Communication Masterclass from Brendan Rodgers – Reaction and Everything Said

Q: You mentioned the statement, does the communication from the club have to be better? I think the fans have been angered by that statement, calling it condescending, tone deaf as to what was required. 9pm on a Saturday night is not what the fans were looking for as an explanation. Can you understand that and does as a club the communication to supporters have to get better?

Brendan Rodgers: “I’ve always believed that the quality of life is the quality of communication. If you can share that, then especially in this modern world when there are so many avenues to communication then I believe that after this summer then that is something we must definitely look at. You can’t always say everything in real detail around happenings are going on, but you certainly can engage. I’ve got no doubt that it will improve after this summer because, as I said, fans want it and modern society demands it.”

Q: You mentioned before ambition, and that’s what if, you were to stay, would keep you here. How the club have handled that over the last couple of weeks in terms of the window is that the level of ambition that would keep you here, or has the last two weeks impacted your thoughts on the future of this club?

Brendan Rodgers: “My thoughts currently are purely on getting the team playing back with our identity again. That’s my thinking. The last few weeks of the window impacted our players; some will say it shouldn’t, but it’s natural because players themselves know what was needed and what they wanted. Our performance level, we were in slow motion. Our identity is always about speed and penetration. When our game looks like that, we’re a really good side. So that’s my focus, get the identity of the team back.”

Q: Brendan, you’ve talked about driving the team forward, you’re not the man to stand still at Celtic. Do you feel that with the squad you’ve got for the rest of the season you can drive the club forward, you can progress in the next couple of months?

Brendan Rodgers: “My job as the manager, this is the situation that I’m in. I’ve never been more determined now to succeed this season. It’s also my duty. My duty now is to develop the players that we have. Yeah, we could talk about what we have and what we haven’t. My job now, and this is excitement that I have in the challenge that we have in terms of getting this team playing how I want them to play, and bed in the new players. Like I said, I have a duty for those guys that are here, the staff that are here and roll that out to the supporters and give them that excitement that is expectation.”

Q: Do you think Brendan that the communication has to change? Do you think it will change going forward after the communication from the club to the supporters? Do you feel that the way the club operate in the transfer market needs to change as well given that it wasn’t the most successful window or do you think it was just a one-off and the way the club has operated in years will work again in the future?

Brendan Rodgers: “I think that the business model of the club is highly successful; we have to marry that in with the football. The squad and the makeup of the squad, and how we build the squad. It’s not just investment, it’s the timing of investment.

There’s absolutely no doubt that that needs to be looked at because it was pretty clear what we needed. And not just needed but needed early. Because football people and supporters, our ambition is to be at the highest possible level we can be. And it was clear that we have these qualification games. We went to last season, spoke about it then, through the season, and towards the end of the season. Summer 2025 was a critical window for us. To get players in. Any recycling of the squad we had to be able to do it early to get players in, so we were ready for these games. And we weren’t ready. We have to learn from that; if not, the cycle will continue.”

Q: You feel let down on the back of that, Brendan?

Brendan Rodgers: “We all want to work at the highest level. We can only do everything we possibly can to be that. Listen, I also accept responsibility because we slipped up at home, the home game. We’re not getting away from that either. We weren’t good enough at home when we should have won. Then you go to Kazakhstan, and then you’re relying on something there, and the penalties. It’s not about me. Yes, I want Celtic to be the very best they can be.

My ambition is for the club, for the supporters, for the players. So it’s not a personal thing for me. I can only do my very best to improve what is we needed to improve. Then whatever situation I’m in, is to be the very best that I can be. The first time I was here, I probably left because of that. This time I won’t do that, no chance, one hundred per cent. I said 150 per cent a few weeks ago, so I’ll go back to that! My duty is to be here, to help the team, the squad get back again.”

Q: Did it cross your mind to walk away?

Brendan Rodgers: “It didn’t make me think to walk away, I just felt empty, if I’m honest. It was a long process, and the weight is on your shoulders when you are here, carrying everything. So then when it doesn’t quite go the way you want, then of course you have an empty feeling. But then you know, as one of the leaders of the club, and in particular manager of the team, you’ve got to get your head around it, you’ve got to deal with it and maximise what you have.”

Q: The general feeling out there is that you’re going to leave at the end of the season. Can you give the fans any clarity on that, your future?

Brendan Rodgers: “It hasn’t really changed from the last time. I think I mentioned it a few weeks back. I would love to stay here longer. I’ve had sort of informal chats with Dermot Desmond and Michael Nicholson, but I haven’t had an offer yet to think over. Until that comes, then I’m not going to be so arrogant to say yeah. The club might not want me. So I have to respect that. Until that happens, until there’s something serious on a piece of paper, then I just continue to do my best.”

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