brendan FWIW whilst you’re around, I don’t think he cares as much as some supporters do, with regard to how much Celtic will pay. That’s because he’s in a position to know about relevant player salaries, the bit that some Celtic supporters don’t get is where the transfer fee usually dictates, how much the player earns a week e.g. Castagne out of our league fee and wage, but easy for Leicester.
Brendan Rodgers says ‘he gets it’ and signs his personal contract (now twice) knowing that Celtic cannot pay Premier League type wages and CL players will look beyond Celtic money. He obviously doesn’t care what player market he’s working in, his three year deal is pukka, He’s a big business man property owner / developer I believe, with the massive overheads that brings, it was a simple decision right enough – Brendan. Shelf wear in England, considering time off, wee “one of the biggest club’s in the world” Celtic, make you a great offer? Inherit a treble winning team,season tickets already sold, jobs a good un.
Looking forward to Michael Nicholson, and Christopher McKay working with another great coach, new exciting times at Celtic, change is good.
HH.
Watched the last few mins of cricket in the pub. I had to zone out as 2 US psycho hose beasts were roaring about how they hate their colleagues. Very aggressive and sweary. Me and all the staff gone into our shells hoping they will go away ‘like’
Thankfully them lassies ate gone. I was genuinely more stressed than arguing who was on pool next in a Killie pub
KT
True to your word.
HH
CONEYBHOY on 20TH JUNE 2023 7:40 PM
I know exactly what you mean 🫣
Basically the Hampden pitch is unplayable especially with the modern football.
how did this game ever get the go ahead???
Then again CalMac has just scored
So play on!
Paid £15 for this, wonder if you get your money back if they pull the game now.
any sausages to the scotland game
Ye’re gonna need more than six Weegies wi squeegies to clear that volume of water off the pitch….
Six squeegees , 🙈🙈
ye wid think they’d hiv a big squeegie machine..” right Tam get the big yin out”!
some win by the aussies
Hampden is really a big shitehole………..wurs oor retractable roof!
Fully retracted
So if game is off they play at st mirren tomorrow , how does that work with the crowd ?
Pay at gate ? Free entry ?… All this and more will be explained in the next episode of SFA it’s oor baw …😜
And when I say baw I mean baw , cause we spent the money on sqeegees 😂
For those advocating that CalMac plays further forward for Celtic, his goal for for Scotland supports that idea.
This is where the aul mouldmaster would come into its’ own……
They could always be sensible and replay it at CP, our charge can be 40% 🤣
Rain back on. Heavy too
Apparently though if the players are happy to play on (Captains?) the game will restart at 9pm.
There must be something dodgy about that pitch, looks plastic, with no drainage
Now 9.15pm restart.
Calmac beautiful goal and brilliant quip in the tunnel there our captain leader legend.
TOM MCLAUGHLIN on 20TH JUNE 2023 5:16 PM
No problem, Tom. I thoroughly enjoyed the Highlights and hope the remaining games in the Series are as good as this one was. Pity one team had to lose. Stokes is showing himself in a very good light and it`s a pity he didn`t quite hold on to that attempted catch.
MAESTRO on 20TH JUNE 2023 9:10 PM
Brilliant quip??
Got to hope there won’t be too many VAR referrals in this game now.