What a mental two weeks it has been since we beat Kilmarnock at Celtic Park. Does it feel like we were rocked back on our heels a bit? For sure, social media has reverberated with the sound of battle and war, and I don’t mean over in Gaza.
This crazy fortnight started with banner and it ended in a ban.
Those two are connected, and that’s a fact, but the connections aren’t as obvious as they seem. As I said last night, a serious showdown between The Green Brigade and the club has been boiling away for some time.
The banner was the final act. It was not a single devastating event which swept aside all goodwill and sense of unity between the fans and the club.
Part of the reason we’re here in the first place is that there has been a fundamental miscalculation on the part of some people as to what the power dynamic in this situation is. Make no mistake, that power is asserting itself now.
But yesterday, the person with the greatest claim to speak for this club did so and he brought some much needed – oh so badly needed – leadership and sanity to this situation. Brendan Rodgers was everything you want a leader to be.
Measured. Calm. Compassionate. Cool under pressure. Diplomatic.
Doubtless, all a little too weak for some.
For those of us who wanted to see those qualities, he hit every mark. Every single thing he was asked about he gave the answers we would have wanted to hear.
On the subject of the game at Tynecastle, he projected confidence and expressed the view that Hearts would gain nothing from their stunt of allowing only 500 Celtic fans into the game. He knows that at least part of this is to do with trying to gain a sporting advantage and he reminded people that we went to Ibrox and won without a single supporter.
That was a great answer.
On the subject of away fans, he was clear that he hopes for a minimum percentage guarantee, and that’s a reflection of the club’s position, but I suspect Brendan, who knows the value of the fans, would back it nonetheless.
As any good football person would, unless you’re employed by Hearts or working on Radio Clyde.
He understands the moral case in favour of this and we could do a lot worse than to have him speak on it more often.
He tackled the subject of the Ibrox managerial change exactly as we’d all have wanted him to, by dismissing it as of no consequence, just as our captain had done. Callum called it “an irrelevance” and Brendan came pretty close to saying much the same thing.
“I never worry about anything outside of me,” he said. “My focus is layered towards our club, our performances and our results. That’s all I focus on. Of course, I’m aware (that Clement has been appointed) and I don’t know the new manager that’s gone in there. But I’ve had it here before with a number of (their) managers and it’s still the same focus on Celtic.”
If you think you detected a not too subtle dig in his “a number of their managers” quip you aren’t imagining it because it’s most definitely there. I think he fully expects to see this guy off the premises as easily as he’s dispatched other of their bosses.
But where Rodgers shone yesterday was in his talks about Liel Abada and the way the Family of Celtic will rally round him, and of course he is correct on that above all else.
It was more than just the way he spoke about Liel’s situation and his family over there, it was the way he talked about his duty of care towards the players and how seriously he takes that.
We all talk about Brendan Rodgers the manager.
We all talk about the great tactician.
But we also talk about Brendan’s penchant for self-promotion.
We talk about how he can be cringey at times when he’s making it all about him … these are valid criticisms but they don’t present the full picture.
Because ask anyone in the game who knows him and they will tell you that for a guy who is very obviously not lacking in the self-love department that he’s also a deeply kind and generous and warm person in his dealings with other people.
“I don’t pretend to care about my players — I do care. I genuinely care about them, and I can always draw a line where that is, but I can’t say I don’t care because I do care about how they are. I always eventually think that helps them play to a better level,” he said, and I know that’s not just Rodgers being Rodgers, that’s honestly how he feels because nearly every player who has ever worked under him has said so.
When something happens like what has happened with Abada, this is the guy you want you in charge, a guy who can reach out and make that personal connection.
Of course, his comments on Liel were pure poetry.
“I’d flown back on the Sunday, and I went to a charity game. Then I left that to go and pick up Liel and took him up to Loch Lomond to have a bit of food and take him out of the city, and just get to understand what he was thinking and the traumas he’s gone through and everything … My job is to reassure him that everyone here at Celtic within the Celtic family will always support him. As a player at Celtic, that’s what they do. Supporters support their own and their players. Then us as staff and the people within the club all really want him to succeed and do well here, and he loves and he enjoys being here.”
He even handled the thorny issue of the fans themselves, and he nailed that too.
“It’s a very divisive subject and I’m a football manager, I’m not a politician,” he said. “My message is only we’re here to play football and to bring happiness to supporters, bring joy to supporters and that is what I always feel the arena of football is for, it’s for sport and for football. But there’s no message. People are entitled to whatever opinions they want. For me, my concentration is with the team.”
That was a masterful answer.
“The arena is … for sport and for football” is pretty clear-cut, but this is not a guy who is going to openly attack our fans and the hacks, who undoubtedly were hoping for that in some ways, aren’t going to get their wish.
You’ll notice that whilst he agrees that people have the right to their opinions, he does repeat that for him it’s all about the game.
He might not be a politician but that answer was a triumph of diplomacy all the same, and one that even our hacks can’t spin the way they want it.
Our board gets stuff wrong at times, but when it comes to choosing guys for the front of the house, they are excellent.
Even Lennon was brilliant at handling the media and speaking with passion, love and honesty about our club, and he was a fantastic representative of it.
And this isn’t luck.
We would never in a million years have handed the gig to an arrogant guy like The Mooch or to a rambling loon like Caixinha.
In the modern era, whether it’s been O’Neill, Strachan, Mowbray, Lennon, Deila, Rodgers or Postecoglou, we have had good and decent men in that hotseat, people who reflect the values of Celtic and the things that we hold dear, people who understand the concept of Celtic as a Family, even one with the occasional unruly sibling.
After two weeks which felt much longer, yesterday was a breath of fresh air when the manager was having his say.
It’s not down to luck, but we are lucky just the same.
Brilliant Brendan Rodgers once again…
He’s smarter than most – then again if your the manager of Celtic you have to very much be on your toes and your gaurd at all times –
On the other managers –
While Mowbray was undoubtedly a decent and good man – He was as weak as a new born kitten…
The “we take it on the chin and move on” pish pot jerker week after week due to appalling and absurd refereeing decisions against Celtic and therefore him was weak management and really why he only lasted about nine months before being put out of his (and our) misery !
Brick for Brick – Boot for Boot – And – Bottle for Bottle is the only way to deal with the dark arts skullduggery and shadowy world of Scottish Football !
That was a great wee read. Sometimes you need reminded of things that are patently obvious. More often than not, that’s why I come here.
Thank you.
As I’ve said before I’m glad I got over myself and welcomed Brendan back. It’s now so patently obvious Celtic done the right thing. That calm in a stormy city, that ability not to get carried away with it all is a great quality coupled of course with a relatively good football brain. HH
I watched sportscene this morning and no Hibs managers interview, so no talk of sevco manager on the park, and no highlight of the incident, it would have made no difference to the result but just another shame on the Scottish officials of our game and the brown stains on their Ref,s uniform , shame on the lot of them
I could not agree more with your blog entry. Rodgers genuinely cares and that is special in itself. I was really impressed with his comments.
Brendan Rodgers. Our leader. I’m delighted the fans sang his name at Tynecastle he’s been amazing since returning. Especially since his frosty reception. Takes a lot to come back into the fold in those circumstances. He’s making men out of every one of those players.