Rodgers has some advice for “young manager” Beale after he came up short against Celtic

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers had some advice for recently departed Rangers boss Michael Beale.

The Englishman certainly did his fair share of talking during his ten-month stint in the Ibrox hot seat. However, it all amounted to nothing as Celtic lifted a treble last season and raced into a seven-point lead over their rivals this.

Rodgers was only present for the latter portion of that and met Beale just once. Yet he has still offered a bit of advice to the former Rangers employee who just couldn’t match his or Ange Postecoglou’s sides.

“It’s always difficult whenever you lose your job as a manager,” Rodgers told The Herald on Tuesday.

“I’ve had that experience and when it happens to you for the first time it can feel like the end of the world.

“But what you learn with experience is that after the clouds comes the sunshine – and that it’s a part of the game. You learn, especially in the modern game when change happens so much, that it can happen to you.

“When you’re manager at Celtic and Rangers, these jobs are the very highest level of pressure, expectation, stress. For a young manager starting out, that’s a big, big challenge.

“But he will be better for it. He’ll go away and reflect where he could have been better, where things could have been different and then it will; sharpen his teeth going into the next job.

“Because, like I said, at the biggest clubs the highs can be really high and, like he’s probably sampled in the last few days, the lows can be low. But it’s part of our job. It’s our profession and it’s not always nice. But he’ll come again, I’m pretty sure.”

Rodgers’ comments are very genuine and should be taken in that way. However, I’d be lying if a few of them hadn’t tickled me in a more patronising sense.

His referring to Beale as a “young manager starting out” is completely fair. Beale had only managed Queens Park Rangers for a matter of months before the Ibrox gig. Yet, it’s a funny old phrase for Rodgers to use in the context.

The comments are likely to be enjoyable for Celtic supporters, as our boss effectively treats the former Rangers manager like a rookie just starting out in the game. To be fair to Rodgers, he kind of is.

The Celtic manager’s experience in comparison to Beale really shines through. He’s been a boss at a good level for 15 years now. His predecessor Ange Postecoglou enjoyed an even greater advantage in that regard.

Rodgers will now welcome the next managerial figure from across the city. They better make it a good one, too. He has shown up plenty of Ibrox bosses now. It will take something special to get the better of him and Celtic.

In other news, Celtic join Europe’s elite after impressive start under Brendan Rodgers