One match into a Champions League campaign the ambitions of June and July are in tatters, this Celtic squad isn’t about to advance in Europe, matching last season’s tally of two points is far from certain.
English and German clubs are scouting the best Academy players and signing them at the age of 16, the leftovers go into the Lowland League and soul destroying matches against Cumbernauld Colts, Edinburgh University and Caledonian Braves on plastic pitches.
Rodgers watched these developments from afar, raised his concerns when approached by Dermot Desmond and was reassured by Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay that things were now being done very differently.
Harking back to the good old days isn’t going to do Rodgers any favours in a dressing room full of treble winners.
Hopefully. I think you can see we need that quality; we’ve had quality go out of the building so we definitely need that quality in.
Rodgers — and everyone else with Celtic at heart — might have expected more than Gustaf Lagerbielke, Maik Nawrocki and some blokes from South Korea. Yet, the boss seems accepting of the new order of things.
Lennoxtown has very limited indoor facilities that seem to have been converted into an impressive fitness and conditioning area in recent times.
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Finally, faced with Enzo Maresca, Kjetil Knetsen or Rodgers it was virtually a no contest. Go with a left field hipster or someone with a 100% record of delivering trophies in Scottish football?
Contracts are a complex business, wages per week are commonly quoted but bonuses and especially the loyalty ones underpin modern deals.
The economics of the situation surely rule it out but pressed on the issue Brendan Rodgers offered encouragement, comparing it to his own return to the club he left in 2019 with no-one predicting a return.