It didn't take long for Brendan Rodgers to land his next job in football management after being sacked by Leicester City in April.
Reappointed as Celtic's head coach on Monday morning, the 50-year-old will be looking to repeat the success he enjoyed during his initial spell in charge of the Scottish Premiership side between 2016 and 2019. Rodgers delivered seven major trophies for the Hoops and boasted a win percentage just shy of 70 per cent.
This stint at Celtic arrived on the back of his dismissal from Liverpool the previous year, which saw Fenway Sports Group relieve the Norther Irishman of his role just two months into the 2015/16 season. He was, however, responsible for the Reds' unlikely title challenge of 2013/14 season, which marked the emergence of a deadly strike partnership between Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez.
Rodgers' first full season, by contrast, was rather forgettable as Liverpool ended the campaign in seventh position and one place behind Merseyside rivals Everton. One of the most memorable parts of 2012/13 was, ironically, the fly-on-the-wall series titled 'Being: Liverpool'.
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Providing supporters with the opportunity to understand the coaching methods of their new manager in greater detail, this six-episode documentary instead painted Rodgers in a manner he would have wished to avoid. From introducing Joe Allen as the 'Welsh Xavi', clashing with Raheem Sterling during a pre-season training session or handing out mysterious envelopes to players, there were plenty of moments he perhaps would rather have not made it to air.
Reflecting on the series in 2020, Jamie Carragher admitted the programme did little to enhance the reputation of Liverpool's Sir Kenny Dalglish successor. “I don’t think it did him any favours. He didn’t have the power to say ‘no’. He had only just got the job and probably felt a great debt to the owners," he told the Athletic.
“I think if Jurgen Klopp had come in at that time he would have just said ‘I’m not doing that’ and the owners would have accepted it. But Brendan probably felt that he was in no position to question it. I think maybe Brendan felt the need to big himself up a bit on camera. He was a young up and coming manager who had just walked into a massive club. He embraced the cameras rather than shying away from them. He probably overdid it a bit.”
As well as providing insight into Rodgers' team talks prior to games, viewers were also able to get to know the Reds boss on a more personal level. Inviting cameras into his Merseyside home, now occupied by Jurgen Klopp, many were quick to pick up on a portrait of Rodgers that could be seen hanging up in his lounge. Accused of an egotistical nature for having this on show in his Formby-based property, what was not made common knowledge was the fact Rodgers received this image from a disability charity in Swansea as a gift.
Although an individual who still divides option to this day among Liverpool supporters, it seems his influence on those he coached has not been forgotten. Hailing the role played by the now Celtic boss in enabling him to enjoy a glittering career, Luis Suarez recently told the Daily Record: “If it was not for Brendan, I am not sure I would have had the career that I did – he invested so much in me.
“He obviously cares about the team and about playing attractive football – but what people maybe won’t know is how much he works one on one with every single player. He will sit down with you as often as he needs to and make a plan for areas you need to improve, talk about strengths, look at a weakness in the opposition that you as a player can exploit.”
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