As several ex-Celtic players flail around looking to blame Rodgers or the players or Rodgers and the players for the malaise at our club, it is gratifying that at least one person in the press corps can see the woods for the trees. Of course, it’s Michael Stewart.
The reason I’ve always liked Stewart is that he is not gratuitous in his criticism. He knows where the line is. When he is coming after Celtic or others it’s because we deserve it. He never does it just to hear the sound of his own voice. He doesn’t pursue personal vendettas. He has been courageous. He has taken hits, professionally and personally, for doing so.
“(We) all assumed that to get Brendan back in it was because they were going to back him heavily. It’s been so far the other way that I find it astonishing,” he said. And it has been. In fact, it’s been disgusting. Stewart is one of the few people who knows exactly what the problem at Celtic is and he doesn’t care about saying it out loud.
He also believes that Rodgers should be retained beyond this campaign, regardless of whether or not we win the title. That’s where I would argue with him. Rodgers can’t survive losing this league, not when all he had to do was get over the line from a seven-point lead. Beating the Ibrox club twice means we should be out of sight now, and if we’re not then someone has to swing for that and it will be him. I don’t think there would be a lot of debate about it.
Michael Stewart recognises that Celtic will find it hard to get a better manager. I personally dread the very idea that we might need to replace Rodgers because although I’m really not enjoying where we are right now, we could be in a far worse position if the board gets the next managerial decision wrong, and that’s not exactly hard to imagine.
Even though Rodgers will carry the can and the media will be happy to see him blamed, everyone in football will know what actually happened inside Celtic Park; there are no secrets on the inside of the game, not anymore, and I don’t even want to think about what the general perception of Celtic is at the moment out there in the wider footballing world.
Can you even imagine the calibre of manager we’re going to be able to attract? Jesus, with a controlling board, unhappy fans, a media which is all over the Ibrox boss and a massive rebuild on our hands? And all run under the current transfer system with its lowball focus and its £2 million average signing price-tag and the notorious wage cap?
No wonder Stewart is telling us to hang onto Rodgers, and whilst I don’t see how we can I know exactly why he thinks we should. We need more journalists to do as he has done and start pushing the board as the true culprits here, because I don’t see how we solve the real problem without trying to solve that one. I am just glad someone is telling it like it is.
We miss all the players that have left us in past 18 months. Jota, Starfelt, Mooy, Juranovic and Giokoumakis.
Any team would miss that quality. The point is, when quality is lacking due to departures and injuries, then suitable replacements should always be available !
3-4 game changers, were not purchased last summer nor in January. Blame it on arrogance, ignorance and incompetence from our board/recruitment team.
A lethal cocktail from those purporting to run our football club !!