Brendan Rodgers pulled off another masterpiece in fan relations after Celtic’s 3-0 win away to Livingston today.
There is no denying that when his name was first mentioned as Ange Postecoglou’s successor there was a lot of hostility from supporters.
When the reality of the situation became clear there was a sharp about-turn in opinion with Rodgers viewed as an elite manager compared to the projects that were also being linked.
Remembering the 104 day wait to appoint Neil Lennon’s successor it was a relief to see Rodgers appointed just two weeks after Ange Postecoglou had left for Spurs.
Since his appointment, much to the annoyance of many media outlets, there has been little sign of dissent among fans although the walk-around after the 0-0 draw at home to St Johnstone didn’t go down well.
A 1-0 win at Ibrox was a game-changer, there was something special about winning at Ibrox with no fans in the stadium under the manager whose first stint forced The Tribute Act to bow to bear pressure and reduce the away allocation.
Today’s 3-0 win at Livingston removed a few more barriers with 10 men showing that they could adapt and dominate on a surface that was never meant for top level football.
🍀 A Joe Hart red card didn’t stop Celtic from romping to a 3-0 victory over Livingston – Daizen Maeda with a sublime finish to round things off ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ULum4KHNVJ
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) September 23, 2023
Compared to Pittodrie and Ibrox there was a massive Celtic support in the Toni Macaroni today with one young fan finding himself in the news.
🗣️ “It’s a young kid who wants to see his heroes, he shouldn’t be punished or prosecuted for that”
Watch as Brendan Rodgers guides a young fan back to the stands after Celtic’s win at Livingston👇 pic.twitter.com/49KGRJR3A8
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) September 23, 2023
QUESTION: Can you talk us through what happened regarding the incident at the end with the steward and the kid who rushed to the park to see you?
RODGERS: The guy was about 20 stone. He’s a child seeing his heroes, I just made sure he got away.
It was a spontaneous reaction but was captured by Sky Sports and a few mobile phones, showing that Rodgers is reconnecting with the Celtic support.
The opening fixtures in the SPFL couldn’t have came out any tougher, with three wins out of three on the road Rodgers is setting out in similar fashion to his first visit to Scottish football.
