THOMAS ROGNE was seen as one for the future when he was signed by Tony Mowbray on a free from Norwegian club Stabaek in January 2010.
The 19-year-old 6ft 4in centre-back agreed a three-and-a-half-year deal at the Parkhead side and was unexpectedly handed a first-team appearance only three weeks after arriving in Scotland.
Rogne made his debut as a second-half substitute for Glenn Loovens in a 2-0 win over Hearts at Parkhead on February 10. The teenager did enough to convince his manager to give him his full debut 10 days later in a 1-0 victory over Dundee United.
HEAD BHOY…Thomas Rogne scores a rare goal with a soaring header at Ibrox.
Two games, two wins and no goals conceded was an impressive start, but it didn’t take long for the harsh realities of football life to kick in. A week after his second appearance, he pulled a hamstring in a 2-0 loss to Rangers.
Mowbray was sacked the following month after a humiliating 4-0 defeat to St Mirren in Paisley and Neil Lennon took over in a caretaker capacity. Injury continued to hamper Rogne in a season to forget for the Norwegian and the club.
The defender still struggled for peak fitness as the 2010/11 season kicked off and had to wait until late October for a first-team outing as the visitors thumped St Johnstone 3-0 in Perth. He remained in the line-up for the next game, a resounding 9-0 romp against Aberdeen in Glasgow, but he was not celebrating at the end.
Frustratingly, the player was dismissed for a professional foul by referee Alan Muir just before the interval with the Hoops already 3-0 ahead.
Following his automatic suspension, Rogne returned to the side and scored his first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw against Kilmarnock four days before Christmas. He kept his place in a 2-0 win over Rangers at Ibrox in the first game of 2011.
BATTLE FOR POSSESSION…Thomas Rogne prepares to challenge Hibs striker Leigh Griffiths, a player who would become well known to the Celtic support.
He also faced the Govan club in the League Cup Final, but on this occasion Lennon’s men lost 2-1 and the youngster was replaced early in the game.
The consistency of Charlie Mulgrew and Daniel Majstorovic kept Rogne out of the first team for most of the remainder of the campaign.
The Norwegian fought back into Lennon’s plans the following season and he claimed a memorable headed goal against the Ibrox outfit, but, unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to rescue the Hoops from a 3-2 loss.
Injuries blighted his stay at Parkhead and Rogne left at the end of his contract in June 2013.
He moved to Wigan, but rarely figured and two years later switched to IFK Gothenburg. In August 2017, he was transferred to Polish outfit Lech Poznan.
On January 4 2022, Rogne was on his travels again to Greek side Apollon Smyrnis, but only six months later he shifted to Swedish outfit Helsingborg where he is under contract until the end of this season.
Years after leaving Parkhead, Rogne reflected: “Celtic is sort of like a place where, if you got the chance, you should stay there for the rest of your career.”
* TOMORROW: Don’t miss the adventures of another former Celt in CQN’s EXCLUSIVE series.
