Brendan Rodgers Discussion Thread

What about that starting eleven?

 

Lagerbielke, Phillips, Holm, Oh, Turnbull, Bain, Morrison, Ralston, Welsh, Frame, Johnston.

That was our bench against Lazio away this season. With Scales, Yang, Forrest and Bernardo all starting.

 

We were missing the majority of players you mentioned and still skelped Kilmarnock away. A team we've struggled against all season .

The football was pish before he left as well and that was including him having players such as Dembele, Sinclair, Roberts etc.

Regardless of recruitment or injuries or whatever. Ange style of football was better and that's that

 

Have I said the football wasn’t better under Ange?

If we are going to single out games though when we had players missing. You could single out the one when we went to Ibrox and got absolutely destroyed last season. Or the game at Easter Road when we got pumped as well.

 

I give Rodgers a free pass on transfers because I think he talks out of his behind and had nothing to do with any transfers except Idah and just maybe Kuhn.

The team you name there was very early and not typical and remember that Ange lost 3 of his first 6 games with this kind of team. And yet I think you might be surprised just how comparable it is to some of the teams Rodgers has had to play this season. For example, if I compare it to the one that drew with Aberdeen this February, I'd probably take the one you posted on balance.

McGregor = McGregor (Obvs)
Kyogo = Eddie (arguably, but if either of them is better, it's certainly Eddy)

Hart > Bain
AJ > Ralston
O'Riley > Turnbull
Bernardo > Soro

but

Nawrocki < Bitton
Scales < Starfelt
Bernabei < Taylor
Palma < Forrest 2022
Abada 2024 < Abada 2022

If I compare it to the one that drew with Killie in February, it's not an easy choice

McGregor = McGregor
Kyogo = Eddy (see above)
Ralston = Ralston
Taylor = Taylor

Hart > Bain
Maeda > Abada
O'Riley > Turnbull
Idah > Soro (I know they're different positions, but it was the best I could do as the formations were different).

but

Welsh < Bitton
Scales < Starfelt
Palma < Forrest 2022

 

You're clutching here mate, the youngsters would have been included because it was CL and they can be included..

I honestly feel as if I can be quite objective around Rodgers.. but with the way we've played this season trying to compare him to Ange and what he achieved in that first season, has to be called out...

And I'm not one who can't get over Ange, but his football was better, more exciting and recruitment under him was on a different level..

 

Rodgers became the Celtic manager in what I would say is the best shape we have ever been when a change of manager has happened. It feels obvious to some, but others see it a different way and think it's the insistance that we all "get onboard" with that point of view that's not realistic.

If Rodgers can keep us playing like we did yesterday consistenly then that will change a lot of peoples minds. Possibly mines included, if he's here next season and it is more of the same as this season it will like he's as much of he status quo as anything else.

 

Sorry, you've lost me straight away, Rodgers gets a free pass on transfers because he talks pish?

Sorry, mate what a lot of nonsense.

Rodgers first squad...

Hart, Ralston, Carter-Vickers, Nawrocki (Starfelt 67'), Taylor, O'Riley ( Thiago Holm 84'), McGregor, Turnbull (Hatate 67'), Abada (Hyunjun Yang 79'), Kyogo (Forrest 79'), Maeda

Yes it was hit hard by injury but * me it's nothing compared with pish Ange walked into.

 

I would say Ange's football was starting to unravel a bit at the end too. I'd have been intrested to see what he would have done with a 3rd season but we lost a bit of our attacking edge and fluidity end of the second season.

 

It’s not clutching mate. That was a must win Champions League game and that’s the bench we had. That’s laughable. It’s like a testimonial lineup. I don’t recall Ange ever having a bench like that for CL game. There’s literally not one player on that bench you could say would be able to come on and make a difference.

I wouldn’t disagree with anyone who said the football was more entertaining under Ange. Recently though, with key players back, we’ve seen a huge improvement in my opinion. We’ve scored 34 goals in our last 11 games. That doesn’t paint a picture of a team that is boring and goes side to side with no idea how to break teams down, which a lot would say we are. That’s my gripe with some fans.

