Brendan Rodgers has a five year plan to take Celtic into a European final.
That is the claim from Stephen McGowan of the Daily Mail who has been the pace-setter this week as Celtic’s hunt for a manager nears a conclusion.
The momentum seems to have stalled over the last two days but there are no red flags in McGowan’s Saturday column which looks into the depth of the investment fans make on managers.
Despite winning five trebles in the last seven years there has been no real sign of Celtic progressing in European competitions, there has been hints and flickers but nothing of substance that has been built on.
Retaining domestic dominance can’t be compromised, especially with further riches available from the 24/25 Champions League but going deep into the Europa League or Conference is long overdue at Celtic Park.
Not since 2004 has the club won a knock-out tie, in his Daily Mail McGowan spells out one target that the incoming manager has set out:
Mail Sport broke the news of chief  executive Michael Nicholson and finance director Chris McKay flying to Mallorca for face-to-face talks with him last weekend.
Terms of engagement were thrashed out before the Champions League final.  Subsequent discussions with Dermot  Desmond provided the assurances he craved that, this time, there would be  latitude to invest in the players and  infrastructure necessary to become a  competitive force in Europe.
Since Celtic last reached the UEFA Cup final in 2003 Rangers have weathered a financial catastrophe and still made it to twice as many.
Last year Rodgers led Leicester City to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League. Privately, he believes a European final in the next five years should be Celtic’s target. Even if his European  ambitions prove to be pie-in-the-sky, he’s still the best option out there.
A list of runners and riders featuring Enzo Maresca and Daniel Farke was patchy and unconvincing. Maresca — assistant manager to Pep Guardiola — made it clear he would rather stay in  England. Farke was sacked by Borussia Monchengladbach and fancied the Leeds job.
Managers willing to entertain a move to Scotland in the current climate are hardly ten-a-penny. And, for Celtic, Rodgers is the devil they know.
That’s why supporters have spent this week coming around to the idea. The days of phoning Rentokil every time the name of Brendan Rodgers crops up in conversation are over. A back-of-a-fag packet  calculation shows that opinion is now swinging in favour of forgiving — if not  forgetting — the events of four years ago.
Who knows, maybe Postecoglou’s flight to Spurs will have done the fans a favour. For many, there’s a realisation now that idolising fly-by-night managers is  absolutely pointless.
The wait looks like going on through the weekend but it seems that there is only one candidate for the job vacated by Postecoglou.
Once sunbed Sam is in front of the cameras and has signed that 5 year deal, this will be when sevco try to steal the limelight and headlines by announcing Tillman as a signing for them.
Unlikely, that takes money and a willingness by all parties. Even so, if it does happen, so what. He didn’t set the Heather in fire.
Source?
Since when did Rangers* weather liquidation? No old club died new club managed one top tier Title one cup and one European Final.
Dumping debt equals weathering a financial storm ?. Why dont we all try that. The gutless sevco media strike again. Scotlands shame.
Europa our limit at present till we get a serious buyer only when the Arabs buy all the clubs in the EPL we can’t get near champions league finals.look at the clubs with big backers manu looks like £6 billion sale plus a massive transfer pot £1 billion on upgrading old Trafford how can we compete with that plus city r Madrid Bayern etc but we need to do better in Europe that’s the big money earner for us.
Ange will get mentiobed next season more than most of spl managers by scottish media who they thought was a clown is no reporting he is the best club to leave celtic and now celtic football club will fold like a pack of cards where have i heard that before never happened win 5 trophies after that celtic had some great managers and will have more in future if brendan takes the job will it be a good thing for our league off course hes a top manager win everthing in spl poor in europe but that was cayse players made stupid mistakes and froze on the night lost out in group with points that would have got through in other groups yes he wiil be good for celtic and they the cheerleaders for sevco kniw it and fear it old co record are getting overtaking one by one and celtic will be most successful club in scotland old co and new co
Rodgers added 3 players in the first season dembele toure and sinclair 3 million.
