Daily Record out of tune with their Brendan Rodgers story

In common with all of the daily newspapers given access to Brendan Rodgers yesterday the Daily Record has extensively covered his reaction to the after match scenes at Tynecastle on Sunday.

Twelve matches into his return a very distinctive song was heard for the first time this season from the away support which had been restricted to just 571 tickets.

Six months ago it would have been unthinkable that Rodgers would be back managing Celtic but circumstances change quickly in football, Micky Beale probably never imagined that he’d be on the scrapheap seven matches into the SPFL season.

Results change almost everything in football, Ange Postecoglou’s brilliant results impressed the Spurs board to bring him in as manager, Leicester’s poor results meant that an elite manager with a Celtic connection and perhaps unfinished business was available and looking for work.

Celtic fans quickly mellowed to the idea, there was no incredible 2016 fanfare for his return but after notching victories at Pittodrie, Ibrox, Tony Macaroni and Fir Park a 4-1 win away to Hearts brought an outburst of song from a corner of Tynecastle.

It wasn’t a generic football song such as ‘There’s only one A/B/C’. It was very specific, a tune and song that has only been used for Brendan Rodgers, the man came home to lead the Green and White.

Not many in football get their own personalised song but in recent times Scott Sinclair, Odsonne Edouard, Stuart Armstrong, Ange Postecoglou and Jota have all had the accolade from Celtic fans.

Clearly little research went into the titling of the story, the sub-editor is unlikely to have been watching the action at Tynecastle.

A reference to social media, surely essential in this day and age would have provided a steer but no, the Record went with ‘O’One Brendan Rodgers’ as they shared the story with their dwindling army of readers.

Covering the actual story in the Record, Keith Jackson reports Rodgers saying:

I understand why there was a bit of resentment towards me coming back but it was never going to stop me. I am professional enough in my work to focus on the team. And if I can produce a team that excites the supporters, and we can win things in my time here, then hopefully that can and will be acceptable.

Later he added:

I had such a strong bond here and was in such a great place. Obviously, my professional challenge took me away, into the most competitive league in the world. And we achieved some great things with Leicester which was great.

But from a personal perspective, the bond breaking – the depth of hurt that it gave – was probably overridden for a while just purely because I was professional and doing another job.

But over time, you realised actually how much it had meant to be here both from a professional perspective and a personal perspective because I loved the life here in Glasgow and the people. So that was the reason. The hurt that comes with making a decision, you live with it. You never regret that.

A win tonight over Atletico and the message should go out very loud and clearly.