Celtic’s victory against Man City last night proves that the board’s reluctance to support Rodgers in this transfer window is an abrogation of their responsibility to Celtic football club
Eric Knott 
Grant Halverson/Getty Images Sport
In the early hours of this morning, Celtic and Brendan Rodgers, in their age old tradition, put on a show.
With a scintillating brand of football, they took Manchester City apart to score four excellent goals and ultimately win the match against the English champions 4-3.
If we thought the performance against DC United was good, this one moved up several levels from that.
To me, last night’s victory is bitter sweet.
Bitter sweet, because it showed me what Brendan Rodgers is capable of as a manager.
And make no mistake, Rodgers is an elite manager.
Think about that.
At a club that has a stale, predominantly geriatric boardroom, we have an elite manager.
A manager who we pay £3 million per annum.
It doesn’t quite fit the picture, does it?
To a degree, Rodgers looks as if he’s in the wrong movie.
A manager like him should be surrounded by a young, progressive, forward thinking board.
He should have the proper infrastructure supporting him.
A proper, seasoned scouting network.
A Director of football.
And most important of all, the players an elite manager requires to produce an elite product on the field of play.
Yet last night, Rodgers did exactly that, he produced an elite level performance with a playing squad he really had no hand in putting together.
With the exception of Nicolas Kuhn, who I’ll get to soon, and Kaspar Schmeichel.
Yes, I know this was a friendly, and quite a few of City’s players were not regular first teamers.
However, you also need to take into account that their younger players come from an elite youth academy.
Unlike the farcical operation we have, and continue to neglect criminally.
Everything about Man City as a club epitomises the word elite.
Yet Brendan Rodgers went toe to toe with them and came out on top.
That speaks volumes about the manager we have at our club.
Then, if you isolate the performances of Nicolas Kuhn and Kaspar Schmeichel, what do you see?
You see two players Rodgers brought to the club, and you see exactly what he saw in them.
Kuhn was outstanding.
He showed glimpses of what he was capable of last season, but it now appears we’re getting to see what he’s really capable of.
Judging by last night’s performance, I think we’re in for a treat when it comes to Nicolas Kuhn this coming season.
Then there was Schmeichel’s performance.
Some of the saves he made reminded me of his father in his pomp at Manchester United.
That trademark charge Peter Schmeichel used to make at oncoming opposition players, where he made himself huge and the ball rarely got past him.
Either a leg, a thigh, his chest or an arm stopped it.
If Viljami Sinisalo can emulate that, and learn those attributes from Kaspar Schmeichel, then the goalkeeping future at Celtic looks very bright.
Yet it’s all bitter sweet to me.
Just imagine what we could achieve if we had three or four more players handpicked by Rodgers?
There is no doubting he has an eye for talent.
Even if that talent is still locked in a player wating to be realised, as it clearly was in Nicolas Kuhn.
Not only can Rodgers spot it, he can develop it, and coax it out of players to produce performances akin to what we saw from Kuhn last night.
You have to wonder, though, what our board saw last night, as opposed to what we saw?
More fiscal opportunity?
Or the evidence required to support the elite manager we have in the transfer market?
Well to me, if they do not support Rodgers with what he requires before the end of this window, that is an abrogation of their responsibility to this club.
It will show everybody that they are nothing but self-serving charlatans, and that they have zero interest in advancing this football club to where it should be.
That is untenable.
Fan patience is at a very low ebb, and to end this transfer window weaker than we entered it, well if that isn’t a breaking point, I’m not sure I know what is?
The board has continuously been eroding the good will our fans show towards the club.
We love this club, but the same cannot be said for the board.
They persist in taking advantage of the love the fans have for the club, and its getting to the point where they’re taking the piss.
Last night, one of my regular commenters used a metaphor for the way we behave as fans.
It might be slightly extreme, but I think it fits the bill:
I give up. Many of my fellow Celts seem to have a disturbingly weird BDSM kink session going on with the board.
I can’t really repeat the rest, but you can view it in the comments on yesterday’s article.
It kind of hits the nail on the head.
