Rodgers V Celtic's Board - The Sequel

In nan aftermath, aft nan past whistle sounded connected Celtic's dreary 0-0 tie pinch Kairat Almaty successful nan first limb of their Champions League play-off and erstwhile nan strains of "sack nan board" had died away, Brendan Rodgers sat down to talk.

There are times erstwhile a post-match news convention is acold much container agency than nan 90 minutes that preceded it - and seldom has that been much existent than successful nan eastbound extremity of Glasgow connected Wednesday.

Rodgers' squad had been mostly awful; flat, uninspiring and unthreatening. This necktie is successful nan equilibrium now successful a measurement that fewer group had expected.

The Celtic head had 2 ways to spell - wound his lingua astir nan holes successful his squad and his board's pedestrian attempts to capable them, aliases proceed down nan roadworthy he's been connected for a while now, doubling down connected nan message.

He chose nan second - and successful galore ways it was riveting and illuminating astir wherever he is astatine pinch Celtic.

Where are nan caller signings? He said he could not reply that, meaning that it is simply a mobility for those supra him - which, of course, it is.

But those supra him do not speak astir specified things, truthful he is surviving a Groundhog Day beingness connected that front. Round and information he goes, wherever are nan players, cipher knows.

He was asked, alternatively pointedly, if he thought nan fans should person to judge nan measurement nan nine is being run, nan measurement they entered a cardinal Champions League qualifier still not having replaced a departed icon Kyogo Furuhashi - who near for France successful January - Nicolas Kuhn, a 21-goal winger who near successful nan summertime for Como and Jota, nan prestigious winger who will beryllium retired injured until adjacent year.

"That's not for maine to answer," said Rodgers. The subtext being, 'go inquire personification who tin reply it'.

As nan questions came, nan head met each 1 pinch immoderate loaded language. He said it was beautiful clear for immoderate clip that Celtic were short of players and needed to do much successful nan market.

"It's nan lightest we've been successful cardinal areas of nan pitch," he remarked astir their mentation for a necktie of specified magnitude, a £40m head-to-head pinch a squad they were basking favourites to put away.

It was not difficult to publication betwixt nan lines and not difficult to announcement Rodgers' discomfort. But conscionable arsenic it is morganatic to wonderment wherever nan caller signings are and really nan club's ambition marries up pinch nan ambition of nan manager, it's adjacent to constituent retired Rodgers was not precisely down to nan waste connected Wednesday.

On his watch, Arne Engels was signed for £11m, Auston Trusty was brought successful for £6m and Paulo Bernardo costs astir £3.5m.

All 3 grounded to make nan starting line-up against Kairat. Adam Idah costs a further £9m and it would beryllium difficult to reason Celtic sewage worth there.

Should Rodgers' squad person played a full batch amended moreover allowing for nan deficiency of caller blood? Unquestionably.

And now? That Champions League and nan loot that goes pinch it is successful much threat than it ought to be. That is not solely down to a deficiency of recruitment. If Celtic do not make it done to nan convention phase, location are questions for everybody astatine nan club.

At 1 constituent of nan night, nan cameras panned to nan stands and picked retired immoderate elder men astatine nan club.

There was Michael Nicholson, nan stoic main executive. There, also, was Peter Lawwell, nan president who is nary longer pulling nan strings astatine nan nine successful nan measurement he did for truthful galore years.

There, too, were others precocious up successful nan hierarchy, non-executives emotion nan power of nan Celtic fans.

Dermot Desmond, nan mostly shareholder and nan cardinal fig astatine nan club, was obscurity to beryllium seen. You person to wonderment what his guidance will beryllium erstwhile he hears of Rodgers' comments.

Everything that Rodgers said is going to summation instrumentality vexation pinch nan board. His constituent astir location being "only truthful galore ways I tin dress up" that nan transportation business has not been done was a stark one.

It was each a commentary connected nan measurement things are; a cloaked disapproval and a challenge.

And location were cryptic words connected nan singing of 'sack nan board': "What I do cognize is, complete galore years, 'sack nan board' usually intends 'sack nan manager'. It's usually nan head that goes erstwhile that starts to beryllium sung."

It was a unusual comment. What did he mean by that? That he would suffer his occupation earlier immoderate committee member?

He did not elaborate, but it could beryllium interpreted arsenic different reflection connected a troubled narration pinch immoderate of nan group supra him astatine Celtic.

Where this goes from present is difficult to know, but Rodgers and his narration pinch his committee is simply a compelling narrative.

He has been successful this movie before, of people - and now he is successful nan sequel.

In 2018, during his first spell arsenic Celtic manager, he was asked what would hap if nan club, successful his eyes, stopped pushing forward. "Yeah, my occupation is done then," he replied. "Terminado. Gone."

Earlier this month, location was a reprise of those sentiments. "I'm not bully astatine maintaining anything. If it's conscionable thing to maintain, I'm not nan head for Celtic."

There is still clip for Celtic to enlistee successful this model and put these issues to bed. There is simply a ton of money successful nan slope and rather a fewer parts of nan transportation that request addressing.

They request astatine slightest 1 value winger, a caller centre-forward, a back-up to Kieran Tierney astatine left-back and, depending connected nan severity of Alistair Johnston's hamstring injury, perchance a caller right-back also.

They person nan spending powerfulness to make nan existent issues disappear.

Rodgers said that 0-0 connected nan nighttime wasn't awesome but offered dream of progression successful Tuesday's return.

He reminded people that he was successful this position earlier successful a Champions League qualifier when, successful 2017, his squad drew 0-0 astatine location against Rosenborg but past hit them 1-0 distant successful nan 2nd leg.

That was nan illustration he chose to usage to assistance nan spirits, but location is different measurement of looking astatine nan benignant of business Celtic are successful correct now.

Rodgers said thing of nan qualifier nan pursuing play against AEK Athens. It vanished 1-1 successful Glasgow and was followed by a 2-1 nonaccomplishment successful Greece and an exit from Europe's biggest shape and a cautionary tale.

Skin and hairsbreadth flew backmost then, arsenic it will do again if things do not travel correct adjacent week successful nan power of Almaty.