Why go back? What was there left to achieve and prove? Absolutely nothing- Daily Mail chief questions the return of Rodgers

Ian Ladyman has questioned why Brendan Rodgers returned to Celtic in the summer.

European progress is the instant reply that was given in the summer with an expectation that the Irishman was inheriting an exciting young squad capable of developing in Europe under a top coach assisted by some quality additions to the first team squad.

After a completely underwhelming transfer window the inevitable results in Europe have followed with a 6-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid prompting the Football Editor at the Daily Mail into action.

There are no shortage of talking points today in English football with the VAR centred match between Spurs and Chelsea still in the spotlight alongside a spectacular defeat for Manchester United in the Champions League.

Rodgers still has respect in England, a profile that would attract offers at some time this season however the Irishman seems to be all in for a Celtic project that at best appears ‘challenging’.

Developing projects into £20m assets under the Champions League lights is a tough ask with the evidence on Tuesday suggesting that Rodgers has his work cut out to avoid regular embarrassments being added to his CV.

In the Daily Mail, Ladyman explains:

Celtic cannot win a game in Europe yet are eight points clear of Rangers in the Premiership and, in turn, 13 points ahead of St Mirren in third. So there is the evidence. There is the mediocrity.

It’s not the Scottish Premiership’s fault that it’s poor. It’s because TV companies don’t think a league with too few genuinely competitive matches each season is worth paying for. Under its current deal with Sky, the league as a whole receives £30m per season. 

By comparison, each Premier League club receives more than £80m a year from a deal worth £1.6bn. Scottish football is poor not just by comparison to the English either but also when placed against all the significant leagues across Europe.

So against this backdrop, what can Rodgers do? The Northern Irishman remains a coach of quality and personality but he cannot work miracles and to take Celtic out of a Champions League containing Atletico, Lazio and Feyenoord would have been a huge ask. The Dutch Eredivisie is not exactly in the rudest health its ever been in but even they take £90m a year from the broadcasters – three times the SPL figure.

It worked and when he returned to England with Leicester in 2019 he did so having lifted every single domestic trophy available to him in Scotland. Seven from seven in two and a half seasons.

So I pose the question again. Why go back? What was there left to achieve and prove? Absolutely nothing.

On our Mail Sport podcast recently, I described the Scottish football scene as a ‘wasteland of poverty and mediocrity’. Chris Sutton – a serial winner at Celtic back in the day when the financial gap between Scotland and the rest wasn’t so wide – took great offence. 

Celtic cannot win a game in Europe yet are eight points clear of Rangers in the Premiership and, in turn, 13 points ahead of St Mirren in third. So there is the evidence. There is the mediocrity.

It’s not the Scottish Premiership’s fault that it’s poor. It’s because TV companies don’t think a league with too few genuinely competitive matches each season is worth paying for. Under its current deal with Sky, the league as a whole receives £30m per season. 

By comparison, each Premier League club receives more than £80m a year from a deal worth £1.6bn. Scottish football is poor not just by comparison to the English either but also when placed against all the significant leagues across Europe.

So against this backdrop, what can Rodgers do? The Northern Irishman remains a coach of quality and personality but he cannot work miracles and to take Celtic out of a Champions League containing Atletico, Lazio and Feyenoord would have been a huge ask. The Dutch Eredivisie is not exactly in the rudest health its ever been in but even they take £90m a year from the broadcasters – three times the SPL figure.

Rodgers may have many reasons to be back in Scotland, both personal and professional. If he felt he needed some time away from the English game after a couple of difficult seasons as the spending was pulled back at Leicester then that would be understandable. Emotional attachments to Celtic are important too.

From this view in the south, though, it looks as though he is marking time. I feel he has much more to offer than simply re-walking a path already well-trodden.

January looks like being a pivotal month for Rodgers and Celtic with fans looking for first team ready signings rather than another batch of questionable projects.