da aviator aposta： With reports suggesting that Brendan Rodgers is on the brink of becoming the man to replace Ronny Deila, Celtic fans are abuzz with speculation about what all this means for their club.
da cassino： The Scottish Premiership next season is set to be the most competitive in years and the Bhoys can’t afford to make any mis-steps in the managerial market. Aberdeen, Hearts and Rangers are all waiting in the wings to capitalise on any weakness, after all.
Europe, too, is key, Celtic haven’t reached the group stages of the Champions League since 2013 and if they miss out this summer it’ll be the first time they’ve gone three seasons in a row without getting there since the turn of the century.
Let’s take a look at FIVE reasons why we think appointing Rodgers signals good times ahead for the Parkhead faithful…
He knows the history…
When new managers and players come to a club it has become football tradition for them to pay lip service to the club’s fans and the club’s history – everyone becomes a boyhood fan of their new club overnight.
When/if Rodgers arrives we’ll know he means it because he’s already said it.
Back in 2013 when Celtic met Liverpool in a friendly match in Dublin, Rodgers said, “I was a Celtic supporter growing up. My first appointment was by Tommy Burns. As a human being he was incredible and I learnt a lot from him.”
He also said on another occasion, “It’s a tough job managing Celtic although all my family would love to see me there in the future. Martin O’Neill and Lenny would have walked to be in charge there and I’m no different.”
That sounds like the kind of man I’d want in charge of my club.
Tactical flexibility
One of the key criticisms of Ronny Deila in his time as Celtic manager was his inability to change from his 4-2-3-1 formation, regardless of opposition or personnel available.
Rodgers is certainly familiar with that possession heavy set-up having utilised it to great effect at Swansea. Upon arrival at Liverpool he soon realised that in order accommodate both Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge he would need to change up what he knew and devised a high pressing, counter attacking system that allowed his players to achieve their potential.
That trust in players to adapt and allowing a team to evolve as its own entity will be key for the Celtic fans in accepting a new manager, especially as the week to week demands of the Scottish Premiership are so different to campaigns on the European front.
He can develop Celtic’s young team
Celtic have an abundance of talent at a young age – 12 of the first team squad regulars are under the age of 25. Kieran Tierney, Jack Aitchison, Jozo Simunovic, Ryan Christie and Patrick Roberts are all exciting prospects at 21 years old or younger.
Brendan Rodgers knows how to develop a player. He was academy director at Reading before becoming Chelsea’s head youth coach in 2004 under Jose Mourinho.
At Swansea and Liverpool he helped develop Joe Allen, Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson into key players for their sides from a young age.
Just this week Luis Suarez told reporters, “If it was not for Brendan, then I know I would not be the same player that you see at Barcelona today. Such a big part of my education is down to him and his management.”
He has a pedigree of improving and developing players, something that should have Celtic fans salivating.
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Big club experience
The Celtic job is massive. It’s bigger than most people realise. The expectation to win every week is a pressure that most managers would wilt under.
Ronny Deila won three trophies in two years and for many it wasn’t enough. Deila, for all his strengths, was perhaps unprepared to take on a task of this magnitude.
On leaving his post as Celtic manager Deila said, “The life has been the most tiring thing. Freedom is a very important thing for me. It’s a value I rate very highly but you lose your freedom in this job. People think they own you.”
Brendan Rodgers knows what that’s like. As manager of Liverpool he brought them to the brink of their first title since 1990. If there’s any club in the world that places as high expectations on their manager as Celtic, it’s the famous Anfield club.
It’s been proven he can take that scrutiny.
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He can bring the thunder
Upon being unveiled as the permanent Celtic manager in 2010 Neil Lennon famously said he wanted to bring the thunder back to Celtic Park – he wanted to see it rock again.
The last two seasons under Deila have been a rollercoaster for Celtic fans, every positive step forward has been met with one step back. The atmosphere at Celtic Park has suffered as a result, the supporters feeling a disconnect with a team that has let them down in big games and in Europe.
Rodgers, a man who would universally be considered as a good appointment by the fans, can unify the fanbase behind a single purpose and bring the sort of renewed energy to the stadium that we haven’t seen since Martin O’Neill arrived on the scene in 2000.
With derby days returning to Glasgow on a regular basis again there’s no better time to bring life to the jungle.
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