Brendan Rodgers didn’t take long to get over his sudden Celtic departure.
He was appointed by Al-Qadsiah in the Saudi Pro League this month, in his first ever role outside of the UK.
Rodgers addressed his infamous Honda Civic comments in his first press conference, but he probably won’t need to worry about a lack of budget at a club bankrolled by the biggest oil company in the country.
A more immediate concern will be the team’s results, after the side drew 1-1 in his first match in charge despite coming into the game as heavy favourites.
Regardless, the Al-Qadsiah fans have left no doubt over whether they are behind him.
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Ex-Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers gets unique tifo in Saudi Arabia
Rodgers replaced Spanish boss Michel, who is reportedly now in talks for a new role in the UAE.
Among Al-Qadsiah’s players are Real Madrid legend Nacho, and £50m+ signings Otavio and Mateo Retegui.
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That firepower wasn’t enough to guide the team to victory against Damac, as they dropped down to 5th in the league.
But before the game, a mostly-empty stadium displayed a Tifo for Rodgers, with the words: “We are behind you.”
See the picture here, via Al Qadsiah’s X account:
It is panto season, after all.
Al Qadsiah are 12 points off the top of the Saudi Pro League, and they face Al-Shabab next, for whom one-time Celtic target Josh Brownhill plays.
It’s quite the mix of characters, is the Saudi Pro League.
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Ex-Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers reacts to first game in Saudi Pro League
Speaking after the draw, Rodgers admitted that there were negatives to his side’s performance.
He said: “The draw was not satisfactory for us. We were aiming for a better result, but matches like these give us important lessons that we will work to benefit from.
“I saw a lot of positives out there, both technically and tactically.
“There were also mistakes and we will work hard to improve our overall performance and become stronger in the upcoming rounds of the competition.
“I saw a team who have potential in the attacking side of their game. My job now is to work on those positives I saw, while addressing the negatives in the match.”
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