Brendan Rodgers, the Celtic manager who could end up winning both the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish Cup by the end of the month, has been notably excluded from the Scottish Football Writers’ Association’s Manager of the Year shortlist. This omission has sparked speculation about the criteria and politics influencing such decisions.
Despite Rodgers’ potential to lead Celtic to a double triumph, the shortlist favoured other managers, including Ibrox’s Philippe Clement, who secured the League Cup shortly after his mid-season arrival. Clement, unlike Rodgers, has enjoyed a relatively favorable portrayal by the media, which contrasts sharply with the challenges Rodgers has faced. After a breach of confidentiality by someone who should have known better in the Scottish press, Rodgers cut off routine interactions with the daily newspapers, potentially affecting his standing among some journalists.
In a season where Rodgers has been in the trenches, his work has gone unrecognised in the nominations. This situation raises questions about whether expectations at Celtic are so high that even a potential double is overlooked if the team does not perform dazzlingly throughout the season.
The nominees include Tony Docherty, who led Dundee to a surprising top-six finish, John McGlynn of Falkirk who achieved promotion to the Championship with an incredible unbeaten record, and Derek McInnes of Kilmarnock, recognised for his solid management. McGlynn, a former Celtic scout, is someone Rodgers has publicly supported, reflecting his gracious attitude toward his peers.
The exclusion of Rodgers is particularly glaring in light of Clement’s recent struggles; his team derailed in the past six weeks, yet he maintained the indulgence of the press. This disparity in treatment highlights an apparent double standard: while the bar for success seems extraordinarily high at Celtic, lesser achievements at Ibrox receive substantial accolades.
Rodgers himself may not be publicly concerned with the omission, focusing instead on his team and their goals. However, the situation underscores a broader narrative of expectation versus achievement in Scottish football, where even success does not guarantee recognition if you’re not managing the “right” club.
We fail to see why one Glasgow manager makes the grade while the other doesn’t. In our opinion, John McGlynn should hopefully win the thing.
Really not worth getting worked up about. Like most of these awards, the deadline for nominees is ridiculously early which only serves to devalue the award and has the potential to look daft if, for example, Brendan ends up with the double.
As things stand at present, Clement has won the only trophy decided and led his team through to knockout stages as group winners in the Europa League so can see why he is on the list.
Should Brendan lead us to the double, then that would make him Manager of the Year in most objective fans eyes, regardless of the “official” award.