Rodgers has more to achieve at Celtic if Board shares his ambition | OneFootball

Brendan Rodgers’ second spell as Celtic manager — from his re-appointment in June 2023 through to the present day — has been a study in pragmatic consolidation rather than the revolution some fans hoped for…

Brendan Rodgers of Celtic Crvena zvezda v Celtic, UEFA Europa League, Football, Rajko Mitic Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia – 24 September 2025 Belgrade Rajko Mitic Stadium Serbia Photo Nikola Krstic Shutterstock

He returned on a three-year deal with clear objectives; to sustain domestic dominance and push further in Europe,  to once again make Celtic a force to be reckoned with in European football. The early returns on the first aim have been  as strong as winning on online gambling sites in Malta; with Rodgers delivered league success and domestic cups while collecting individual plaudits.

On the pitch Rodgers has largely succeeded. Celtic have continued to win the Scottish Premiership under his stewardship and added further domestic silverware, maintaining the club’s stronghold on Scottish football. That consistency restored a baseline of expectation — solidity, structure and ruthlessness against domestic opposition — even if the European step-up that many supporters yearned for has been inconsistent. Match management and game control are among Rodgers’ strengths: his teams are typically compact without the ball and capable of quick transitions when possession is regained.

Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers applauds the Celtic fans at full-time. Final score Celtic 0 Hibernian 0. Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 27 September 2025 Photo Stuart Wallace IMAGO/Shutterstock

Tactically, Rodgers has been pragmatic and adaptable rather than doctrinaire in European football, notably in the Champions League but domestically his side never waivers from his strict 4-3-3 formation.  Where his first spell was associated with attractive positional football, his second has mixed that identity with a willingness to be more conservative in big European fixtures, a consequence perhaps of suffering a 7-1 hammering in Dortmund in the Champions League.

He often sets up to dominate possession domestically while prioritising defensive structure against technically superior European opponents — a formula that has produced domestic trophies but mixed continental results. This trade-off has prompted debate: is domestic symmetry enough if Europe remains the measuring stick for progress? The Celtic fans share Rodgers’ aspirations to achieve more but neither party is backed by a financially cautious Celtic Board with around £100m resting in their bank account.

Celtic Chief Executive Michael Nicholson sits in the directors box with Celtic s Chief Financial Officer Christopher McKay to his right. Celtic v Hibernian, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 27 September 2025. Photo: Stuart Wallace. IMAGO/Shutterstock

The transfer market under Rodgers has been uneven. There have been astute acquisitions that fitted his immediate needs — a mix of experienced signings to add leadership and younger prospects to develop — but windows have also produced frustrations among supporters and pundits who feel the club has sometimes failed to replace outgoing talent quickly or upgrade areas of weakness decisively. That gap in perceived ambition has fed into louder fan scrutiny of recruitment strategy and the board’s role in enabling Rodgers. Transfer decisions have therefore been judged not only on scouting merit but on communication and timing, areas where many fans want to see sharper performance.

Colby Donovan, Callum McGregor and Brendan Rodgers all smiles after the match. Partick Thistle v Celtic. Premier Sports League Cup. Sunday 21 September. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Rodgers’ relationship with the Celtic board has been functional but, at times, strained in public perception. He has repeatedly talked about needing backing to improve the squad, and some supporters interpret periods of transfer inactivity as a sign of either constrained resources or strategic misalignment between manager and executives. Media and fan commentary have painted a picture of mutual frustration — the manager wanting reinforcements and the board accused of slow or opaque decision-making. Rodgers himself has publicly urged unity even as supporter unrest has increased.

His bond with the Celtic support is complex and conditional. Many fans retain affection for Rodgers because of his first spell and the tangible trophies he has added since returning. Yet that goodwill is not unconditional: when recruitment or European performances disappoint, the same supporters who defended his appointment have become vocal in criticism — sometimes directing frustration at both manager and board. Recent protests and fan commentaries underline a relationship that remains respectful but increasingly demanding, with Rodgers escaping the blame as the support’s anger is almost exclusively directed at the Celtic boardroom.

Brendan Rodgers applauds the Celtic support. Partick Thistle v Celtic. Premier Sports League Cup. Sunday 21 September. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

In summary,  Rodgers has, during this second spell, delivered the baseline success Celtic expect — league titles and domestic cups — and shown tactical pragmatism that wins in Scotland. The outstanding questions are European progression and whether the club’s recruitment and governance can match the manager’s ambitions. If those two align — clearer transfer strategy plus sharper continental performances — Rodgers’s tenure will be remembered as a steady, trophy-rich era. If not, the tension between expectation and reality will define how his second spell is judged and also how it will end.

On Friday at his media conference at Lennoxtown, The Celtic Star asked Brendan Rodgers if he had any update on his own contract which runs out at the end of the season.  The Celtic manager confirmed that no progress had been made on a new deal and that he had nothing new to report. Rodgers stated previously that he would love to stay on as Celtic manager IF the club can match his own ambitions – and indeed the ambitions of the Celtic support – to make an impact in Europe.

Brendan Rodgers, Celtic Champions 2025 – Post match title winning celebrations after the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and St Mirren at Celtic Park on May 17, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

So a Rodgers exit from Celtic next summer will tell the support all that they need to know about the Board and their lack of ambition on the European stage. Life in the slow lane is not something that the support will relish or indeed tolerate.

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