GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - MARCH 16: Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers and Assistant Manager John Kennedy during a William Hill Premiership match between Celtic and Rangers at Celtic Park, on March 16, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Paul Devlin/SNS Group via Getty Images)
So, what went wrong yesterday?
And what exactly is wrong with this team right now?
Rodgers looked like a man having a long, dark night of the soul. His comments in the media were downbeat—about as angry as I’ve ever heard him. There are folk out there speculating that maybe Rodgers himself has had enough, that he’s lost the heart and the desire to carry this team forward.
But I think you only have to listen to him. You only have to look at his demeanour in the aftermath of that game to know that that’s just not true.
Rodgers is furious at his team because he thinks some of them don’t understand the requirements at a club like Celtic. That they have to keep on playing every week and treating every game like a cup final. There is no slacking off.
He’s angry because they seem to be lacking motivation. He sounds like a man fed up that people aren’t meeting his own standards. But it doesn’t sound to me like he’s a guy who has no will left for the fight. Quite the opposite. He still sounds ready to go, and he can’t wrap his head around why others aren’t.
Rodgers is a winner. He lives to win. He needs to win.
That’s what drives him—that’s what gets him up in the morning. And he can’t believe that his players don’t all share that same drive. He can’t believe that there are guys in a Celtic team who don’t carry that fire in their belly.
And the thing is—I know why some of them might be struggling with it right now.
You’ve got to remember that a lot of these players aren’t serial winners. They’re not the type of player who has been over the course during a season like this. Take Kuhn, for example. He came to the club in January, and last season at that point we were in a fight for our lives. We were in a proper battle just to retain the title.
And naturally, it’s easier to motivate yourself for a title battle than it is to play what, to all intents and purposes, feel like meaningless games. Now we know they’re not meaningless. But when you’re so far ahead in the title race, it would take a spectacular self-detonation for us not to win it. Everyone knows that.
Everyone knows we’re not going to blow it like that.
But that’s the problem for some of these guys. Guys who’ve played Champions League football, guys who’ve tasted the glamour. Guys who maybe see that as the pinnacle, and who are now finding it hard to get themselves up for league games that, in the grand scheme of things, might feel like a formality.
We know they’re not. You’ve still got to get over that line. It’s not enough for a Celtic team to stumble over it. Not when we’ve had such a commanding lead. But that doesn’t change how some players might see it in their heads, and it is Rodgers’ job to get them in the right headspace. To motivate them properly.
Walking out of the dressing room yesterday and leaving the players in there at half-time? That was clever. That was smart. It’s the complete antithesis of what Ferguson across the city thinks is the proper way to deal with men and motivate them. Rodgers knows you can’t motivate by fear. Not anymore. He knows you’ve got to get to the heart of these players and appeal to their professional pride.
That’s what he was doing yesterday. He was appealing to the part of them that brought them to Celtic in the first place. The part that made us champions last season when we had to claw it back. He handled it brilliantly.
Rodgers so rarely gets angry, which is exactly why it works when he does. You have to know when, and you have to know how. You can’t just stamp your feet and go on a rage and expect people to take it seriously.
That’s old-school nonsense. That stuff went out with the ark.
The modern manager has more tools in his box than that—and Rodgers has the full set.
That’s why his anger will be effective in a way Ferguson’s never will be. Rodgers is deploying it properly. He’s appealing to their pride. He’s saying: You are better than this—and you know you’re better than this. So start showing it.
And the thing is—we know our players are better than this. This isn’t a quality issue. This is a mentality issue.
The problems over at Ibrox are very different to ours. They’ve got quality problems. We don’t. Our players are good enough. But mentality is everything, and some of these guys think the job is done. And the ones who think the job is done are the ones who’ve never been in a title procession. Last season, they had to fight for it. This season, it feels done to them—and they’ve switched off.
It’s understandable. That doesn’t mean it’s acceptable.
The worst thing that could’ve happened to us yesterday?
The Ibrox club losing the day before. Any incentive for these guys to focus disappeared the moment that result came in. They know that lot are far too hapless to mount a proper challenge—even if we tried to throw points away.
Rodgers just has to remind these players how they built that lead in the first place. If he can do that, we’ll refocus—and we’ll be back to doing what we do best in no time at all.
