Brendan Rodgers has been told it’s time to take a leaf straight out of his Celtic predecessor’s playbook.
Rodgers has sent out the rallying cry for more quality but a quartet of Hoops men have identified the same issue.
And that is to get his misfiring Hoops squad back on track despite his admission over a lack of quality across his group. That’s the conundrum that faced Ange Postecoglou when he arrived in 2021 to find a Hoops team in tatters, but the Aussie made sure it wasn’t double jeopardy when checking in at Spurs despite a similar state of play. He left Rodgers a bonafide Treble-winning team that albeit lost a few stars as the Irishman checked in for his second spell but there’s a general consensus he’s not getting the best out of the team.
That sentiment has been echoed by FOUR former Celtic title winners, as Steven Pressley reckons laying the blame at the doorstep of those involved in recruitment isn’t always on the money. Speaking to the Scottish Sun, he said: “I’m sure Brendan sanctioned the signings of these players so now it’s about maximising these players and getting the best from them.
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“That’s always the difficult part with recruitment. When players don’t perform we automatically think the recruitment is poor. Then again, you only have to look at Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham. A lot of the players deemed bad recruits before he went there are now blossoming. Sometimes it just comes down to the manager needing to get more from the players.”
Paul Lambert isn’t pressing the panic button but reckons there’s a major onus on some players to start showing their worth. He told the Glasgow Times: “I have no doubts about them. They have played in front of the crowd before, and they know exactly what is required. You have to win, that is the standard of the club, and that was set way, way back with teams like the Lions and the success they had.
“So, if you get that jersey, you know exactly what you are signing up for, and you have got to be able to handle it. It’s important though that they do bounce back as quick as they can. When you sign for Celtic, that is the gig, you can’t lose, or you’ll be out. You know exactly what you are signing up to. The lads will know they have got to go and win games, and they will sort it themselves.
“Some might not be used to it, and some may struggle to handle it, but Celtic if they collectively stick together then they will be fine. The manager will be totally fine too, and the board will back him, I have got no doubt about that.”
Neil Lennon went in stronger on Celtic fans being careful what they wish for, but also feels Rodgers is yet to find the magic formula. Lennon told PLZ Soccer: “Sometimes you’ve got to be careful what you wish for. But at the minute, it’s not good. There’s a lack of consistency and I think Brendan’s waiting for the January transfer window. Currently, he has to roll up his sleeves and get more out of this team.
“There’s no question there’s a title race on and that’s what you want as a neutral. But there’s nothing coming to me to say that Celtic still can’t win the league. They’re just going through a bit of a bad run at the moment. But because the bar has been set so high for so long, a little blip – or maybe more than a little blip – is something that the fans aren’t used over the years. But that’s part of football.”
Former star Mark Wilson has found that more of the recruitment focus should be on attack and defence for Rodgers to get it right. He said on the airwaves: “All the attention goes on the defence recently. The goalkeeper, the centre-backs that do or don’t play. But creating chances is a bit of an issue. You look back at the second half at Kilmarnock last week and I don’t know how many entries into the box Celtic had. It couldn’t have been many. And you’re looking at today and not many clear-cut chances. So that’s the worry.”
