After Brendan Rodgers rejoined Celtic last summer, the team has experienced a lot of changes.
When Ange Postecoglou left Celtic, everyone was devastated, but he was drawn to Tottenham by the Premier League.
In addition to winning the trophies following that terrible season under Neil Lennon, Postecoglou had done miracles at Parkhead by playing a very exciting style of football.
Many were therefore curious to see who Celtic would choose next, and Rodgers unexpectedly returned in 2019 following that notorious call to go to Leicester City.
The journey was a little bumpy, but the Irishman delivered the prizes, including that amazing victory over Rangers in the Scottish Cup final.
When the Bhoys were losing against Hearts at home about this time last year, the home crowd chanted, “sack the board.”
In the face of criticism directed at Dermot Desmond and disgruntled supporters over recruitment, Chris Sutton stood up for then-transfer chief Mark Lawwell.
Gordon Strachan and Craig Levein had an interesting conversation about the majority shareholder.
According to Gordon Strachan, Dermot Desmond’s “uselessness” has caused Celtic supporters to become silent.
Levein, 60, was fired by St Johnstone less than a year ago after complaining about how little time managers had in the game these days.
He complained about “how can you build a team in ten months” and mentioned how difficult it is for clubs to transition from inexperienced managers to seasoned coaches.
However, Strachan made it apparent to Levein that “nobody is going to give you time anymore” and that outperforming your competitors is the only thing that matters.
He mentioned Celtic’s predicament from the previous season and how supporters apparently thought Desmond was “useless,” but he told The Warm-Up that now that the team is winning on the pitch, all of that has stopped.
“If you have a manager who is unsuccessful and he is an older manager, the likelihood is that you will go and get a younger manager,” Levein said in frustration. You examine the patterns here. You then go back and obtain an older one after the younger one doesn’t perform properly. Someone with greater experience. You believe that what you just got rid of is exactly what you need. What I’m trying to say is, how can you assemble a team in 10 months? How are you able to? Two (transfer) windows are available to you. In 10 months, how can a team be assembled?
Strachan then had a direct response, saying, “Nobody is going to give you that time anymore.” All we want is to win. Fans of Hearts and Hibs. All they desire is to outperform the others.
What people want to see—the football, this and that—is the subject of everyone’s pontificates. No, they don’t. All Hibs supporters want is to defeat Hearts. That’s all. All Rangers supporters want is to play Celtic. Forget about Europe, everything else, the money, and everything else you are discussing. Their only goal is to defeat Celtic. That would satisfy them. The Celtic board is the same. The Celtic board is worthless. He is worthless. Dermot is useless (Desmond’s). Dadada At that point, some jerks beat them up. In the past year and a half, I haven’t heard anything about that.
Regarding Celtic’s start to the season, what has Desmond said?
Celtic is dominating the Premiership and demonstrating a strong belief that they will advance to the Champions League knockout stages.
The team is recruiting like never before, and those signings—including Nicolas Kuhn—are suddenly taking front stage.
Desmond told BBC Sport in October that he was thrilled with what he was witnessing throughout Celtic’s impressive start to the season.
“I am really happy,” Desmond remarked. “We have played good football, in my opinion. Despite having a strong start and the opportunity to play poorly, we have played excellent and thrilling football. Although we didn’t play at our best on Tuesday, I think we have a strong team and I enjoy what Brendan and I are doing.
“I’d like to see some positive outcomes, home results, and perhaps a point or two gained.” So far, I believe we have performed remarkably well. Playing eight different teams—four at home and four away—with varying rankings is a unique experience.
“I believe it adds excitement for the team, the fans, and the public at large.”