What you are saying James is correct for now, but not new. It has been evident since the game at Ibrox in December, that there is some sort of malaise descended on the team. I though before that, that we could have an Invincible season to look forward to but, Jesus wept we have stuttered along unconvincingly since then and Brendan has had plenty of time to work his psychological magic if he actually has it in him. We would be in a Title dog fight just now if that other mob weren’t so bad and gave us breathing space, but despite our so called quality we are still struggling quite a bit. I do have faith in Brendan, but it’s time he smelled the coffee, and it’s time for him to boot that lot of players we have that are going through the motions…. right up the arse!
No one has mentioned that only five mins extra time was played. all the 10 substitutes were used and there was another 4 mins for injuries. There are definitely dark forces at work here and it was in the later stages of the game that the opposition goalkeeper had most of his saves.
Don’t think it’s anythin tae dae with ‘dark forces’. We looked like we could’ve played for another hour and still no scored. And when we made the room, just about every shot we had was straight at the keeper. Even James Forrest, who ye would’ve stuck yer hoose on scorin that chance, again straight at the keeper. That just summed up our day. Definitely need motivation from somewhere.
Kevcelt59. Do you not wonder why there was only 5 mins of extra time? I think I can speak for all us Celtic fans and say we could not write off an equalising goal and should have had another 5 mins to try and get it.
Ten substitutions, 4 mins of treatment for injuries. Maybe the guy in charge of the Referee’s could explain.
Michael – I agree with you but it’s probably not one for us to have a public rant about. I said to my daughter whilst watching that it should be nearer 10 but that we will be lucky to get 5. Should definitely be noted though together with the lack of a VAR check on the final play of the game. Whether you think AJ was fouled or not, I am certain a VAR check would have been run at the other end of the pitch.
And I’m not having a go at StJ here, but withdrawing the ball boys was a nonsense that the SPFL needs to sort. In EPL balls are put on cones and players fetch them from there – a simple change to insist clubs here do the same and avoid flashpoints.
James, you are right on many points, but it could be the case that players are just not being driven from the back, the slow build up with centre backs shuffling the ball back and forth would bring a tear to a glass eye. I have watched Kyogo and Maeda make runs only to watch the ball be shuffled about time after time. When we do play through the channels, we have scored some great goals. Rodgers wants players who can pass the ball, surely that is a basic requirement for any Pro footballer, if they can’t then get rid. We have players whom he can change like for like but none that can change the style of play when called upon. Second half was not too bad, good goalkeeping and bad finishing were the main cost.
Don’t think Rodgers has it in him. No manager plays such a rigid system every game, it makes it a lot easier to formulate a game plan against us which Sevco has done. And SOooooooo boring to watch. Rodgers is like a managerial version of our board. Comfortable in the slippers and smoking jacket pulling the big bucks
I can understand them being complacent in the league but the big issue is the cup games coming up demand top performances & if the players allow themselves to get comfortable in the rut then we will not show up for those fixtures either & then the treble that should be a cert since the ibrox club were sent packing becomes an opportunity missed. Not that we should be considering failing to secure the treble as a failure but in the landscape of this season it will be a shocking end if we don’t secure it.
We’ve let the chance of a 100t+ points tally go this weekend. We will probably still score more than 100 goals in the league but even then we need to improve to achieve that.
I do think Rodgers should make some major changes & give some youngsters a chance in the team next weekend. These players need reminded their place in the starting 11 is not a gimme & maybe a weekend on the bench is the best way to make the point. Guys on the bench should be hungry to get on & perform to try & get a starting birth so I’d expect the perfomrances to improve with that.
Some players look like they’ve downed tools, not making excuses but maybe a long season with International call ups and travelling added is taking its toll. Maybe Saturday is the time to give Engels and Hatate a break and play McCowan and Bernardo in M/F, Yang should start the game if fit, Forrest should come in if he’s not fit, Kuhn on the bench. Saturday becomes a big game , Killie are fighting for their lives just like St Johnstone were, any idea of just turning up can’t happen again.
No doubt we need to pick it up and add that coherence and joined up play to our game. Maybe the bhoys are not so motivated, maybe they’re dying for the end of season to come and don’t have that enthusiastic energy they had. Maybe they feel it’s gonna happen anyway with less than the 100% effort.
In spite of all that and all the fans rants we still could have and should have won that game on Sunday. We made and missed chances and with better finishing should have albeit unenthusiastically.
The issue remains that we need to add and play different systems at times and not be so inflexible. That’s what Brendan needs to add to his management and impart on the players. Shouting and bauling and irrational ranting and raving and angry faces and kicking inanimate objects doesn’t mean a jot. He’s not Glaswegian
They might be tired etc – But it’s very unfair if they cannot perform for the fans that pays good hard earned money to see them at places like Perth !