The Great Unveiling was on Friday, and if you’ve followed the media coverage of it the thing you’ll notice most is that they are pushing a very specific line here, about how we are still some kind of “house divided.”
Almost every one of the reports cites a lack of enthusiasm for the appointment, or wants to focus on the lingering anger of a small section of the support.
There are times when the narratives being pushed by our media are shaky and confused.
This is not one of those times.
The idea that Rodgers’ appointment is not popular amongst the fan-base is being promoted very deliberately, to put him under pressure or make him believe that he’s under pressure right from the start.
The idea of Celtic as a divided club is obviously one that they take some pleasure in, and draw some solace from.
But it’s not true, no matter how much they might want to paint it as being so.
Rodgers will never again command the popularity that he did when he first walked through the doors of Celtic Park, but the idea that the Celtic support, as a whole, is simply waiting for him to fail so he can be hounded out of the club is preposterous.
Hugh Keevins – who really needs someone to sit him down and explain to him that he’s finished, that his career is finished, that he’s got nothing left to offer – has been pushing the line that Rodgers is angry at the fans, at having to explain himself, and that he might feel it’s not worth hanging around. Basically, Keevins is indulging in a little wishful thinking and he isn’t alone there.
Most of the hacks at the moment are singing a similar song.
Keith Jackson, this morning, talked about the “one man and his dog” who came to see Brendan Rodgers’ unveiling; this is miles from being factual. There weren’t thousands of people there on Friday but there were several hundred stood outside Celtic Park, and the fan-media guys like myself who were inside the ground greeted the manager warmly.
It was a Friday afternoon.
Most people had better things to do than come down to Celtic Park; nevertheless, I thought Brendan got a great reception.
The first time he was unveiled our managerial appointments had been Strachan followed by Mowbray followed by Lennon followed by Deila; suddenly we were putting an A-Lister in the Martin O’Neill category into the job, and so of course the fans packed the place out for him.
We’ve won five trebles since then. Appointing an A-list boss isn’t enough on its own to draw the crowds any longer. Wait until this guy brings the first trophy home.
I think the low-key way this has been done is perfect, actually.
The last thing the fans needed was a guy who was going to come out and kiss the badge and all that nonsense.
The last thing he needed was to be hailed as some kind of messiah.
Everyone knows the stakes here. Everyone knows the pressure, and it’s not unique to him,
Rodgers has been humbled by his sacking at Leicester. He knows that he’s luck to have a club like Celtic interested in him. He also knows that he has the talent and the personality to win the doubters to his side.
His “see you in May” comments were brilliant … because he’s saying “judge me when the prizes are handed out.”
Arrogant? Some will see it like that. I prefer to view it as confidence.
The truth is, this support is not as divided on the issue of the manager as the hacks would like it to be. I would be willing to bet that if you polled our supporters now you’d find a huge majority in favour of this guy, and that even groups like The Green Brigade have forgiven – if not forgotten – by the time the campaign proper kicks off.
This is far from being “a house divided” and the only reason some in the media want to pretend that it is should be obvious; they will cling to any crumb of comfort that they can get. This club is not where they expected it to be with the departure of the previous boss. A united Celtic is tough enough to deal with.
A united Celtic led by a top tier boss … that’s their worst nightmare.
I’m very surprised none of the hacks have put their FAKE NEWS stories out there with a broken crest/ or badge since Rodgers return,since they are being as NEGATIVE as they can be towards him and our club.
Meanwhile over at the BIGOT DOME they are S***E Shovelling by the barrow load about £7 million players being signed up and £25 million jackpots being gifted to them for a tournament they ain’t even yet.
Then we have the compo coming into the BIGOT DOME as well for taking a player onloan but not signing them,then giving said player back to the parent club and getting a chunk of the transfer fee when said player is sold that nothing to do with the BIGOTED KLUB,you couldn’t make it up.
The press and media are still in a state of shock. Sure they’re kicking out the obvious comment about the way in which he left a few years ago hoping our fans would kick back against him and the board. Reality though is they’re realising that the vast majority of Celtic fans aren’t focussed on then and are more focussed on now and the season ahead. It’s a huge disappointment to them that we’re not desperately scrambling for AP’s replacement and indeed have a quality, probably better, manager installed in the place of AP. They had hoped to milk that situation all summer and the fact that the Celtic voices are firmly behind Rodgers is doubly gutting for them.
So they’re left with diversionary articles lying about their club of choice making millions from a non signing from Bayern and the millions saved from freebie world class Premier League winning signings they’ve just got in or are after.