 

Wouldn't agree on a huge improvement.

Yesterdays game was excellent. Aberdeen was exciting but pretty worrying on all sort of other levels, Dundee and St Mirren were a bit of a grind with one good half by us.

What games were a huge improvement?

 

Aye, but we're comparing Ange in his first season, where he had to totally rebuild the squad.. the players Rodgers had at his disposal had all beded in to the squad.. and all things considered we are still 7 goals worse off.. I just think it wasn't a viable comparison to make..

 

Take a look at the results since we last drew at home to Kilmarnock, where we were shocking by the way. We have played 9 league games since that. Lost away at Hearts where there was mitigating circumstances if we are honest, drew away at Ibrox where we played them off the park and were completely comfortable until a disgraceful penalty decision changed the game, and won the other 7. We’ve scored 27 goals in they 9 games.

There’s undoubtedly been a big improvement since the draw at home to Killie, the away game at Pittodrie and the game away at Easter Road where we were totally outplayed second half, and the 1-0 home win against Ross County where some fans actually booed the team off even though we won. They games mentioned were from the end of January to the middle of February. You don’t think there has been a big improvement since the games I’ve highlighted?

 

7 worse off but still with 3 games to match the total. I wouldn’t have thought we would be near the goals total if I’m honest because we dished out a few hammerings under Ange, but that’s what it is.

I don’t think it’s fair to compare this season with last either however. Because we lost 4 key players from last season and haven’t replaced them and have been hampered with long term injuries to key players.

 

↑ I wrote it that way because you're generally pretty sound and I don't generally feel I have to dot all the i's and cross all the t's with you as there's usually a generosity of interpretation. Since you don't seem to be in the mood tonight, I'll spell it out in full. Incidentally, spelling it out in this way reads as quite hostile IMO (it's how I normally write when I'm writing defensively); but that's not how I feel. Anyway:

Although Rodgers said he had the final say on transfers, I don't take that claim seriously as he is a liar. Instead, I judge it by the players he has (or rather hasn't) given game time to, the emotions he has shown at times during and immediately after windows (mainly frustration) and the fact that Mark Lawwell and Joe Dudgeon are both off pursuing other opportunities. This leads me to believe that (at least until Idah), Rodgers was not principally responsible for what happened.



↓ I genuinely don't think that comparing Ange's first sides (which were far weaker than the sides he had for most of the season) with Rodgers' first sides (which were somewhat stronger than the sides he had for most of the season) is the fairest comparison to make, mate. I think the fairest comparison is to compare Ange's weakest sides with Rodgers' weakest sides. That's what I tred to do above and I personally find them quite comparable.

 

Like I say mate, you're on to a loser trying to compare. For the circumstances already mentioned.. we may as well leave it at that..

Hopefully we smash the Huns on Saturday and the good times roll.

 

Postecoglou would have had the league won in March with the same squad Rodgers has had this season.

 

Considering the huns are sitting with 81 points, I highly doubt that.

 

I just find it frustrating how Rodgers seems to get a pass on recruitment..

Yes, the infrastructure around him is poor but his lack of influence in recruitment, in the absence of a DoF, is a worry..

I honestly think he was arrogant or a bit negligent on what he was facing, he thought it would be a walk in the park..

Hopefully that will change in the summer and we'll see what improvements are made.

And much like @murphy88 there's nothing anyone could say to me that will convince me than Ange faced similar issues to our Brendan.. they just aren't comparable

 

My worry is that our recruitment has never really been great under Rodgers, with the exception of the window when he first took over.
He brought Lee congerton to us and then took him on again at Leicester.

He also prasied our recruitment set up not long after joining in the summer and then pointed towards a lack of investment in quality when results took a turn for the worst.
I dont understand why he took so long to assess what he felt he needed as well. The whole window was just badly mismanaged and its not the first time we have seen it under this manager or under this board.