The Celtic boss was at his masterful best yesterday in slapping down the penalty “narrative.”

How many times have we said this on here? How many times have we pointed out that Brendan Rodgers is a master of dealing with the media and handling press conferences? Yesterday was no exception. He was brilliant.

Let’s address the minor details first.

Rodgers refused to be drawn on speculation linking us with a move for Kieran Tierney. While many will read into his not outright denying the story, I wouldn’t hold my breath. Tierney is so far outside our current model that I don’t believe this will happen. Still, Rodgers acknowledged that there will always be stories about players and constant links to the club—nothing ever changes in that regard.

The real news is that last week, he met with Dermot Desmond and others in Dublin to discuss the January transfer window.

By now, Brendan surely knows who he wants and what he needs, and it’s clear his plans are well underway. This makes perfect sense, and it’s evident that the manager has worked hard to ensure he’s ready for that window.

Now it’s up to those above him at the club to deliver. It will be a test, in particular, for Paul Tisdale who has to prove that he and the boss have nailed down their working relationship. I’m very optimistic about that if I’m being honest.

All know they need to secure the players he’s identified—and do so in a timely manner. Brendan himself knows the importance of being prepared for those final two Champions League group games and the qualification tie that’s likely to follow. The sooner we get people in the door the better.

This is the time to flex our muscle—not just for the rest of this season but to lay down a marker for next season too. The club across the city is floundering, wrecked by self-doubt, and still being run by a man with one foot out the door. They are in a desperate financial mess. This is our moment to be strong, and to show how strong we are. With them in this state, it’s time to put the hosepipe in their mouth.

Rodgers also brought some bad news: James Forrest, who left Hampden on crutches after the weekend’s game, will be out for six weeks. That’s a blow, as he’s been an excellent squad player. I hope he’s back as quickly as possible; he owes us, and himself, that goal that will keep up his record.

But in terms of the squad overall, this is why we have depth—why we have Yang, the forgotten Luis Palma, and others. It does, however, highlight the pressing need for another wide player. I think we all expect that to be a priority in January.

The injury situation is mostly good, although he sounds like he’s planning to leave AJ out as a precaution. That’s almost certainly for the best. There’s no point in taking a risk with that lad if we don’t have to, and Tony Ralston is raring to go.

Of course, it’s Rodgers’ comments on the weekend’s alleged controversy that have sparked the most discussion online and will get the most traction in the media. This is where he really shone yesterday.

Brendan laid it out masterfully.

Not only did he offer a subtle critique of the media’s obsession with trivial details, but he reminded them of past occasions when they’ve made mountains out of molehills. His key point was when he referenced the penalty incident that was also offside. We all know which moment he’s talking about. Rarely have we seen so much outrage over a decision that had already been explained.

Rodgers excels in subtlety, and this was no exception. He threw the media’s own words back at them, pointing out that officials are human, and noted how there’s always some issue after these games. He specifically mentioned having been involved in 20 such matches. What was that a nod to? Matches against the Ibrox club. That was his 20th match against them, and in those, he has lost just once.

His real message was this: after every one of these games, after every Celtic victory, there’s always an excuse, always a media narrative spinning the Ibrox club’s defeat as unlucky or unjust.

And we all know this is true. Every time we win one of these fixtures, the media finds some excuse, some thread to pull on, absolving the Ibrox club of blame and casting doubt on why we won.

Rodgers’ casual dismissal of the whole week-long saga was perfect.

He claimed he didn’t know much about it because he had better things to do—like heading to Dublin to discuss transfer plans. He echoed what Anthony Ralston has already said: nobody inside Celtic Park paid any attention to the noise because they were focused on their jobs.

Overall, it was another masterclass from Brendan. His defence of the officials was on point and fascinating to see. Those comments won’t be drawing smiles across the city, of course, but he’s managed to take the heat out of the story. By explaining why the referee might have blown the whistle and why VAR didn’t intervene, Rodgers mounted a better defence of the officials than the SFA itself could manage.

In doing so, he also landed a blow on figures like Tom English—people who won’t even consider an alternative explanation to their “officials got it wrong” or “officials are corrupt” narratives. Rodgers has forced them to confront another viewpoint, using his profile to shift the discussion. That is genius.

You’ve got to love the guy. That was a masterclass.

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