In football, two negatives don’t make a positive – Rodgers was right choice but needs to get a grip

On a very quiet Sunday I wrote this. Really not sure about it, but to be honest, I think it’s how I’m feeling. I think Brendan Rodgers was the right choice but he needs to get a grip…

One thing I’ve always remembered from school, is that a minus followed by another minus makes a positive. Hands up if you know the answer to this sum; 4-(-2)=? The answer is at the bottom of the post.

However, in football, two or more negatives are just that. After the Kilmarnock debacle, the manager stated:-

20th August 2023; Rugby Park, Kilmarnock, Scotland: Scottish Viaplay Cup Football, Kilmarnock versus Celtic; Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers applauds the Celtic fans after the defeat

“We didn’t do enough when we had the ball. We didn’t show enough personality and didn’t show the quality to win the game.”

After Saturday’s debacle against St Johnstone, the manager’s thoughts were: –

Celtic v St. Johnstone – Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers during the cinch Premiership match at Celtic Park,  Saturday August 26, 2023. Photo Steve Welsh

“But overall we didn’t play at the tempo we would want to and the speed of the game and that little bit of craft you need to against a team that’s low.”

Let me say, the manager has my full support. The performances and results so far haven’t been great but he’ll sort it out. He does need to get the players and fans on board pretty quickly. Everything is a bit flat at the moment. Let’s have a bit more positivity from the manager. COYBIG!

A lot has been made of the manager not bringing in his own players. Truth to tell he was operating in a different market during his time at Leicester City. I’m pretty sure his first signing there was to pay £40m to make Tieleman’s loan move permanent.

He/Leicester also paid over £30m for each of Fofana and Perez. There are many more big transfers. Coupled with the wages paid in the EPL, it means that any players either with Leicester or on their radar during his time there, were never really “available” to Celtic. His time at Leicester came to and end when they couldn’t afford to pay those amounts in transfer fees.

Peter Lawwell, Brendan Rodgers and Michael Nicholson. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

I guess Brendan Rodgers took the Celtic job on the basis that a number of signings were already identified. The loss of Jota, Mooy and Starfelt, together with the injuries, haven’t helped. I think if he had identified any first team and affordable ready players, they would be here already.

So let’s have no more cryptic comments from him about our transfers and transfer policy. Most of the support will accept that he is a decent manager but some need to be convinced about him as a person. One thing the support has been used to over the past two seasons is straight talking from the manager.

If Brendan feels he has been brought in under false pretences or is not being consulted about transfers, he either goes or he gets on with things and no more coded messages. Anything else is unacceptable.

 Wiener Sportclub vs Celtic Glasgow, friendly match. Image shows Maryan Shved (Celtic) and Philip Dimov (Sportklub). Pictures/Christian Ort

It was like this when he left last time towards the end of his tenure. I am reminded of his comments on Maryan Shved: –

“We’ve got about a million wingers and don’t need another one.”

Brendan Rodgers. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Surely we are not back here? I can’t believe Brendan Rodgers took the job on again without certain assurances. If he feels the Board are reneging on them, deal with it internally. Don’t go making sleekit comments to the media. It’s not a footballing matter, it’s a matter of trust. The comments are just seen a rectum protectum on his part.

By the way, we could be doing with one of those wingers now.

I’ve always thought one on Brendan’s strengths was that he could change his team and tactics to suit the opposition/venue. I still believe he can but he needs to do it in a positive and straight talking way. HH

The answer is six btw.

Christopher Wotherspoon

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About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor David Faulds has edited numerous Celtic books over the past decade or so including several from Lisbon Lions, Willie Wallace, Tommy Gemmell and Jim Craig. Earliest Celtic memories include a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk

4 Comments

  1. I don’t believe he is the right person for the job only because of the contrasting styles between him and Ange as within a few weeks we look like a shadow of the treble winning team of early June, we would have done just as well with promoting john Kennedy and saving a fortune on his huge salary

    • They were telling us it was the buns who needed to rebuild,turns out we do too. The jokes on us.We needed a young progressive manager ,not a dinosaur.

  2. If he needs to get a grip he’s not the right man for the job. I’m sure he got assurances when he accepted the job,so, either those giving the assurances were telling lies ,or, he has decided he needs more than the assurances. The team looke demoralised and without any leadership. The togetherness of last season has gone to some extent,more than Haksobanovitch will be looking to get out the door. Cliques will be starting to form. Brendan has all the charisma of a shnake and resembles the living dead. 4/5 may be brought in but I doubt if it will make a lot of difference. How can he be a manager? He thinks Turnbull is a top player ffs.

  3. Martin Blackshaw on

    Any manager who can do to a team what Brendan Rodgers has done in just 2 months is not fit to be a manager. Any manager who can’t see that Kyogo plays his best football off the last defender, chossing instead to take him out of his comfort zone to play him miles away from the opposition box, hasn’t a clue about tactics or what is right in front of his face. Any manager who brings David Turnbull back into the starting 11, knowing how slow and average he is, has no idea how to play attacking football. He has taken a great, fast-paced and deadly team and turned it into a boring and disjointed rabble. It’s not a grip he needs, it’s the sack before things get worse.