It's no secret Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers and Scotland gaffer Steve Clarke are close pals.
But reports from the Irishman's time at Swansea say Rodgers might never have got started on the elite stage if it wasn't for a leg up from his long-term ally. Nine years of age separate the men in the Parkhead and Hampden hotseats but Rodgers' early retirement from playing mean they took their coaching badges at the same time - that was where they met and struck up a longstanding mutual respect.
After a knee injury put paid to his ambitions of playing professionally, Rodgers started coaching at Reading in his 20s while Clarke got his start as Ruud Gullit's No.2 at Newcastle United in 1999, having played his last game for Chelsea a year earlier. Clarke took charge of the final game of that campaign following Gullit's resignation but returned to Stamford Bridge as a youth coach the following summer.
