As we completed our record-breaking eighth domestic treble on Saturday, Ange Postecoglou was seen pounding his chest as he often did, celebrating another honour and showing his apparent love and passion for the club.
Fast forward three days and Celtic were announcing the departure of the Australian manager, as he penned a four-year deal with Tottenham Hotspur.
“I am going to be a little bit selfish here… not just myself, my family, the people around me have all worked really hard to enjoy this moment.” – Ange Postecoglou
Football is built on the emotions of the fans, and it can be very easy to get attached to an individual, as many Celtic fans did with Ange.
Moving forward, the quicker we realise that players and managers come to Celtic Park as part of their own career path, the better. They will never be invested in our club the way we are. They are merely passing through.
Throughout the years, we have had many arrivals at Celtic who have expressed their love for the club. However, they have gone on to jump ship at the first opportunity.
In 2016, Brendan Rodgers was announced as Celtic’s new manager to a huge fanfare at Parkhead. Rodgers had successful spells at both Swansea City and Liverpool prior to arriving in Glasgow, with jut one slip denying him a league title at Anfield.
The announcement of Rodgers was well received, with a record number of fans attending the stadium for his unveiling, and his performances lived up to the hype. After bringing double-treble success to the green side of Glasgow, Rodgers could do little wrong as far as the Hoops’ fans were concerned.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BRENDAN
Some might say Rodgers sold Celtic fans the dream when he arrived at Celtic Park. Talking to The Guardian on his announcement back in 2016, Rodgers said:
“I am absolutely delighted to be named Celtic manager.
“This is genuinely a huge honour for me. I have followed Celtic all my life and to be given this fantastic opportunity and to be part of such a truly great football club is a dream come true.
“I will give my new role everything I have and do all I can to bring our supporters exciting, entertaining, and winning football.
“The club has been in magnificent shape in recent years and has collected silverware regularly during this time. My objective now, of course, is to continue this work, to keep us at the top and again make our mark in Europe.
“I know what a magnificent support Celtic enjoys, and I can promise our fans one thing – that I will be doing everything I can to give you a team that you can be proud of and a team that delivers.”
Any football fan hearing a proven successful manager say that about their club would be excited for the future.
Despite his extremely successful trophy-laden tenure at Celtic, Rodgers left the club mid-season with the opportunity to win a third consecutive treble still on the cards.
Fans were left devastated. Many felt Rodgers left the club without any hesitation whatsoever. The Premier League came calling and he was off.
Talking to the Scotsman about his decision in 2019, he said: “Well it was a very, very difficult decision. If I was making this decision with my heart, I’d be at Celtic all my life. It all happened very quickly. I was presented with an opportunity, and of course emotionally I have to take all of that out.
“After almost three years at Celtic, after all we had achieved on and off the pitch, that it was time to move on to my next challenge. I’ve had opportunities to move, but this was an opportunity I felt was too good to turn down.
“Celtic are a huge club. But, it’s not the case of whether it’s bigger, it’s about coming to the Premier League. The challenge of coming in and working against top players and top coaches. That was the real draw.”
DON’T BELIEVE THE TRUTH
Rodgers had the art of pulling on the heartstrings down to a tee, and he had most of us hooked from the offset. It helped, of course, that he also had an invincible team on the park. But, when the EPL inevitably came calling again, Brendan Rodgers left Lennoxtown like a thief in the night.
A week ago, we were looking forward to the prospect of another domestic treble, a world-record eight, and the thought of new recruits coming in to strengthen Ange’s side for next season’s tilt at Europe. Yet, here we are discussing Brendan Rodgers as a potential replacement for Ange Postecoglou.
This seems to have opened up an old wound for many Celtic fans who never want to see Rodgers darkening Celtic’s doorstep again. Some have even gone as far to suggest that Postecoglou’s departure was just as bad.
I don’t subscribe to that.
Rodgers’ departure was far from ideal, particularly when it was midway through another treble-chasing. Did we really expect him to stay for the fabled ‘ten-in-a-row’ though? That would have been another 2.5 years following his departure. If the former Leicester gaffer taught us anything it was to give ourselves a reality check.
Ange has just reminded us of that lesson, but there is no way you can treat their departures in the same way. Ange delivered everything he promised before leaving once the treble win was complete. How else could he have left?
If the departure of Ange has taught me anything, it is that we should be just as ruthless as the players and managers we employ. The love and passion we have for our club is on another level to what they can ever experience (even when they claim otherwise).
Whoever is up next is here to fulfil a specific role, and as long he brings success, that is all we should ever expect. Even if that man is Brendan Rodgers…
BOBBY GORDON
I’m not offering an opinion however I do want to offer this information, while Celtic manager on Christmas Morning Rodgers visited a very Ill Celtic fan in hospital – little fanfare or publicity- I just want a successful appointment and would have no qualms if it happened to be Rodgers