Rodgers, Deila and Lennon. Not Just About The Managers.

After a recent discussion between Charlie Saiz and myself ( Ralph ), he agreed to go away and put together the salient points for further debate…

The  discussion centered around  the relative impacts made by the arrival of current boss, Brendan Rodgers, and his predecessor , Ronny Deila.
Both managers arrived from different ends of the managerial spectrum and as a result got a different approach from the Club and power(s) at be. And , of course, generated a different reaction from the support. Poles apart, in fact.

Deila,  a relative unknown from Norways back fjords came to the table with more or less an empty hand. The biggest job of his career to date, it would be fair to say that Celtic were more of a catch for him, then he was for Celtic.
Which meant, of course, the club held all the aces.

He had  followed a club legend into the hot seat , one who had served the club successfully as a manger and a player. A man who had a very good understanding and relationship with the support being a Tim on arrival.

That meant he had to hit the ground running. Lenny achieved as a player at Celtic and delivered as a fledgling boss in a short period of time. He was, and still is, a fans favourite, and many still lament his departure, under somewhat cloudy circumstances.
Lennon had been  backed primarily in the transfer windows and a fair bit of money was spent building a squad capable of achieving what were great results in Europe. Well for one glorious season anyway.

Deila arrived to an underwhelmed support, most of which viewed him as a cheap option, or a defualt choice when others had turned the job down. Perhaos he could even be termed a panic move, similar to the players who arrived at Celtic just before mdnight on transfer deadline day, when it had become apparent they were all we could get.

As he had no real reputation in the game outside of Norway and a  only few knowledgable observers knew what the club was getting, it could be argued that Lawwell and his fellow directors were not going to fully trust him with a spending spree, certainly not at first, and Deila’s refusal to stamp his authority from the start would ultimately contribute to his downfall. a lack of authority at board level soon led to a lack of authority in the dressing room.

Throw in that he followed a much loved Celt, and the writing was on the wall should he make even the smallest of mistakes.

Yet he did implement the style still used today. Though it can be argued that whatever groundwork he put in has certainly been improved upon by his successor, a big name manager with experience at arguably Britains most successful club-five big cups-who didn;t need to explain to the players what he wanted and why, he just told them what he wanted.

And he got it.
In comparison, when Brendan Rodgers came to the table , he came with a fist full of aces.

Above all, Celtic needed him. A crucial difference where any negotiations between the manager and the board are concerned, and as a result, he got a free hand in transfer dealings, and got the players he wanted.

All of which, bar De Vries and Gamboa, and theres time for them yet, can safely be said to have improved things.

The support needed a lift, and they showed just how much by turning up in their thousands to welcome him, whereas his predecessor never got more than a “We’ll see how it goes ” response.

The club needed to restore its credibilty on the European stage, and Rodgers was in a position to tell them what was needed.

Attendances were on the decline,the lack of Champions League football and revenue was having a terrible effect on both attendance and finances as a result the Club had cut back. More improtanly, the norale of the fans was down, and that usually sees the start of a vicious downward cycle.
The lack of a viable Rangers side in the League was also a small factor I believe in the cutting back on investment latterly under Lenny and through Deilas short stay.

Fans didn’t miss them, but a short sighted board failed to see beyond the “old firm 2, and whilst publicly denying their relevance, behind closed doors , they couldn;t figure out how to live in a world without them.

Consequently, important investment was delayed, as domestically they felt it wasn’t needed.

Rodgers arrival co incided with the arrival of a new club with a large fan base and the potential to challenge for the title, and therefore the investment scould now be resumed.

rodgers had the support of the board, he knew what he wanted, and he went out and got it.

On the pitcch, crucially, he delivered, and although he’s only been here a few months, he already feels like part of the furniture.

The club are back in the champions League proper, a cup sen=mi final and a comfortable lead in the league.

His opening gambits worked, partly because he had a free hand and complete control, partly because of is reputaton, and partly, probably mostly, becuase he’s a bloody good manager who knows how to get the best out of his players.

But the fact that like Lennon , he is deep down a tim, one of us, also contributed, and again showed why its probably better to have one of our own in chagre than even the most promising of young Europeans- and Deila will go on to better things, as he has the ideas, but not the savvy to implement them, which will come with experience.

The approach from Celtic to both managers  on arrival were  totally different. Perhaps because different results were required.

Ronny never had control, some may argue that’s just as ell, but it meant that players didn;t respect him, and therefore it was only a matter of time before he was on his way. He did bring in a lot of players, some who never really got a chance, which suggests they weren;t his idea. Time will probably tell that although he did have the final say on arrivals and departures, it was presented to him as a multiple choice question, and not as an open page.

And the priority seemed to be a players resale value. Not what they could add to the team.

The profile of his signing seemed to be working to a template, and as a result, the team was top heavy with inexperience, whilst Rodgers has been allowed to sign two thrity five year olds, on more than decent money, who will be worth nothing at the end of their contracts.

Because he felt that was what was needed.
If we want to be regulars at the top table in europe, we have to buy what the team needs, not what the bank balance suggests we should.

We haven’t done that since Martin O’Neill pludered the EPL, but in thise days we could at least match their spending. These days , its out of the question, and a manager must have a failry thick book of contacts and a wealth of knowledge about players he has worked with before that can do a job for him now.

Deila didn;t get his star name, Martin Odegaard, and he had expected to.

Rodgers has got his, and they are doing the job for him.

Deila had to contend with the sale of Virgil van Dijk, the end of the loan period for Jason Denaayer, and a couple of other losses. He never got to replace them.

The downsizing forced by O’Neills big spending hit not only Lennon, but Gordon Strachan before him, and if these two couldn’t speculate to accumaulate, there was never any chance Deila could.

Rodgers, on the other hand, has bought well. He needed to, but he at least got the support from the boardroom he needed, unless a later tale of their reluctance to spend emerges.
Brendans appointment has signalled an end to the old conservative  approach, pehaps as players are sold on for profit, he will be allowe a little more leeway with the purse strings. Perhaps ,over time, using money made from the likes of Dembele, Sinclair or others in the squad, it will be re-invested, in slgihtly better quality, for a higher return…

It does seem that the club are investing a little more wisely, and are perhaps willing to even break through the prohibitive wage cap. If they want quality, they will have to.
Many of us have been harping on about this for years we have been screaming for Celtic to speculate a bit more and push the boat out a bit further before we lost sight altogether of the big league we wish to participate in.

We may now have got that, or at least the beginnings of it.

Wednesday night was a glimpse of how things could be, with the right management, and the right board working together.

Momentum is gathering at Celtic , who knows where it will take us ?

The next two transfer windows will show how serious the club is during the Rodgers tenure, indeed, it may even determine whether he will be around for as long as the fans want him, as he told a fans podcast a week or so ago.

However it turns out, and we all hope we kep going as we are, its certainly a more exciting time than the last few years.

I think maybe we should just sit back, strap ourselves in, and enjoy the ride.