Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic return was one that came out of the blue for many supporters and one that still touched a raw nerve.
Even for Brendan Rodgers himself, the return to Celtic would have been daunting. The Irishman was only too aware of the reaction to his exit in February 2018 and for some fans that feeling of hurt still ran deep.
But Chris Sutton has a different take on it. Sutton believes that Rodgers was brave to make the return back to Glasgow and praised the Celtic boss for doing so.
Speaking on the BBC 606 radio show, Sutton was discussing the weekend’s reception for Rodgers’ return with Robbie Savage and addressed the reception he received at Celtic Park before the match against Ross County.
Sutton said [BBC 606 41m 25s], “I actually think he’s brave to go back. He was brilliant the first time around at Celtic. Seven trophies out of seven. He’s gone back and there was a lot of the support, most of the support who were really angry about the way he left.
“Now he’s gone and he’s following Ange Postecoglou which are big shoes to fill.”
Savage pressed Sutton on the reception Rodgers received from the Celtic support and the former Hoops striker continued, “The reception he got? It was good. I mean, there is a section of the support at Celtic who made their feelings clear when Brendan returned.
“But when you actually think, supporters of a football club they all need to pull in the same direction for the club to move on.”
Sutton was obviously commentating on the match for Sky Sports and would have had the perfect platform to observe the Celtic supporter’s reception for the returning manager.
I have to say, I thought the reception was more than just ‘good’. I thought it was excellent, all things considered. The Celtic support did what they do best and got behind the manager and the team.
Rodgers would have undoubtedly been nervous as returning to 60,000 supporters would not have been an easy thing to do. But almost to a man, woman and child, he was given a rapturous reception and left in no doubt that he would be supported in his second tenure as the Celtic manager.
Now that the formalities are all over, it’s time now, as Sutton says, for everyone to pull together. With a hectic schedule in such a short space of time, the team will need the Celtic support onside. And from Saturday’s showing, that is exactly what they will have.
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