Brendan Rodgers will quite rightly take a victory lap after guiding Celtic to another title win this season.
The Bhoys boss has come under intense scrutiny since his return as manager. It was also going to be difficult for him initially given the circumstances of his 2019 departure. He had a lot of work to do to win everyone over.
It didn’t help that there were inconsistent results and performances throughout the season, certainly in comparison to last season’s storming treble win. It ramped up the noise and the pressure.
However, Rodgers has stayed consistent with his messaging throughout. He predicted that once injuries eased and the run-in came around his players would step up to the plate and deliver. They have.
Speaking to Radio Scotland at Rugby Park after clinching the title with a 5-0 win over Kilmarnock, Rodgers made it clear this trophy win means more to him than most.
Brendan Rodgers on Celtic becoming champions
The Celtic manager said: “It’s something that I felt would come. People judged the team, going all the way back to August, there was so much negativity around the team and performance levels. Once we started to get players back, they’ve been immense I have to say. So much has happened in various ways.
“At times when there was a lot of criticism we just stayed with it, stayed focused and believed in what we were doing. There was immense pressure over the last couple of months. You only need to look at the results and performances to see how they coped with that.
“It means a lot. There were question marks over me – was I good enough to be here, could I manage this team, could I get them to play a level of football that’s expected here at Celtic? For the first time in my career, I’ve had the spotlight on me in terms of my playing style.
“I’ve never had a doubt this season because of what I see from the players every day – so honest and so hard working. As the season has gone on we’ve got better and better. I’m so pleased for them and for the supporters. Over the last few months we’ve come together.”
Celtic unity will make the club even stronger
The Bhoys now have a platform to push on and improve even more over the coming months. With the fans on board and backing this team and manager, a quality transfer window will really ramp up excitement.
There’ll be a challenge in the Scottish Premiership again next term and the exciting gauntlet of an expanded UEFA Champions League. The club needs to best prepare for that with the resources available.
Everything is stronger and feels better when there’s unity at Celtic. Everyone is now pushing towards shared goals. It’s time to see this club at its full potential.
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