The appointment of Brendan Rodgers has seen the club make a statement of intent. There is no doubt that the Irishman is an elite manager and the steps the club took to get him shows how highly he is still regarded at Parkhead.
In his first stint as the Celtic manager, Rodgers delivered seven trophies which included the Double Treble and the Invincibles Treble.
It really was an incredible trophy-laden two and a half seasons he delivered for the Celtic support. But just how does his first spell at Celtic rank amongst the rest of the managers in our history?
Martin O’Neill tops the lot. The Irishman took over the club and completely overhauled our squad. Adding the likes of Chris Sutton, John Hartson and Alan Thompson created an almost unstoppable force. With 213 wins from 282 games, O’Neill’s win percentage stands proud at 75.53% over his five years at the club.
Second in the league table is Ange Postecoglou. The Australian’s brand of football excited the Celtic fans and overwhelmed the opposition in Scotland. So much so that over his two years and 113 games in charge, Ange achieved a 73.45% win rate after 83 victories.
Next up is Neil Lennon. Lennon had two stints as the Celtic gaffer and helped finish off the Treble Treble and delivered the Quadruple Treble. He was also the manager that started and finished our second nine in a row. With 237 wins from 337 games, Lennon has a win rate of 70.33%.
And then there is the immortal, Jock Stein. Celtic’s greatest-ever manager was in the dugout for the most iconic period of our history. Over 12 years, Stein managed the club for 718 games. After 503 wins, the legendary Celtic boss’ win rate stands at 70.06%.
Stein managed the club for every one of our first nine-in-a-row titles and, of course, the infamous European Cup win in 1967. Stein is a man that will forever be entrenched in Celtic’s history and remembered by every generation of Celtic fans.
Brendan Rodgers sits just under Jock Stein with a 69.82% win rate. That is all the more remarkable considering his Invincibles season is included in that. Rodgers now has the opportunity to improve that win rate over the next three seasons after being appointed for a second spell this afternoon.
The rest of the Celtic manager’s records are as follows in numerical order:
John Barnes 65.52% (19 wins in 29 games)
Gordon Strachan 65.02% (132 wins in 203 games)
Wim Jansen 64.71% (33 wins in 51 games)
Ronny Deila 64.41% (76 wins in 118 games)
Willie Maley 63.23% (1109 wins in 1754 games) [all stats taken from fitbastats]
Every single manager has made a contribution to Celtic’s history in their own unique way. What cannot be argued is that every manager’s win percentage is also very impressive. It is little wonder that Celtic sits proudly as Scotland’s most successful football club.
In other news, Chris Sutton and Michael Stewart deliver instant verdicts on Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic return
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