It all helps to divert the gullibles from remembering that it was their very own fans who were voicing disgruntlement at beale’s performances against us in the cups and league, all of which we won of course, and from the many voices calling for his removal as we ever near the 56.
Ange’s terrible points and results gathering at the end of season also helped quieten them down coupled with that terrible display at the midden they’re probably now wishing AP had stayed on. Muppets.
It got so bad at one point after the Scottish Cup semi that that I heard beale was employing a lookalike, just like Putin. It doesn’t lookalike he’s gonna win anything this season either. HH
Let me try the premise from another angle ! Is there ANYTHING that the SMSM likes about Celtic FC ? There has to be a few little snippets that have flown in under the radar ,but other than those I’m knackered with a capital ‘F’to come up with any significant examples ….
The reason it’s the SMSM’s worst nightmare is simple: it’s sevco’s worst nightmare, and both their desires and fates are interlinked.
The reappointment of Rodgers always stood to raise controversy and was against it at the time due to I didn’t think the club needed such, when in such a strong position.
The decision has been taken now, and believe the majority are now fully behind it now.
Of course there will still be a small element against the decision, yet some of the views amount to nothing but bull in there views.
Was the same reception given towards lenny when he was reappointed?
And a manager who and never was or ever will be in the same caliber as Rodgers?
I still don’t believe Rodgers could have done as good as a job Ange achieved with the club where it found itself at the time, yet that time has passed now.
However I still believe Rodgers has a better chance of taking the club to a higher level in European football than Ange could have done so imo.
Ange walked away from that opportunity available and believe Rodgers will revell in the opportunity available now as was deprived of that chance last time around due to the interference of a certain person at the time.
Decisions are always going to be made within any club that won’t be to everyone’s liking, yet I still don’t understand how you can call yourself a supporter if so against such a decision?
Are the likes really hoping the club to fail, just to be proven right?
Rodgers faces some huge decisions to be made within the club, no difference to what Ange faced in doing so, yet no one would have been making a fuss if Ange were to making such decisions that wasn’t to there liking, so will that remain intact under Rodgers?
I still believe so, regardless of the moaners who seem more content within themselves with failure.
Celtic supporters have never been that way within it’s support towards the club and hardly going to start now either.
The strangest thing about all of this is no one is saying a thing against Nicholson, who has been rightly acclaimed for the great job he has done to date?
Strange that?
The media wouldn’t dare to go there to make bigger eejits out of themselves than they already do, yet with the Scottish media anything is possible?
Rodgers will have the hunger to succeed even stronger than he had last time around, and hoping he will deliver and will be fully behind him in his quest to delivering
Beal is on Skid Row buying anything that can kick a ball – as long as he’s cheap and can utter the old worn-out mantras: “We’re coming for Celtic” blah, blah, blah, our title, blah, blah, going for fifty thousand titles blah, blah blah, worlds most successful cheats yada, yada, yada.
Seems like for every tenner Celtic spend – Sevco hire another dud.
I remember when Advocaat got the job with the legalised thieves. He got the jobby in the January of the year, seven months before the new season. and WALTER was still in-situ during that waiting period. The great WALTER, the all-powerful WALTER, the legendary WALTER had to sit like a naughty boy at the back of the bus (before it was burned out) and watch wee Dickie rule from afar. The pretence was that WALTER had handed in his resignation and was
running down his (6 month rolling?) contract. I just wonder what the craic would have been if that had been a Celtic manager who had been so publicly S4*t upon.
As for those who turned out for Brendan`s second coming. They were a very small percentage of those who would love to have been there but just couldn`t, for many reasons, be there.
Superb appointment,We signed a top manager, a professional not a boyband
Brendan – like me – is far too intelligent to be wasting his his time reading or listening to illiterate media rags that are only fit for the gutter base level Sevco fans who are certainly keeping them clinging on at their life support machines…
Hopefully they’re to be switched off very soon !
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp………….
They are terrified!! And with good reason Brendan being back has destroyed them!! We be going for 10 again in due course and they know it alright!! The puppets in the media need to find some comfort for the poison as that’s their customers base as well as being many of their own team ! Total amateurs that lot, we now talk about Trebles as the norm even Brendan said it !! Ha ha that kills ” Der Hun” to hear it really does and it’s great!! Another Treble incoming me thinks! I am losing count now!! Yassssssss
As Brendan said, come back and see him in May.We will have to listen to all the detractors in the build up to the new season and beyond as they try to convince themselves that their team of no names will surpass us. This happens every season and you’ve got to wonder how gullible they are to swallow the guff they are fed. Anyway, back to the Bhoys and let’s look forward to another successful season and look forward to May. HH.