Brendan Rodgers is conscious of the impression being given of Celtic as a team engulfed in apathy and disillusionment.
The board’s persistent conflict with the Green Brigade and their seeming unwillingness to give the manager a team that can compete successfully in the Champions League, even with millions of dollars in the bank, haven’t done much to dispel the rumors that everything is not right at Parkhead.
When you consider the disappointing draw against Motherwell at home last weekend, it is surprising that they aren’t demonstrating in large numbers, demanding accountability and change.
All of that is understood and known to Rodgers. How can he not, given that he has admitted to feeling increasingly frustrated with a signing approach that prioritizes finding developing players with potential over all other candidates?
However, when given the opportunity to stop and consider the wider picture, Rodgers maintains his optimism. It was never going to be possible to shape this Celtic team to his liking in a single transfer window, so the Northern Irishman is happy with the fact that the work scheduled for January and then summer of next year will give him a much more balanced team that, should Celtic make it back to the Champions League, will be in better shape to compete.
“At the moment, there’s an unhealthy narrative surrounding the club, with the supporters and that side of it,” he stated. However, I only see a very bright future for the two of us. Of course, I was unhappy by the outcome in Rome [against Lazio], but you have to go on after a day of mourning.
“After observing my first half-year here and the team, I am confident that we can make significant progress. I also know the Celtic rhythm, having been here before. Players often have a few years of hard play followed by a period of time when they may be looking to move.
However, I see that this group still has a lot of growth ahead of them. While certain players will get better, we still have room to enhance the team. We can have another promising future filled with years to come if we can accomplish it and maintain our consistency.
“One of the reasons I returned was to investigate if we could improve and break a long-standing cycle in Europe.
Everybody desires to play in the Champions League. It’s challenging while you’re there, but we’d rather be there because we’re learning and getting experience, and it also has positive financial effects for the club.
“But I want to be more than simply competitive as a football player. Throughout the season, we have frequently demonstrated our competitiveness in 11 vs. 11, but we also want to focus on achievement.
“The squad would need to be stronger in order to do that. That’s the simplicity of it, not a lot of wordiness. Finding the ideal player to help us progress is all that’s required, and we know exactly what kind of person we want.
The more seasoned Celtic cynics believe that the board’s goal is to be only slightly better than Rangers every year rather than to achieve legitimacy in Europe.
However, Rodgers thought it was unfair to criticize the directors in any way.
Ahead of the league game against St Johnstone this afternoon, he continued, “It’s very hard to knock what they’ve done here when I think of how this board has stabilised the club over many, many years.”
The entire operation has been made sustainable by the high caliber of intelligence present on the board. Dermot [Desmond, majority shareholder] is someone who thinks about Celtic all day long, from the moment he wakes up until the moment he goes to bed. The club has consistently made an effort to live within its means.
“Obviously, every team wants to go to the next level, so making that decision is important, but investing is necessary if you want to advance that far. Dermot and the folks that oversee the club are aware of that.
When considering possible short-term loan additions for the second half of the season, Rodgers will take into account the Asian Cup, which will cause some Celtics players to miss nearly a month of action. However, he is also unconcerned about players turning around. The former Motherwell player David Turnbull’s contract is set to expire in the summer, and in recent days, he has been linked to a move to Italy. But Rodgers takes no notice of the situation at all.
“A player has the right to decline a contract if he so chooses,” he shrugged. “It won’t keep me up at night. I’m not sure how far the conversations have gone from back in the summer, but it’s obvious that neither David nor perhaps his representative has been satisfied with how things have progressed.
In any case, he’s reached the part of his contract where he can determine what he wants to do and whether there are greater opportunities elsewhere. However, as long as he is here, dedicated, productive, and jogging, he will always be a great asset.
“When players rejected deals, I probably took it personally as a younger coach because I thought it was about me,” the coach said.I now understand that it has to do with players’ brief careers. We’ll help you become a better player, earn good money, and win titles—but if they feel it’s time to go on, they leave. This is an incredible club to be a part of. That’s the game of today. You adjust, move on, and rediscover your path.
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