Brendan Rodgers has credited Dermot Desmond and the Celtic board for having the foresight to see his return to the club would work out well for all parties.
Rodgers was appointed in the wake of the super-popular Ange Postecoglou departing to Tottenham Hotspur. Given the nature of his initial 2019 exit and the reaction to that at the time, it was a bold choice.
The former Liverpool and Leicester City boss was coming off a difficult season in the English Premier League and had planned to take some time out of the game.
However, the Celtic executive team managed to convince him that coming back to Scotland was the best thing for him and the club.
He’s very thankful that he was given the opportunity to bring success to Celtic again.
Brendan Rodgers “loves” working at Celtic right now
Asked how difficult it has been to overcome challenges this season, Rodgers said in a media conference: “It’s a challenge that’s there. I think on a day-to-day basis I drive up here to work every morning absolutely full of joy. I love my life as a professional manager. I absolutely adore working with this group of players and the staff here at Celtic.
“The support I’ve been given has been unwavering right the way through the season. I’m always thankful to Dermot Desmond for bringing me back. That was such a brave decision from him and the board to take me back knowing that maybe it wasn’t going to be universally acclaimed no matter how successful I’d been. They had the foresight and the acumen to be able to convince me to come back and I’m so glad I did do.
“You then have to deal with those situations like the criticism. It’s all worth it. I wouldn’t change it because it makes me a better coach and a better manager having to go through what I have this season. I know that we’ll be back bigger and stronger for next season.”
A unified Celtic must now deliver on the club’s true potential
When Rodgers returned last summer plenty of observers expected him to immediately take a rampant Celtic to new heights. Off the back of a treble win and with huge resources, Celtic were in a real position of strength.
His first season back in Glasgow proved to be more difficult than that. There are a variety of much-spoken-about factors for that – injuries, ‘awkwardness’ of returning, poor transfers and such. But that’s all behind Celtic.
Now everything is moving forward with a positive feeling and a bit of momentum, it’s time for the Bhoys to capitalise. A strong summer transfer window, with an ambitious outlay, would set the club up for the next few years of competition at home and abroad.
A new-look UEFA Champions League offers more opportunity for Celtic to excel and it’s clear we can’t rest on our laurels in the Scottish Premiership.
Celtic are enjoying a satisfying title win this week but there’s so much more on the horizon and everyone must play their part from board to manager, players and supporters.
