“Important for Celtic to try and keep the consistency,” Marc Rieper talks from experience

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The Celtic Star

·3 juin 2025

“Important for Celtic to try and keep the consistency,” Marc Rieper talks from experience

Marc Rieper reckons he knows a thing or two about uncertainty surrounding a managerial change at Celtic and the impact that it can have on both the dressing room and even the support…

Celtic’s Marc Rieper, Henrik Larsson and Craig Burley celebrate winning the League cup after a 3-0 win over Dundee Utd. Photo The Celtic Wiki

Wim Jansen’s Celtic side stopped the ten

The former Denmark international defender was part of Wim Jansen’s Celtic side that stopped the ten in season 1997/98 and also won the League Cup and recalls that within hours of getting over the finishing line on the final day of the season by beating St Johnstone at Celtic Park to secure the title, Celtic’s world was turned upside down and any momentum achieved through the massive achievements that season were immediately forfeited and Celtic went on to have a trophy less season the next year.

Vidéos OneFootball

An Evening with Martin O’Neill, image Celtic FC

Martin O’Neill began a quarter-century of Celtic dominance

Indeed it took until Martin O’Neill arrived 25 years and two days ago to bring the stability and the success back to Celtic and since then, despite some awkward bumps in the road, we’ve never looked back as Celtic entered a quarter of a century of dominance in the Scottish game that is unprecedented.

That though could be in jeopardy if there’s not clarity on the current Celtic manager’s future beyond the end of the upcoming season. Brendan Rodgers signed a three-year deal when he returned to the club as a successor to Tottenham bound Ange Postecoglou, and gave a 150%, then 200% commitment that he’d see out his three years at the club.

Brendan Rodgers arrives as new manager of Leicester City in February 2019. Photo Leicester City FC

Brendan Rodgers wanted to change the narrative by returning to Celtic

That of course brings back elements of his departure for Leicester City in February 2019 and the massive upset that caused, and Brendan Rodgers as a Celtic supporter himself, did not want that to be his Celtic legacy. So he returned on a three-year contract that he 200% will see out and so far has delivered two titles, a Scottish Cup and a League cup with a notable improvement in the Champions League to be factored into any assessment.

It’s not his record that is a concern, it’s the uncertainly of having a manager going into his final year of his contract and if there is not any agreement reached with the club this summer, as the clock ticks away in the next campaign, that uncertainty will grow and will have an impact, as Rieper knows only too well from his own time Celtic.

9 May 1998: Celtic Coach Wim Jansen and Murdo McLeod celebrate after a Scottish Premier League match against St Johnstone at Celtic Park in Glasgow, Scotland. Celtic won the match 2-0 to become the league champions. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Botterill/Allsport

“It’s always important when you’ve had a good run and the manager is liked by everyone that you try to stick with him,” Marc Rieper

“It’s always important when you’ve had a good run and the manager is liked by everyone that you try to stick with him,” our former Great Dane told Daily Record. “Obviously, that’s for them to find out. I’m sure Brendan Rodgers is a popular guy at other clubs as well. But it’ll be important for Celtic to try and keep the consistency.

“You could see what happened when I played at Celtic in 1997-98. Back then we had Wim (Jansen) and Murdo MacLeod as assistant and suddenly one day after we won the league they decided to quit.

“It just disrupted the whole of the next season,” Marc Rieper

“It just disrupted the whole of the next season. We had a togetherness with the team and with the management and in that case there seemed no real reason for him to stop. Obviously he had his reasons, but it was something that was really difficult to understand.

12 September 1998: Dr Josef Venglos of Celtic watching the action during the Scottish Premier League against Kilmarnock at Celtic Park Photo Clive Brunskill /Allsport

“Although we had some good people coming in and Josef Venglos as manager it was really difficult for them to create that togetherness so quickly. Even though you try to get a manager that’s got the same philosophy and style of play, it’s always different.

“So it’s very important that you have the consistency and you keep the uncertainty away from the players and fans.”

Brendan Rodgers has said that he will be having a conversation with Dermot Desmond this summer and hopefully there can be an agreement reach that removes any of the uncertainty that will develop over the coming months if the clock ticks down on the manager’s third year.

Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers applauds the fans at full-time. Celtic v Hibernian, Scottish Premiership, 10 May 2025 Photo Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock

Player retention and trading issues created by uncertainty

If the players reckon he’s leaving that will have an impact. If there’s no developments it can also have an impact this summer as potential signings weigh up their options and factor in that potential uncertainty of an imminent managerial change at the club. Players Celtic want to retain might become less likely to sign new long term deals and the support’s agitation might grow – no-one likes uncertainty.

On the other hand a new contract for the manager, with a clear remit for the next three or four years, will provide the everyone associated with the club with a massive turbo boost and a marker will be set for anyone seeking to make inroads into the Celtic domination.

Celtic v RB Leipzig – UEFA Champions League – League Stage – Celtic Park Dermot Desmond in the stands ahead of the UEFA Champions League, league stage match at Celtic Park, on Tuesday November 5, 2024. Photo Andrew Milligan

That’s why the Rodgers-Desmond talks this summer as so important, as Mark Rieper knows only too well.

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