The general gist of it is that we sadistically allow the board to take the piss out of us, and we keep on coming back for more.
However, as with everything in life, where one party consistently takes advantage of another, there is always a breaking point.
I would venture to say that breaking point is close at hand.
There are seismic tremors going on in Scottish football at the moment.
All of a sudden, the equilibrium of the game in this country is out of kilter again.
The Ibrox club are inching ever closer to another administration event, more on that later, and should that come to pass, it will be clear to everyone that it was allowed to come to pass.
Our board will have played their part in that.
They had an opportunity 12 years ago to ensure it never came to pass again.
They didn’t take it.
A mere dozen years later, and here we are again, on the cusp of another Ibrox entity floundering and failing spectacularly.
If that happens, it will prove that absolutely nobody learned from the first extinction event.
So, while our board has the chance, they should be focusing on their own house.
Focusing on insulating that house for the future.
Europe should be the source of that insulation, not the domestic game, and not O** F*** inc.
Our governing board has consistently failed us
If the current Ibrox entity flounders, the SFA will have proven categorically that they are not fit for purpose.
That they cannot be relied upon to govern the game in Scotland.
Our board should be wary of this, and preparing for the future by strengthening our squad to a level where it can compete in Europe.
Because I personally think they should not be allowed to survive an Ibrox extinction event, combined with a failure to strengthen our squad.
Brendan Rodgers proved last night that he can take this club to the next level.
I’m not sure what more this man has to do.
If the board cannot see that now, then there really is no hope for the future of this club.
They need to do the right thing by the manager, and the fans.
Whether they will or not remains to be seen.
If they don’t, then we as fans need to wake up and realise that enough is enough.
Because I can guarantee you one thing, it won’t take long for Brendan Rodgers to wake up and realise he’s being taken for a ride again!
That’s the irony of Scottish football in a nutshell.
It seems doomed to make the same mistakes over and over again.
And I include us, Glasgow Celtic, in that.
That may seem harsh, but can you imagine if we have a repeat scenario of Brendan Rodgers walking because the board refused to support him in the transfer market again?
Does that not put us in the same category as the rest of Scottish football?
Where we have a complete inability to learn from past mistakes?
Now, right now, we have an opportunity to break the cycle.
At the risk of repeating myself, Brendan Rodgers proved last night that he can take this club to the next level.
The board have the opportunity, and the finances to take advantage of that.
Do I trust that they will do that?
No, I don’t, but I have to live in hope.
If they fail us, and the club, then we need to let them know in no uncertain terms, that their time is up.
They need to know we’re watching their every move.
We are entering a critical period, both for our own club, and for the wider game in this country.
Time for the board to wake up.
Or be woken up.
What a load of absolute shite.
Rodgers is the problem I. The transfer market and has been at every other club.
Imagine getting carried away over a half hearted kickabout against kids rather than the actual shite football Rodgers has provided on the park for 3 of his 4 seasons at Celtic.
There is absolutely nothing elite about him and the myth of him leaving because he wasn’t backed is exactly that, a myth.
If he was as screwed over as you claim and he came back for more he must be the biggest fool in the game.
Much of what you say in this article has echoed my feelings on the current situation at Celtic with regard to the board. I am disheartened at the lack of progress the club seems to be making in respect of recent player signings. I think it is fairly obvious that the route to a future successful club will be increased european participation. For this to happen we must allow the manager to bring in quality players, otherwise Celtic FC will be quickly left behind.
It seems clear to me the board’s MO is to clear out the poor signing we have made over the last couple of years before we spend.BR has already said he wants to work with a smaller squad.I would understand this strategy if I felt confident that we will bring in better quality.Unfortunately, even though it is blatantly obvious now is the time to do it, the board’s track record doesn’t bode well.I think this could be a tipping point for many fans.
