Brendan, brinkmanship and the board
A summer of discontent.
Brendan Rodgers believes that, along with touch and sharpness, these early pre-season games also allow players to find their “pitch geography.”
Another corporate style quip and an interesting insight into the depth of thought, the Irishman puts into not only the game, but also explaining it to people like you and me, most likely players as well. Whatever opinion we have of Rodgers' character, he is a man who loves his work.
A coach will sink or swim on his ideals or tactics. Of ultimate importance, though, is how well he can convey them. Instructing professionals should be easy in theory, but educating them to the point where they subscribe wholeheartedly is the key difference between success and failure.
This time around, the edges of Rodgers’ personality seem smoother; his exploits at Leicester have added more pages to his playbook, more layers of experience, and judgment. There are more bullet points and successes on the CV. Ultimately, the thread count of his coaching is higher, and it's underpinned by a maturity that wasn’t as developed in his first spell.
The idea of this less confrontational, less egotistical manager may be debunked - it’s certainly being tested - in the coming weeks, though; the belief being that the glass ceiling of Celtic and its risk-averse stewards will stifle Rodgers’ ambition, more pertinently, his motivation. There has been no Maryan Shved moment yet, but the frustration is clear to see.
Celtic held their nerve to take all three points in Sunday’s season opener, but it still feels like something insidious is present, or in the post at least. Rodgers’ enthusiasm for the display was starkly contrasted to the measured, yet extremely revealing, press conference he gave on Friday.
Rodgers is doing the talking, but it’s the Celtic hierarchy that has questions to answer.
‘I’m very happy here’. There’s conditions we want to be able to improve and be better because I’m not the type of manager that’s good at maintaining anything. If it’s just something to maintain, I’m not the manager of Celtic. It’ll be someone else.”
The board are playing a weird game of brinkmanship at the wrong time.
After clinching the league at Tannadice in May, Rodgers told the fawning panel of Sky Sports that he will “150%” be here for the third season of his three-year deal, but beyond that, little is guaranteed. The fact that nothing is agreed leaves the door open to speculation.
Does he see out his last year and ride off into the sunset, far more amicably than his first departure?
Does he sign an extension and stay for the next two seasons? This would be ideal for most. Any manager or project has a shelf life and four seasons; these days, is a fair stint in the role.
There’s also the legacy option, where he commits his long-term future to the club, signs a bumper contract, and we all start signing about 10 in a row again. Is this a possibility? Is there much appetite for it? It seems unlikely, especially in the constantly moving cycles of modern football management. Indeed, Martin O’Neill’s five-year stint remains our longest managerial term in 30 years.
Realistically, is there more he can do? Having managed clubs the size of Celtic and Liverpool, the 52-year-old will be acutely aware of the consequences of success. Yesterday’s favours are tomorrow’s expectations, and he has made winning trebles a standard. He may also ponder how exalted the greats are at these two institutions. Having made more than enough money, what does he want from his career? Reverence?
Languid performances in games devoid of jeopardy and back-to-back defeats to Rangers somewhat undermined just how dominant this team was, up to a point last season. Those derby matches do not accurately reflect the standard of both sides, and fans on either side who put much stock in them should know better. Celtic, coldly put, had won the league by the end of November. Penalties off winning a treble, and seconds away from extra time at the Allianz Arena; last season wasn’t far off being extraordinary for Celtic.
As always in football, the next season is the most pivotal. Continued domestic success is vital, but Rodgers will be looking to consolidate the success of last year in Europe.
“We brought in certain players that helped our profile when we moved into the Champions League. And those players really helped us in the Champions League. So my ambition now is to keep us going in that direction. And that’s what our conversations are about.”
The fact that he needs to sell the board on progression or sustenance even is concerning.
That cruel ending in Munich must keep him up at night; hopefully, it motivates him as well. Only Bayern have managed to better Celtic in our last 7 Champions League games at home and in the 5 away games last season, we managed draws away to Atalanta, Zagreb and Bayern – two of these were clean sheets. Quite a departure from previous form – only 1 win at home in a decade - at that level.
Rodgers himself spoke of “credibility restored” in Europe. A quip that summarises the support’s feeling well. The home form, the fortitude and versatility shown, the collective and individual experience gained, and importantly, the tactical nuances
Securing Rodgers and simultaneously modernising the club’s footballing infrastructure seems like the smart thing to do. It would be the “Empire move” for the club, but Celtic displaying anything like positive intent looks unlikely at the moment.
Record cash reserves, a strong showing in the Champions League, and a strong nucleus of players are the perfect platform from which to build. More and more, it’s looking like what is already threadbare might completely unravel.
A successful outcome to the opening weekend is usually a perfect remedy for this type of uncertainty, especially one that establishes a two-point lead over your rivals. It has done little to numb the discontent that permeates the support, evidently, the manager as well.