BRENDAN RODGERS has reacted to the news his predecessor at Celtic has left the club after two years in the job. Brendan walked out on Celtic two years ago this week when he took the job at Leicester. Neil Lennon came in to steady the ship and was given an interim role.
The Irishman secured the treble treble and was immediately given the job that day at Hampden after the club beat Hearts.
Neil landed his own treble last season with the final trophy put in the cabinet back in December after a delayed finish to the Scottish Cup.
Speaking about Neil Lennon, the Leicester boss seemed gutted for his friend.
“I’m always saddened when anyone loses his job or moves on, in particular someone I can call a friend,” Rodgers told STV.
“It’s a tough day for him but when it all settles down, Neil’s an incredible legend of the club. He’s given so much service to the club, won so many titles. His legacy there will be intact forever.
“I think if you take a step back and you see how the club has been run for a number of years very successfully from a commercial perspective and there’s a lot of great work has gone on behind the scenes on that front. You only need to look at Celtic Park as you drive in and you see everything around the club.
“I think there’ll probably be an analysis now of the football department, in terms of the strategy around football and I’m sure that’s a process that’ll be well under way.”
Celtic fans were hurt when Rodgers left and there are still supporters to this day who can’t forgive him. What many can recognise, even begrudgingly, is the level he brought Celtic up to during his time.
Standards haven’t appeared the same since he left and the players he had performing to a very high level have fallen off a cliff with regards to form.
Hopefully the next man who comes in will get the best out of the squad who remain in the summer.
What many people seem to forget is that Rodgers team was flagging badly when he left.
It was a horror show to watch, the ball being passed along the halfway line ad infinitum. Rodgers knew he was a busted flush, that other managers figured out how to set up against him and he shot out the door as quick as his wee short legs could carry him down to Leicester, who even paid Celtic 10 million for his services. He’ll bolt once they figure him out down there too.
So, if you cast a critical eye on the end of the Rodgers era, it wasn’t all Guinness and skittles.
What he did bring was structure and professionalism. You only have to look at Lennon to see that there is nothing professional about anything he does, if often times expected to see him eating a fish supper in the technical area when the camera panned on him, mid game. He’s about as tactically astute as a blind donkey trying to figure out how to hit E flat on an out of tune cello. That is plain t be seen. Yeah, Celtic beat Barca and Lazio twice, but the sun shine on a baboon arse every so often. To get tanked 4-1 by the same side in the space of a few weeks tells you all you need to know about Lennon. His own arrogance would not permit that he should be questioned.
The papers are saying he left, he never left, he was sacked. That is how arrogant this man is.