GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 05: Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers at full time during a UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between Celtic and RB Leipzig at Celtic Park, on November 05, 2024, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)
How many times must we say it? Brendan Rodgers is the master of the pre-match press conference. He rules that realm like a medieval lord presiding over his court. The media is forever being surprised by Rodgers’ sharpness, his aggression, and the way he defends this club. His skill in this area is phenomenal.
There have been times, you know, when I’ve complained that the most visible person at our club is the manager. I don’t say this because I’m displeased with Rodgers or how he handles things, but because I don’t believe everything should necessarily flow through him. Then, a day like the other day comes along, and my heart swells with pride. On those occasions, I’m reminded why Rodgers is the public face of Celtic—because I genuinely can’t imagine anyone doing it better.
Friday was a masterclass. When you watch how the guy across the city carries himself and compare it to Rodgers, it’s clear who the superior manager is—even before considering their respective records and the trophy hauls. Rodgers’ intelligence, calmness, and assuredness are second to none.
But where Rodgers truly excels is as an ambassador, a warrior, and a spokesman for Celtic—its fans, its culture, and its history. He was at his very best yesterday when he slapped back at Philippe Clement’s comments last week about how far ahead Celtic are financially.
Clement’s remarks were an acknowledgment of reality, and I don’t think the press should be too harsh on him for that. But his words irked Rodgers—and rightly so. Clement’s comments, intentionally or not, carry undertones that seek to diminish our success by implying it’s solely about money.
Rodgers wasn’t having it.
Rodgers articulated the truth: Celtic’s money comes from our success; our success doesn’t stem from money. This isn’t a chicken-and-egg scenario—it’s straightforward. Success came first, and from that success, we built our fortune. We didn’t use the fortune to build the success. The victories enabled us to spend. This distinction matters. While some clubs attempt to spend their way to trophies, our trophies allowed us to invest in sustainable growth. It’s no wonder some people struggle to grasp or accept this concept.
It’s especially good to hear him direct those comments at Ibrox, the home of financial doping, the club which has been built on it from the bones of a club killed by it.
Rodgers put it perfectly:
“Philippe will have whatever he feels he needs to look at,” he said. “I am only really interested in Celtic. This is a club that has been organically grown. We haven’t been handed money. It isn’t like we’ve had something come in from the Middle East and given us a load of money.
“This is something that has been grown. The work done by the leadership from the very top of the club right to the bottom is the reason why we have had the success we have had. That has helped us grow, develop, and win. And when you win, that brings more success. So, for us, that is all we are interested in. The club is in a brilliant position, but it has all been earned.”
It has all been earned.
Those words are crucial.
Rodgers wasn’t just talking about the past or our present; he was sending a message about the future. His words were a warning against quick-fix solutions and shortcuts—the kind of financial risks others take, hoping for immediate results.
Rodgers was clear: that’s not who Celtic are, and it’s not who we’ll ever be.
Whenever I visit Celtic Park, I take a moment to look at that brick building out front, those statues in the car park, and the magnificent stadium that rises around them. And I remind myself that we built that. We built it. The fans built it. We didn’t rely on a sugar-daddy owner. We weren’t propped up by a bank’s generosity or the wealth of an oil state. Everything Celtic has today came from us.
When people attack Celtic for being the best team in this country—as though we should be ashamed of it—I want to remind them it wasn’t always like this. We didn’t need anyone to throw money at us to make it happen. Fergus McCann turned to the fans for help, and we answered. Fergus may have paid off the debts and stabilised the club, but everything else? That was us.
This is why I’ll never accept the narrative that we should feel guilty about our success. It was all earned.
I love Brendan Rodgers when he’s in this mode—fighting the club’s corner, banging the drum on our behalf. I love when he acts as an ambassador, a leader, and a spokesman. Friday was one of his finest hours.
Not just a rousing defence of Celtic’s achievements, but a reminder that it was all built on hard work, patience, and the unwavering support of the fans. At a time when it seems every other club is looking for a magic bullet or an easy way out, it’s satisfying to know that Celtic’s success comes from doing things the right way.
And on a day when we’re poised to overtake the Survival Lie, there’s a special satisfaction in knowing that’s how we got here.
James, the SFA hasn’t called time on the Survival Lie quite yet.
You can probably guess by reference to my username that I’m not the SFA’s most ardent fan. I’m highly suspicious of everything they do. Their key Corporate Goal is save SEVCO by any and all means. They realise as we all do that winning on Sunday renders the ‘Lie’ redundant. They also realise the consequences for the Tribute Act in Financial terms. If we win, the Ibrox Stands will be emptied for the rest of the Season. The Ibrox Board are terrified at the thought of the drop in Match Day revenue. Season Book money has already been spent and the Match Day money is needed to pay the weekly expenses. Without that they are finished. They are ‘tapped oot’ and the Directors have snapped shut their wallets. No more ‘Cash tae worthless equity’. If their creditors call in debts, loans and switch of lines of credit they are fuxed. Their Balance sheet is over Capitalised. All that share confetti is not matched with sufficient realisable assets to meet the ‘ Solvency’ criteria of a ‘Going Concern’. They are already trading while insolvent. They are buying time and as usual the SFA are looking the other way.
The only way to buy them time if for Beaton to do his ‘thing’ if and when called upon. SEVCO must win to keep the wolves at bay.
Over the course of the Season it’s harder for the MIBs to seriously derail us. Unless there is a close race which is not the case at the moment. So it’s Beaton for ‘MOTM’ at Hampdump to buy SEVCO time. We’ll face the same problem in the Scottish Cup but it will be after the League is sorted so it may not be worth their while fixing that if we’re still in the hunt at that time. The Tribute Act might yet get the Cup double to keep their noses in front of us, in their minds that is and that is where the ‘Lie’ resides.
The priority is keep the ibrox monstrosity rolling to the end of the Season with the tills going ‘kerching, kerching’ on a weekly basis.
Clemmont repeatin this ‘they’ve more money’ shit. He’s tryin tae put himself in the position where he has an ‘excuse’ if they lose today, or if they win, makes his ‘win’ look all the more impressive. Glad Peter Grant called him out on this. They wernae whingin in the 90’s when they were the huge spendin club, they were actually braggin about it. Even their owner chairman.
Bloody Hell Celtic PLEASE PLEASE today End The Pathological Survival Lies once and for all…
And make That imbecile Murray the sickest man in Scotland along with many others !
I particularly liked his use of the word “organic”. In business organic growth/sales/profits/success refers to that generated by the original business, with growth contributed by acquisitions stripped out. All our success is organic – we haven’t acquired the titles of another club.
Maybe BR didn’t mean it that way (although I think he’s too clever not to have understood that context) and the media either ignored the reference or didn’t understand the inference – but I enjoyed it!