“For European progress you need to invest,” Rodgers warned Celtic in 2018

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“For European progress you need to invest,” Rodgers warned Celtic in 2018

Way back in February 2018 Brendan Rodgers, on the back of his Invincible treble campaign and on his way to retaining all three domestic trophies in his second season as Celtic manager, was making his feelings clear on what Celtic had to do to become competitive in European football…

Brendan Rogers, Celtic Head Coach looks on during UEFA Europa League Round of 32 match between Celtic and Zenit St Petersburg at the Celtic Park on February 15, 2018. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

Rodgers was preparing his Celtic team for the Europa League tie against Zenit St Petersburg, and was keen to dampen expectations on talk that Celtic could even go all the way to the final that season. Instead he argued, the club needed to invest in the squad to make inroads on the European stage.

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Here’s the article in full as the Celtic boss urged the club to invest some or their record breaking profits from that never to be forgotten Invincible season in the squad.

“For European progress you need to invest,”

This pretty much mirrors what Rodgers had been saying at the start of this season and remember he only came back to the club in June 2023 having been given assurances, presumably by Dermot Desmond, that he would be backed in the transfer market the second time around as he looked at restoring Celtic’s position and reputation in European football.

Read this and you’ll maybe be able to join one or two dots as to where the real problems lie at Celtic this season and one thing is for sure it’s not been caused by Brendan Rodgers.

“For European progress you need to invest,” Rodgers warns Celtic – 11 February 2018

Brendan Rodgers has made it clear to the Celtic board and the supporters that in order to go far in European competition, and by that he means both the Champions League and the Europa League, then you have to invest.

Thursday’s visitors Zenit St Petersburg, just like PSG and Bayern Munich, are on a different level to Celtic financially. Zenit has spent over £60million on transfers to improve the team this season alone! Clearly Brendan is well aware of the potency of the Russians ahead of the game on Thursday night.

“For European progress you need to invest,” Rodgers warns Celtic – That was the headline on The Celtic Star on 11 February 2018.

“It is a huge club which has had big investment. They’re set up to go far in European competitions and the money there is huge. I played there years ago with Liverpool in a different stadium. Now they have a nice, new one and it looks great. They want to go far in European competition and to do that you need to invest.”

Now, just days after Celtic released a stunning set of financial figures which show that there’s £30million in the bank, the manager has decided to dampen expectations of Celtic being able to compete in European football given the level of investment in the playing staff.

And in doing so he is perhaps pointing out to the Celtic board that the stunning financial results which have emerged as a direct consequence of what he has been able to achieve for Celtic on the park, should be used as a spring board to improve the side for further European campaigns.

The days of Celtic being at fives, sixes and sevens in the goals against column must come to an end.

Talking about Celtic’s prospects of reaching the Europa League Final in Lyon in May and possibly going on to win the trophy, Brendan wanted to suppress that type of chat.

“I’ve seen some comments about possibly winning it,” Brendan said. “I’m a realist and we want to be competitive in it, that’s what is important. But there’s still a big gulf. That’s the reality.

“We have to somehow try and find a way to get through in these upcoming games over the two legs, but we understand it will be very difficult. You look at the teams that are in the Europa League – the likes of Napoli and Borussia Dortmund.

“These are teams that would have been hoping and expecting to go a long way in the Champions League, so the calibre of clubs and players is at a really high level.

“Everyone wants to be in the Champions League, but the Europa League isn’t a competition you can turn your nose up at. It’s a really prestigious competition.”

Three months later, as Brendan Rodgers as getting ready to deliver a double treble in the Scottish Cup Final against Motherwell, these Celtic directors were basking in the glory of it all but it turned out that they had no real desire to back their elite manager.

Celtic’s biggest shareholder Dermot Desmond and Celtic Chief Executive Peter Lawwell (C) look on prior to the Scottish Cup Final between Motherwell and Celtic at Hampden Park on May 19, 2018. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

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