Is the endgame near for Brendan Rodgers at Celtic? Time to start reading the warning signs…

Back in January 2021, we had a very uneventful transfer window, we all know the reasons behind that, and it made sense at the time.

If you could make sense of what the hell was going on at the club back then, that is.

Not many people could.

But one thing we knew for sure, was that the writing was on the wall for Neil Lennon.

He was never going to pull Celtic out of the slump they were in.

And the board weren’t backing him either.

They knew he was a dead man walking.

Jonjo Kenny came in on loan, and Jeremie Frimpong, surprisingly, (well, not surprisingly really), left for just north of £10 million.

Nothing else happened.

The board had already thrown the towel in, they knew Lennon was a busted flush.

They knew the title was out of reach.

So, they weren’t willing to pay for any players, and they took the money and ran when an offer came in for Frimpong.

This window has been eerily similar to that window three years ago.

Very little has happened.

Under much different circumstances.

We are very much in control of our own destiny when it comes to this season’s title.

Control, being the operative word.

So, why are we risking that destiny?

Well, the heart of the problem lies in the below image:

That, dear readers, is the main problem at Celtic.

Three family dynasties control our beloved club.

We all know how that ended up the last time people were allowed to have that sort of control over the club.

Brendan Rodgers may have come in this season thinking things were different.

Based on what he saw during Ange Postecoglou’s tenure, he was well within his rights to think that.

I firmly believe, and I’m not the only one, that Ange Postecoglou vacated the building when he saw the influence the Lawwell’s were beginning to have over the club.

To all intents and purposes, he saw what we are now witnessing coming down the tracks.

Remember, this man once stated that he wanted to leave a legacy at Celtic.

Whatever legacy he may have left behind him is well and truly dead and buried now.

It was short lived.

Fleeting.

He was here, and then he was gone, and now normal service is resumed.

It’s Brendan Rodgers I feel kind of sorry for.

Well, I do, and I don’t.

It’s hard to feel sorry for someone who earns £3 million a year.

But whether he earns £30k, £300k or £3 million a year, if he’s not happy in his working environment, it will only ever end up one way.

No amount of money will keep you in a job if you are not happy.

The warning signs are there.

Brendan Rodgers is not happy.

He cannot be happy with the shitshow that has been the January transfer window.

None of us are.

But Rodgers, more than any of us, is entitled to feel he was duped.

Duped, because he was sold a dud when it came to his future vision for this club.

That he is now in a position where he, like the rest of us, can easily tell the future of this club, is ominous.

Because lets get real here, we can all do it.

I’ve been doing it all month, and the majority of what I’ve predicted has come to pass, and continues to do so.

You don’t have to be a genius to work it out.

This board is mind numbingly predictable.

I think Brendan Rodgers has woken up to this.

Hell, I think he has been shaken wide awake by what he has witnessed over the last 6 months or so.

Last Saturday, Rodgers got antsy with the press when questioned about the atmosphere at the game against Ross County.

His reaction smacked of someone who is starting to get sick shit of what he’s dealing with.

Rodgers’ body language tends to tell you a lot more than what’s coming out of his mouth.

When both his words and his body language become irate, it’s not a good sign.

Here’s a reminder of what he asked for 5 years ago, and we all know what he got:

This was January window 2019. Same
Message. We NEED Quality. We brought in: Olly Burke, Weah, Toljan all on loan and bought Shved and Bayo for a combined 4 million. He left a month later. It was all there clear to see and still people can’t see why. Ken pic.twitter.com/Rw7KrjPP01

— Ken 🍀 (@Selickpark) January 9, 2024

Now, let’s ponder his mindset today, and factor in a few key points.

During Rodgers’ last tenure, he and Lawwell regularly clashed.

Both of their egos could not be accommodated within the walls of Celtic Park.

We all know how petty Lawwell is, and how he likes to settle scores.

He waited in the long grass to get the Green Brigade, and he got them in the end.

He was never going to let go of the humiliation he endured during the Covid season.

And he was always going to come back, and show everyone who’s boss.

Including Brendan Rodgers.

Now, Rodgers may have been willing to let bygones be bygones based on the assurances he was given last June.

He and Lawwell looked very jovial in his first press conference.

That was all for show, more so on Lawwell’s part than Rodgers.

We all know that Rodgers said he would see out the three years of his contract, unless he was forced to leave before those three years were up.

However, Lawwell is not one for allowing bygones to be bygones.

He harbours malice towards people who have slighted him.

In any way.

Maybe Rodgers was naive, and he thought Lawwell would work with him.

Clearly Lawwell had other ideas.

He has not worked with him.

Nor has his son.

Nothing they have done has helped Rodgers’ cause.

Banning the Green Brigade hampered Celtic’s performances, and that was solely down to Lawwell.

Lawwell Jnr. has yet to supply Rodgers with the kind of quality player he requires.

So, for what it’s worth, here’s my opinion.

This only ends one way.

I believe Rodgers is already sick to the teeth of the carry on behind the scenes.

He’s angry, and he’s bitter that he was taken for a fool again.

If I was him, I would be too.

I can only imagine that he is sick shit of Peter Lawwell, and his maniacal need for control over the club.

I say this, because what we are seeing today is a mirror image of what we saw 5 years ago.

In that equation, there are the same two common denominators, Rodgers and Lawwell.

I believe Rodgers has already told the board he’s done, and that he will be gone by the end of the season.

He will see the season out, and I’m sure he hopes he’ll leave on a high, by winning this title against all odds.

Unlike how things ended 5 years ago.

Because, believe me, based on what we’ve seen this January, the odds are now well stacked against him.

He knows if he wins the league, that will be his legacy.

It will be his two fingers to Lawwell.

You tried to f*** me over, but I won in the end, despite all your interference.

Why else do you think the board have not supplied him with the quality players he’s asked for in this window??

There’s a reason this has been one of the worst transfer windows in living memory.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, then you haven’t been paying attention.

The board, and Peter Lawwell are planning for life without Rodgers.

Or not planning, whatever way you want to look at it.

Then again, planning ahead has never been their strong suit, has it?

I may be wrong.

But I have my doubts.

Watch this space.