Twelve months ago Celtic announced one of the most ambitious appointments in their history.
The search for Ronny Deila’s successor had been underway for a couple of weeks with little sign of optimism around the club.
The downward spiral seemed certain to continue when word emerged at 5pm on May 20 of a shock appointment.
BRENDAN RODGERS
It seemed incredible to jump from a project manager to someone who had started the season in the Premier League and who had almost won Liverpool their first title in 30 years.
As an added bonus he was a genuine Celtic fan with family members as season ticket holders.
It was an incredible move from the board of directors, a complete u-turn on recent policy with supporter expectations suppressed and kept in check.
All of a sudden the world seemed a better place, 15,000 fans turned up on a sunny bank holiday Monday to make sure that it was all true.
Thousands more rediscovered the ticket office but no one could have forecast the season ahead.
On Sunday a draw at home to Hearts will see the SPFL title collected without defeat, a win at Hampden next Saturday against Aberdeen will see all three domestic trophies at Celtic Park for the first time since 2001.
One man has created and managed an incredible season- one year on it’s great to know that the charismatic Irishman has already signed in for four more years in his dream job.
PRIZE GUY
The Betfred Cup win over Aberdeen was Rodgers first senior trophy win as a manager- it won’t be his last.
The 3-0 win over Aberdeen at Hampden said it all about the new look Celtic side who picked up the trophy without losing a goal and went into the final without Scott Sinclair and Kieran Tierney.
It was a powerful statement from the manager with Aberdeen unable to lay a glove on Rodgers’ men.
IN GOOD COMPANY
Without the carrot of the Champions League it’s unlikely that Rodgers would have decided to move to Celtic.
After two seasons of despair caused by Maribor and Malmo there wasn’t too much anguish in a 7-0 defeat in the Nou Camp.
Game by game there was an improvement in the way Celtic played, coped and competed with their rivals in what was clearly a Group of Death.
LEAVING A MARKER
Although the summer bluster from Ibrox could be laughed off there was a score to be settled from last season’s Scottish Cup semi-final defeat.
An expectant Celtic Park roared the team on with Moussa Dembele responding with a hat-trick that effectively killed off the myth of the Magic Hat and put Joey Barton in his place.
Both sides set off in different directions after this result, for good measure Warburton’s replacement Pedro Caixinha was handed a similar lesson and reminder that Glasgow is Green and White.
THE SKIPPER
They are more the unlikely couple than the odd couple but there has been an old fashioned bond between the manager and his captain.
Leaders are in short supply these days but Rodgers found one in Scott Brown with the new manager keen to identify with the midfielder.
Brown had looked a spent force last season, under the guidance of Rodgers he has been a player reborn, improving in every area of his game and setting an example in every fixture.
HAMPDEN CONQUERED
The national stadium had become a place of fear for Celtic fans, a venue where dreams were dashed.
In his first visit as manager Rodgers side utterly dominated Sevco with the gulf between the two clubs more stark than in the 5-1 league win earlier in the season.
There were joyful scenes when Moussa Dembele scored the late winner, on the touchline Rodgers soaked up the pleasure of the fans but straight away highlighted how he wanted his side to lift the Betfred Cup to provide something tangible for their impressive start to the season.
WATCH OUT PEP
Celtic’s 3-3 draw with Manchester City announced their arrival on the Champions League scene- it was a fixture that Pep Guardiola has still to recover from.
It’s all very well when your fans and the stadium atmosphere get praise but it’ll always be what happens on the pitch that matters most.
Two weeks after being hammered in Barcelona Rodgers’ side came of age in a thrilling match that featured one incredible goal from Moussa Dembele- highlighting the strikers fine form and Rodgers coaching ability in developing the former Fulham striker.
PICTURE A
From day one it seemed the perfect fit- the charismatic coach and a support desperate to put their faith in one of their own.
Over 13,000 fans turned up at Celtic Park and an instant rapport was formed- expectations were sky high but in every area Rodgers has delivered.
Fans that used to look for excuses to miss matches are now going out of their way to get to the games with nothing dull or predictable about the way the team is playing.
IT’S SO GOOD TO BE CELTIC
A 5-0 win over Hearts featuring a Scott Sinclair hat-trick seemed a perfectly apt way to clinch the SPFL title.
It was a five star show from the hoops as they demonstrated the progress they’ve made since the opening SPFL match of the season- a 2-1 win at Tynecastle.
As the goals poured in during the second half the fans lapped up the entertainment on show- once the final whistle blew it was obvious that Rodgers showed that he had enjoyed the afternoon as much as any fan.
THE LEGACY
HWhatever else he achieves at Celtic there won’t be many 90 minutes that compare with the pleasure of winning 5-1 at Ibrox.
It should have been more but no Celtic fan will forget the joy of the second half goal rush at Ibrox rounded off by a stunning strike from Mikael Lustig.
The home fans had scattered long before the final whistle, some Celtic fans are still celebrating Jozo Simunovic’s tackle on Kenny Miller plus the small matter of five memorable goals.