For reasons completely unknown quotes from Brendan Rodgers appeared late on Wednesday night with the club’s favoured media partners.
The Herald/Glasgow Times, the Daily Record and The Sun all carried comments from the Celtic boss explaining the benefits of loan signing and how recruitment at Celtic does use analytics but most importantly the manger needs to check out the personality and temperament of prospective signings.
Rodgers even recalled a scenario where a player wanted to sign without speaking to the manager and signed off with a joke.
The Sun reports the Celtic boss saying:
If players are coming to a club, and the agent or the player don’t want to speak to the manager, or don’t deem it as important, then that’s a red flag for me. But that’s very rarely been the case.
I want to speak with a player and find a way to do that so you understand their ambitions and what it is they want to achieve because it is about mentality.
Have I backed away from some? Yes. There’s probably some I wish I had done so as well! There’s plenty who talk a good game.
There are also plenty of managers and chairmen that also talk a good game and fail to deliver.
Across all of the selected titles the quotes are treated very sympathetically, there appears to be no challenge offered or reference back to Rodgers assessing that the Celtic squad was short of four quality players.
Which leads to an obvious conclusion. Was Rodgers being interviewed or did Celtic’s Media Manager decide to circulate the quotes knowing that they would be gratefully received and deflect away from the latest disastrous transfer window from Mark Lawwell.
Soon after the quotes surfaced pictures were released of Adam Idah arriving at Glasgow Airport ahead of today’s signing announcement.
If the club’s media manager wishes to clarify the circumstances behind the quotes he knows the number to phone.
Since his return to Celtic in June there has been virtually no media contact with Rodgers outside of his obligations before and after matches.
Often an interview will be given to legacy media outlets to promote something club related like the Foundation but there seems nothing connected to this deflection exercise, not even promoting the exciting new partnership with Kelloggs in connection with another Glasgow club.
? LISTEN: “I felt when I came in the summer that we probably needed four quality players.”
? Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers says the club are working hard to add top level players to their squad. pic.twitter.com/1xwfCY5Zab
— Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (@ClydeSSB) December 1, 2023
Brendan Rodgers in robust Celtic loan signing defence as he reveals what raises a ‘red flag’ during signing talks ? https://t.co/7sdE6cWhwt pic.twitter.com/ertd4CYLcl
— Daily Record Sport (@Record_Sport) February 1, 2024
Celtic transfer strategy defended by Brendan Rodgers as boss reveals his ‘red flag’ over incoming targetshttps://t.co/bNrVj8iPgKhttps://t.co/bNrVj8iPgK
— Scottish Sun Sport (@scotsunsport) January 31, 2024
Brendan Rodgers says that permanent signings aren’t always possible as Celtic look to loan market in final hours of the transfer window… https://t.co/bYvmnqaLGT ? Full story
— Herald Sport (@Herald_Sport_) January 31, 2024
Brendan Rodgers says that permanent signings aren’t always possible as Celtic look to loan market in final hours of the transfer window… https://t.co/wAUF3399Ku ? Full story pic.twitter.com/ojydZiTwQK
— Glasgow Times Football (@GT_Football_) January 31, 2024
Yes, that looks like a bog standard, sevco ‘copy / paste’ instruction to the SMSM
which we have seen on a regular basis. But, what’s the point for CFC?
BR stating the obvious:
– he wants to speak to a player before signing him.
– squads needs ‘recycled’ every 3 years or so.
And…?
Seems like the club is painfully aware of the negativity amongst the support,
and felt the need ‘to communicate’ with us – by saying nothing of substance?
Getting even more concerned:
BR is not coming across as anything like the manager he was in 2019,
– both on and off the pitch.
Have you noticed that the press never criticise the Celtic board just the team and the fans?
That’s because they’re delighted with how Celtic run, Celtic being run this way allows Sevco a chance. Every policy is designed to help Sevco, can’t anyone see that?
I can’t for the life of me understand why Celtic FC would give SMSM print publications priority with certain stories that need publicity ? Hardly anyone buys the rags anymore ,with very few people actually reading the daily dross printed on their pages . Their clout and influence has disappeared completely ! Blogs and Podcasts are the future of broadcasting alongside social media . Would you give the daily Record a scoop story only to read that the reporter has twisted the words around to fulfill the tabloid’s own agenda ?
Editor: Celtic’s Communications Manager is a 90s guy that thinks most of Scotland hang on to every word coming out the Record and the Sun.
Great point John – And one that I agree 100% plus with !
One old indicator of someone’s character was based on the company they kept.
I’d say nowadays an indicator of an individual/company’s character and leanings could be judged by the communications channels he/she/it used.
The Herald, the EveningTimes, the Daily Record, the Sun, the Daily Mail, the BBC……does anyone see a pattern here……all Scottish hun media and our PLC Board choose them? I smell shite. Chase them, it’s the ONLY answer.
I think (or I’d certainly hope) that most Celtic supporters have jettisoned these Media publications that you name and thankfully that they are on death row and circling the cesspit where they belong and are on the way out…
But it might be a little bit harder to jettison the board for sure –
They undoubtedly are good at collating finance as we can see with £72 million in the bank on 30/6/2023 but if only they’d spend a little more to accumulate a big bit more this season especially…
Anyway they still have a few more hours to do just that !
The custodians of Celtic seem to have lost all of their humanity.
Pity them therefore.
I’bfhearr Tusa Is Liomsa!
(Rather you than me!)
Remember the “quote” Rodgers made about meeting Danny Mcgrain,that was all pish he never met Danny.