Graham Spiers and Andrew Smith have been discussing a barely reported drop off in relations between Brendan Rodgers and the written media.
It is a strange but interesting tale that does no favours for the reputation of Keith Jackson, a man with more than 30 years experience on the front line with the Daily Record.
In the media there are many situations where there are things that you are aware of but just can’t publish. They may be told to you on condition that it is for background only or it would expose a contact as the only possible source of the story.
It can be frustrating but a burst of attention or clicks just isn’t worth it even if you are under pressure from elsewhere to come up with a new, fresh and different angle.
On March 1, two days before Celtic lost to Hearts Jackson informed Daily Record readers:
First he had to deal with the whole sexism sideshow. The awkward aftermath of a post-match interview gone wrong at Fir Park.
But, as soon as he had got that toe curler out of the way on Tuesday afternoon, Brendan Rodgers rolled out a huge 78in touch screen TV and ran through a tactical tutorial for the benefit of a small band of written press. For half an hour or so, Rodgers replayed clips of various Celtic goals scored over the past two seasons. Four under Ange Postecoglou.
Another four from this season, all scored on his watch. And the similarities, it must be said, were really quite striking.
Inverted full-backs creating space for wingers to get down the side, crossing the ball for three runners – one attacking the front post, one at the back and one in the middle. The point the manager was attempting to ram home was that, despite the common consensus, Celtic’s attacking strategy has not changed all that much since Postecoglou took his Angeball with him to Tottenham. If it has changed at all.
Of course, critics of Rodgers could have cobbled together video evidence of their own to counter the argument. But, throughout it all, one thought occurred more than any other. If the system remains more or less the same, then it’s the quality of the individuals within it who ultimately determine its success.
🎙️PODCAST:
There has been a row – a dispute – between Brendan Rodgers and the Scottish football press. What’s going on and can it be resolved?
My conversation with Andrew H Smith.
*Warning: Joseph Goebbels content.
LISTEN:https://t.co/H5NZWURd61
— Graham Spiers (@GrahamSpiers) March 31, 2024
CLICK HERE for the five minute preview of the Rodgers/Jackson fall out.
Fortunately for non-subscribers Hamish gives a more detailed report from the podcast at 9 minutes on in his Celtic AM.
The summary is that Rodgers is furious at Jackson reporting in the Record about an off the record briefing- as are the other reporters who respected the status of the discussion.
With Rodgers narrowing down his time with the written media, effectively legacy newspapers, Jackson is incredibly unpopular with his peers for triggering the current stand off.
Celtic’s usual Friday drill is for Rodgers to speak to the broadcast media which appears on You Tube from the club by 3pm, separately he speaks to daily papers which is embargoed from their websites till 10.30pm with Sunday papers, yes they still partly exist with their embargo at 10.30pm Saturday.
The ‘Tactical Tutorial’ briefing took place on the Tuesday before Celtic beat Dundee 7-1, there was no mention of it on the Wednesday or Thursday newspapers but all alone the Daily Record published details on Friday which made Rodgers look incredibly insecure trying to claim that his side are playing exactly as last season.
They aren’t and no one expects them to play Angeball.
Why Jackson felt the need to break ranks only he can explain, in the meantime there is a Celtic manager with little inclination to speak to newspapers and other reporters sickened by the actions of the award winning star of Daily Record Sport.
There was virtually nothing fresh in Saturday’s papers from Rodgers that hadn’t been said in his Friday broadcast conference suggesting that newspaper reporters will have to pick up on the scraps and leftovers from the You Tube clip to fill out their pages.
CLICK HERE for the rumours about Crawford Allan.
