GORDON STRACHAN has applauded Brendan Rodgers for turning Celtic around so quickly.
The Scotland boss watched his old team overcome Hapoel Be’er Sheva 5-2 in their Champions League play-off in Glasgow in midweek.
And Strachan was fulsome in his praise of the new manager who has hit the ground running at Parkhead.
He said: “The fans wanted a personality, someone to excite them with some fresh football.
“And they’ve got that within a month. This time last year, they were saying: ‘It’s going to be a long season.’
“Now they’re saying: ‘Bring it on!’ They’re enjoying it now and not a lot of money has been spent, either.
“What is is? £4million, something like that?
“Listen, the guys who have been here for the past two years took a battering along with Ronny Deila.
“If a player is close to the manager, he will feel it.
“They’re now in a position where the manager is getting all these plaudits. They’re enjoying that and their football at the same time.”
Strachan also paid tribute to the the ethic of the team after the Israeli champions netted two swift goals in the second-half to bring it back to 3-2.
He added: “There was a character moment there. When their character was questioned, they came good.
“The manager and the players didn’t get spooked by the other team coming back.”
