Q: I think this is the first time I’ve had the chance to speak to you since Russell Martin left (the)Rangers. What was your reaction to the news and the surprise that he was given such a short period of time, albeit there was fans protesting?
New Rangers Head Coach Russell Martin ninth dressing room at Ibrox Stadium. Russell Martin unveiled as the new…Photo IMAGO / Shutterstock
Brendan Rodgers: “I think you’re always disappointed when any manager loses his job and Russell being no different. It was a challenge that he’ll learn from in his career. He’s got many more years left as a coach and a manager. I’ve always said, when you manage here at Celtic or (the)Rangers, the pressure really is relentless. You find out things about yourself and this role and this job, and I’m sure he would have done that. I wish him all the best, and he’ll probably have a bit of time out and then look to go again and use this experience.”
Q: You said earlier this morning that a job in the Premier League sometimes can feel like a holiday compared to up here. Is that something underestimated?
🗣 “It would be like a holiday!” 🏝️
Brendan Rodgers compares the pressure of managing Celtic to being in charge at a Premier League club 😓 pic.twitter.com/ND6S6fkVyG
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) October 17, 2025
Brendan Rodgers: “Yes, I think it’s something that, especially for people down south and without knowing the level and the intensity and the sheer size of the clubs up here. Especially Celtic and (the)Rangers, they’re huge clubs. I’ve always said that this job here is right up there in terms of pressure. From managing at different clubs in the Premier League at different times, a promoted club, a mid-table club and a top club. Celtic is right up there at the very top in terms of pressure and resilience needed. It is a challenge for every manager, especially coming into Celtic and (the)Rangers. You only hope that you can meet that pressure and deal with that and somehow succeed.”
Q: It looks like Kevin Muscat is going to be appointed at (the)Rangers. He spent most of his career in Asia and Australia. Is he someone you’ve ever come across in your career? Also, when your rivals appoint a new manager, is it a challenge you welcome or do you not pay too much heed to it?
Brendan Rodgers: “I think every team that changes manager, you always accept and take on the challenge of new ideas and that freshness that they may bring. I don’t know Kevin that well, but I came across him a few times when I was at Liverpool. He came in to training when I was manager at Liverpool and I spent some time with him there. Then, of course, when we travelled over to Australia with Liverpool and met him and Ange when I was there. As I said, I don’t know him that well, but he’s done a really good job in the teams that he’s been at in Asia. If he’s to be the new manager coming in, then it’s another new challenge. As I said, for us, we’ll be ready for it.”
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Celtic in the Eighties and Willie Fernie – Putting on the Style both by David Potter. Photo The Celtic Star
Danny McGrain signing copies of Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter. Photo: Celtic Star Books
And why wouldn’t he leave with a penny pinching board and a section of biased supporters who can’t count the trophies won to date under his management.
Hail Hail.
Well it’s easy to see that this backstabbing manager had managed to get into your head and convince you that “it wisnae me” “a big boy did it and ran away”!
You are so gullible!
Rodgers is no more a Celtic man than Barry Ferguson is!
Okay, maybe 5% more! But not as much. He’d like you to believe! He has somehow sucked many fans in, including you by the looks of things, into believing that the board aren’t giving him the money to buy players he wants!
REALLY? Ask yourself, if you told your kid he could go buy a Mini and pulled up in a BMW sports car that cost twice as much but was an old banger, would you trust him again?
Think Engels! Idah! Trusty! £26M wasted! All Rodgers buys!
I wouldn’t send him for a fish supper!
Joe, this argument against Brendan Rodgers – who is not without his faults – is tiresome. Let’s look at that claim in closer detail relating to Adam Idah who was initially valued at no more than £3m by Norwich and had the board backed the manager’s judgement at that stage in late January 2024 then Norwich would have gladly accepted that sum for their out of favour, third pick striker. Idah scored crucial goals in a tight title race and also won us the Scottish Cup in the final against theRangers. Had the board – who do the negotiations – added a purchase clause in the deal with a set price then it would have been reasonably set at £3m.
Due to Idah’s success playing on loan from Norwich they were able to exploit his success from his time at Celtic to get three times their money. Fair play to them. So £3m of the fee was down to Rodgers and the rest down to the failings of our board who at that stage we didn’t quite appreciate just how bad they are in this transfer business.
Incidentally Idah scored 20 goals last season too including three on the Champions League and forced the goal that got us through against Young Boys coming off the bench. In the end his confidence was entirely shot because of folk like you and many other keyboard warriors constantly attacking him.
So Brendan signed a £3m player, who helped with the league and Scottish Cup while on loan then scored 20 goals after signing a permanent deal and was subsequently sold for £7m – a £4m profit from the Rodgers side of things. The extra £6m paid was due to the Celtic Board not the Celtic manager.
Trusty played really well in the Champions League last season – MOTM in Atalanta game – but has been injured this season. He’s fit at moment but is being kept out the team by Scales, a player Rodgers has improved considerably. If Trusty was to be sold Celtic would easily get their money back so nothing wasted there as far as I see.
Engels, like Idah has been targeted because of the fee Celtic paid. He celebrated his 21st birthday after signing for the club. His first season showed promise, less so this time around but who in that midfield is functioning at their best and with so many of last season’s top forwards gone – Kyogo, Idah, Kuhn etc – then that’s maybe understandable in the short term. Engels is more a 6 in my view and he is highly enough regarded for Celtic’s money to be safe.
Brendan Rodgers left Celtic the first time around due to the very same Celtic board NOT backing him – think John McGinn and I’ll happily tell that story again if required. He is not one of their puppets (like Lennon) and like Dom McKay he was forced out. Rodgers though had delivered a volume of success in his first time as Celtic manager to rival the glory years of Stein domestically. He remains the Celtic manager with most trebles and as a Celtic manager he has the best record at Hampden.
In Europe he didn’t do so well in his first spell and wanted to change that coming back. He saw progress last season did we not, then the board failed badly in the summer. They also failed back in January trying to replace Kyogo and they knew since the previous summer that he’d be leaving.
Brendan will I believe leave in the summer. What will come next will be a Lennon-like yes man. Someone schooled in the Celtic Board way and because of that he’ll get their backing right to the bitter end when it all blows up in their faces, like it did in the season 50k season ticket holders paid their money knowing we’d get into the zero games. That’s what £30m ‘invested’ into the club that no boardroom in the English Premiership got that year.