Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton reckons Brendan Rodgers will be relishing the chance to put another Rangers manager ‘to the sword‘ this season and beyond.
Michael Beale wasn’t the first manager to be seen off by Rodgers and Sutton reckons he isn’t going to be the last, as the Ibrox side embark on a new era.
Philippe Clement has been handed a multi-year contract at Rangers after spells in charge of Club Brugge and Monaco. No doubt there will be a bit of hype and bluster emerging from rival fans and pundits, but Sutton is having none of it.
Speaking about a new dawn at Ibrox this weekend, Sutton said [Daily Record]: “Brendan Rodgers has already seen plenty of Rangers managers off the premises. I’ll bet he’s salivating at the prospect of putting another one to the sword.
“Perhaps I’m wrong. Perhaps Rodgers would have been quite happy for Michael Beale to stay in charge because that particular Ibrox project was going absolutely nowhere. But, having helped bring about the Londoner’s demise by beating him on his own patch with half a team missing and none of his club’s supporters inside the stadium, I’m convinced the Celtic boss will be licking his chops at getting stuck into sinking the next appointment.
“Mark Warburton didn’t last long once Parkhead chiefs saw sense and led Ronny Deila out of the door to bring in the Northern Irishman. Pedro Caixinha was next with his caravans and dogs chat and he was never going to pose a serious threat to the dominance of the Celtic boss.
“Trebles collected on their respective watches and Steven Gerrard was going the same way before Rodgers headed for Leicester and Neil Lennon impressively finished off the job. For all that Rodgers had some issues during his first spell at the club, he always had Rangers in his pocket and that’s massive at the Old Firm.”
Rodgers will undoubtedly be diplomatic if and when he is asked about Clement’s arrival in Scotland. He is never disrespectful about the opposition, unlike some other managers in the game.
But Sutton probably hits the nail on the head here in terms of his point. There will be absolutely no fear within the Celtic camp about Clement arriving on the scene. They remain focused on what they can control.
Most of this squad and staff have already proven they are the best in Scotland and the chance to do that up against yet another iteration of Rangers will be welcomed.
In other news, “Without being disrespectful”; Ben Doak shares the driving force behind Celtic exit.
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