69 games unbeaten invincibles the 2 Man City games were phenomenal I felt we should of beat Man City at Parkhead I really do but to even draw with them was a massive achievement against the billionaire team.
If that was other teams you’d still be hearing about it but Celtic mentality in Europe since Stein was play them off the park and mix it up when needed.
But also very importantly every player was a goal scorer from any distance and the will to win by playing beautiful inventive fast flowing football Stein made Celtic invincible where in the league they just took that mentality into Europe.
Martin O’Neil and his team had the belief and had Rodgers been given proper money for far better players in the second season we were in Europe after Xmas which was a massive achievement.
Give Rodgers the tools he’ll change Celtic’s mentality in Europe and not scary cats against some Scandinavian teams.
But it all means feck all as long as the board hit there targets and bonuses and fuck the legacy that Jock Stein and the lions made us world renowned feared respected throughout the world but that doesn’t matter under Pinocchio Pete but the O” F”’.
In Celtic the team and supporters I trust.
Celtic Celtic Celtic .
There is no PLAN that can take Celtic to a European final. There are just hopes and aspirations. Brendan hoped to do well in Europe last time but he didn’t.
There isn’t enough money available to make CeLtic a CL final contender, even in 5 years, so this is just BS PR talk. We might fluke a run to a Europa final, like Sevco did, or we might get put into a Conference run but that would involve getting knocked out of both CL and Europa.
Brendan wants backed and Celtic want to improve in Europe but that is it. Talk of finals is just talk. Anyone can talk big.
Have you forgotten what Ange achieved in 2 with full backing laddie. 5 is more than doable.
Ange would have had the same blueprint.
We are all assuming that Rodgers is the same manager who left. But time can play tricks on peoples hopes.
He has been through the grind at Leicester and he has suffered failure there.
The game also moves on. His methods may not now have the same impact that they once had.
Then there’s the
“Lawwell Factor”!
Can they avoid destroying one another and themselves also?
Then there’s investment. I think it is safe to assume that we are not capable of purchasing a team that can dominate in Europe. So, we have to find other ways, in which there is no guarantees.
Maybe, not just as simple as it might first appear!
If the future was as rosy as we seem to be expecting it to be, then why did Ange Postecogolu not hesitate to move on?
He obviously saw the limitations of what he could achieve here and decided that something more was needed to achieve further success!
A good coach improves players leaves nothing to chance players know how good a coach he is do you not think what happened in liverpool with slippy was not soul destroying build celtic team up in first transfer knew exactly what was needed he us in a different situation he got a winning team a super fit team but theres alot of improvement strong defencive midfielder might ve with us already if ge can improve set up of the team it wasnt celtic every team slowed us down time waisting every gial ww scored was searched through with var for any excuse to rule goal out abd sime of the decisions against us was well you seen now celtic have to the sfa there us a metality by there officails against celtic get a foreign respeted ex officail to go through the games through the week and at decision and how they come by it fifia dont want our refs cause agenda against obe club has ruined standing in europe even with dallas fighting corner masons and there oaths worst than ss
All the talk of a European plan is nonsense.
It’s an ambition, and every club has that.
All any club can do is put in place the foundation and infrastructure to possibly achieve that but the rest is in the lap of the footballing gods.
More likely this will be a stick to beat him with if he doesn’t achieve it regardless of how successful he is domestically.
Having said all that, he isn’t the manager yet.
I like McGowan but Rodgers is a manager who would never say anything like that as he is too smart…..
Also in the last few day’s the SMSM have been dripping stories indicating that the Celtic fan’s have settled on Rodgers as the best of what’s available….. utter garbage as no matter what happened previously, Brendan Rodgers is a fantastic manager and will continue with our great clubs outstanding form…..
HH
Whoever it were that used my name to disparage the Great and Revered Brendan it were my alter ego.
If he has a free go at it Europa cup has Celtic written all over it.