WHEN Brendan Rodgers was unveiled as Celtic manager first time around, a crowd of around 15,000 fans turned up at Celtic Park to welcome him. If he is appointed a second time, he might well beat that record, though it may be flaming torches and pitchforks that are being held aloft in place of green and white scarves.
For the pain that Celtic fans experienced when Rodgers stole off to Leicester City mid-season, and that dawning realisation that he was not in fact the messiah, but a very naughty boy, still stings for many.
There’s nowt fickler than football fans though, and any lingering unease felt by the Celtic support over his possible return to the club to replace Ange Postecoglou would likely soon be forgotten if he picked up the baton where the big Greek-Australian left it.
Time may not yet have healed old wounds, but some good results on the pitch - allied to the attractive football that Rodgers’ teams are renowned for producing - might just do the trick. And the truth of the matter is, that of all the candidates that have so far been connected with the gig, Rodgers has by far and away the most impressive CV.
Yes, he poured on the honey thicker than Winnie the Pooh after waking up from a particularly long hibernation, and his schmaltzy tales about his undying love for the club rang more than a little hollow as he high tailed it down the M1 to the King Power under the cover of darkness.
The fact of the matter is though that were it not for Rodgers’ Celtic connections, a coach of his experience and standing in the game would likely now be out of the reach of any club in Scotland, so if the runners and riders are assessed on that basis alone, he should be a shoo-in for the post.
He could and perhaps should have won the English Premier League with Liverpool, finishing as runner-up to Manchester City after a collapse in the last three games of the season. He guided Leicester City to top-five finishes twice, and he also won the FA Cup, the Community Shield, and perhaps more pertinently, took them deep into European competition when they reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Conference League.
Admittedly, that is the poorer relation of the UEFA tournaments, but his own European record is one of the other black marks associated with his time at Celtic, and he appears to have found a way to get results in that arena without abandoning his brand of open, attacking football.
The main concern some reluctant Celtic fans may have though is that having been burned once, they are worried he may repeat the trick again down the line and break their hearts once more. Having used Celtic to once again restore his slightly tarnished reputation after a tough period in his career, he would surely be seduced back off to England at the drop of a hat as soon as an Everton, Brighton or even Burnley fluttered their eyelashes in his direction.
Isn’t that true of any manager that Celtic appoint these days though? As Postecoglou’s departure underlined, the adulation and the trophies you can win at Celtic cannot compete with the financial muscle that ultimately draws successful managers here to the English Premier League.
Rodgers had been thought to have ruled himself out of a return to Celtic so soon after he left, perhaps fearing a backlash from the supporters who once adored him. Reports over the weekend have suggested though that he is keeping an open mind on the prospect of a return to Glasgow.
If that is indeed the case, and with majority shareholder Dermot Desmond a known admirer of Rodgers, then it may be time for any sceptics to shrug off their doubts about his appointment for the club’s greater good.
It boils down to this; which manager would give Celtic the best chance of retaining their title next season? Rodgers, tried and tested over this course and distance and a proven, capable operator at the top level in England to boot, or Enzo Maresca, a coach of great experience but a managerial rookie, with just an ill-fated spell at Parma as a number one under his belt?
That is not meant as a poo-pooing of Maresca’s credentials or to say he could not succeed as Celtic manager. The Manchester City assistant manager is clearly respected in the game, and you can see the logic in appointing him as the continuity candidate, coming as he does from the same City group stable as Postecoglou did.
But while the punt Celtic took on Postecoglou paid off, it would be an even greater risk to go with the Italian, untested as he is on the frontline of management.
They say you should never go back, but if Rodgers did indeed perform a reverse ferret to once again take on the role as Celtic manager, at least the fans would be going into it this time with their eyes wide open.
The tales about Rangers fans complimenting him in the Clyde Tunnel, old Patsy with her Brendan Rodgers hat and scarf and Danny McGrain’s infamous welcome would be taken with a generous pinch of salt this time around.
But if you take the emotion over his timing and manner of departure from Celtic out of the reckoning and assess the managerial candidates on their credentials alone, Rodgers should be the clear first choice.
Pitchforks at the ready…
