Craig Beattie claims he heard something really ‘unfair’ being said about Celtic’s Brendan Rodgers last season

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Former Celtic striker, Craig Beattie, has shared why he was unhappy about what he heard was being said about Brendan Rodgers last season.

The Celtic boss had to put up with all manner of nonsense in the media last season as the narrative about his team losing the league to what was supposed to be a resurgent Rangers was created.

He also had to put up with the whole Jane Lewis debacle and how his team were struggling due to the injury crisis that engulfed the team at the beginning of the season.

Rodgers had the last laugh as Celtic went on to become double winners but it was something else that Craig Beattie heard being said about the Hoops boss last season that really annoyed him.

‘Unfair’ comparisons to Ange Postecoglou

At the start of last season, there was a clear difference in how Rodgers’ team played compared to Ange Postecoglou’s and Beattie reckons that the stick the Celtic manager got for that was really unfair.

Beattie said [Daily Record], “There were questions over the style of football they played compared to when he was there the first time around.

“That was unfair. Celtic were transitioning from a style Ange Postecoglou had them playing to what Brendan wanted. You have to get that across to the players and it needs time to work on it.

“They probably faced a little bit of adversity but to come out with a double at the end of it… I know Brendan won’t be overly fussed by what people were saying.

“The season starts afresh now. Brendan will look at fitness, tactics, how they can improve despite winning a league and cup double because that’s what Brendan does – I have worked with him before and I know that’s what he has the drive for.”

There was always going to be a bedding-in period for whichever manager took over from Postecoglou at that time.

What needs to be remembered is that the number of injuries Celtic had coupled with the poor recruitment did hamstring Rodgers’ start to his second tenure at the club.

Another thing that is conveniently forgotten about is that Celtic lost just three games in the SPL last season of which one was helped along by some poor refereeing and VAR decisions.

Now that Rodgers has a full transfer window to get the players he wants in, I am willing to wager that we will see a different Celtic starting next season as to the one which began the last campaign.