Rodgers’ exit - a neutral’s view

Celtic are facing an identity crisis after manager Brendan Rodgers left for Leicester City before securing a third consecutive domestic treble. Banners around the ground accuse him of trading immortality for mediocrity and that is an exceptionally arresting statement. Rodgers confessed he is stunned by the outpouring of anger from fans and claimed he simply needed to progress his career by returning to the EPL. Supporters insist that a big club like Celtic should not lie below a mediocre club like Leicester in the global footballing hierarchy, but Rodgers would clearly beg to differ and that is a bitter pill for fans to swallow.

Does Rodgers have a point? For starters, Leicester fans would vehemently bat back accusations of mediocrity after they romped to the unlikeliest of EPL title wins a couple of years ago. The club retains a strong core of players, with Jamie Vardy’s striking talents now supplemented by the likes of James Maddison and Harry Maguire.

However, a look at the betting lines at Oddsmarketshows they are outsiders to finish in the top 10 this season, and they are unlikely to challenge the Big Six in the near future, so the mediocrity tag fits to that extent.

Yet the EPL is just such a large commercial beast nowadays that it is difficult for Celtic to keep up. Transfermarkt rates the Leicester squad as being worth £301.5 million and they were able to splash out more than £100 million on new talent in the summer. Meanwhile, the Celtic squad is valued at £82.3 million and Rodgers was given a mere £13 million to spend last summer, leading him to grow frustrated with life at the club.

The Celtic squad is easily good enough to dominate the domestic game, but it comes unstuck in Europe. This season’s European campaign was underwhelming, and it feels as though clubs from Europe’s top leagues are pulling further away from the Hoops, simply due to the cash they can invest in their squads. The best way to bolster the club’s profile and attract a high calibre of managers and players – and then keep them out of the clutches of the Leicesters of this world – is to enjoy strong European campaigns.

That has to be the goal in 2019/20, whether Neil Lennon is in charge or somebody else. Rangers have improved a bit, but Celtic can still blow the domestic competition away. They will only be challenged in Europe, and they really need to be in the group stages of the Champions League. It is difficult on a limited budget, but by bringing in exciting young talents it is possible. It is not so long ago that Celtic reached the last 16 of the competition, when Lennon was in charge in 2013. If they can recapture a bit of that magic, while continuing to flourish in Scotland, it would show Rodgers that he was wrong to leave after all.

OddsMarket will have on-going game previews, analysis,video content and odds on the Premiership, the Champions League and the Europa League throughout the season. You can track how highly rated the Hoops are, and check to see how Rodgers is progressing with his mediocrity project. There is also a bet tracker, bet calculator and live score function, plus a busy forum and lots of expert advice for anyone hoping to turn a profit out of football betting. There is little value to be had in betting on Celtic in domestic competition, but you will see high prices on them winning in Europe and if they can bolster the squad with more exciting young talent and a few shrewd loanees then they might just pull it off.