Utter garbage yet again….give me proof and examples of the board not supporting BR or any manager…your just like every other entitled fan that no matter what you think because your a fake journo you can write as much hate towards the club as you want. Players have been identified and these players just don’t want to play there football in Scotland ,nothing to do with the board saying NO ya clown
Ehh, take a look at the current transfer window mate, and tell me how well the board is supporting BR? How much more proof do you need? Oh, and while you’re at it, name for me the players that have been identified and don’t want to play their football in Scotland, since you seem to know best. I’m sure you’ll be able to name as many names as signings we’ve made in the current window? Just goes to show how gullible you are that you believe that age old excuse, which we’ve heard time and time again from the board. If you can do better than two so far, you’ll be doing well. And for the record, I don’t hate Celtic, I love the club. Nor do I hate the board, I just don’t like the way they operate, and I’m entitled to my opinion on that, just as much as you are. If you’re happy with it, then bully for you. Finally, find me one blog that I’ve written where I’ve claimed I’m a journo, fake or otherwise. I’m not a journalist, I’m a blogger. Two completely different things.
Stephen
says:
24th July 2024 at 1:12 pm
Utter garbage yet again….give me proof and examples of the board not supporting BR or any manager…your just like every other entitled fan that no matter what you think because your a fake journo you can write as much hate towards the club as you want. Players have been identified and these players just don’t want to play there football in Scotland ,nothing to do with the board saying NO ya clown
————–
Stephen
You sound like one of the Lawwellites from board stooge Brennan’s CQN.
Proof of the board not supporting the manager? The last transfer window when Lawell apologised for not doing enough.
Look at the John McGinn window when board patsy Brennan was boasting about Lawwell getting McGinn to wait a year to sign him on a Bosman. Look how that turned out!
You are stating factually that players won’t play in Scotland, can you tell me how well do you know these players that told you this? Friends of yours?
Of course if the club won’t pay going rate for quality then that will be closer to the truth than your bullshit.
keep the TIM ON TIM spats coming. Makes for a lovely read.
Why is it that all this shit about getting the right players goes on and on Bernardo scenario has been going on for ages now it shows how our so called people that is meant to make these deals happen are so incompetent.
billie
What is it like to support a club that’s skint and has a home ground that won’t be used for months?
Your club are paupers.
Billy boy, go suck your sisters cock ya halfwit inbred.
So many board apologists in the comments. Or is that you liewell? Trolling this blog.
I’m sure half of you don’t even read all of the articles just skim read then straight to the abuse. It’s all fact this blogger is writing… I for one haven’t put a penny into the plc for years and won’t ever. Good article again mate.
Lawwell is a crook. He is up to his neck in the 5WA. The fact that he-as Celtic CEO-did not go after Murray and the EBT cheats in a court of law-says it all. Probably too busy exchanging dodgy handshakes with his Ibrox masters. His legacy as an incompetent clown and Ibrox collaborator, is surely safe and secure. Never a Celtic man in his life.
Hail Hail
Lawell is a fraud. Celtic is a global brand who keeps getting bigger every year. Probably the biggest supported club in the world. We play in a league where we win 3m for a 38 game slog. Yet, in the cl we win 2.5m for a single game. I’m not for a minute suggesting we try and build a team to win it but at the very least build a team capable of taking a few scalps along the way. Fact of the matter is we have regressed massively in Europe. Not so long ago celtic Park was a fortress in the cl but now the big club look forward to 3 points home and away against us. Failed in the stephen fletcher deal years ago that cost us the title. Failed in the john mcginn deal after hoping to get him for fuck all. Failed in the Ivan toney bid despite being told by the chairmen of the club NOT to even think of lowballing them. What did Peter do? Tried to lowball them. Toney moved on and we could t buy one of his boots now. But went out and spent 5.5m on ajeti who was always a risk.lawell has played football manager for too long at the club. Why did he sign sved when the manager made it clear that the last thing we needed was another winger. So there’s the proof one of the Commenter above is looking for. Open your eyes ya clown
You are 100% correct. Rodgers is a great manager for us and will not hang around forever. He has called them out in the last day or so and let’s see what the next few week bring.
If the club don’t back him to the maximum that they can then they will have a cheek charging £200 for cl matches. If it comes to that then the support need to show that we will not just put up with anything and take action.