Brendan Rodgers was simply experiencing the chaos at Hampden. Once again rising above the noise and chaos, the Celtic manager accomplished a league and cup double at the end of a turbulent season marred by internal turmoil and outside disturbances.
just as he has done all season long.
The Scottish Cup was reduced to one more incident that could be handled by remaining composed in the face of heartless, unrelenting pressure, which included a VAR ruling that rightfully disallowed a goal for Rangers following a double-handed push on Joe Hart during his final football match.
Given that Rodgers has maintained the highest victory % of any manager in Old Firm history, the accusation made against him by a former Celtic player—that the manager was just “going through the motions”—was ultimately determined to be unfounded.
And he did it on a day when his team appeared determined to refute Aaron Rodgers’ belief that they “came alive” and donned their “trophie heads” at this point in the season.
The dependable midfield trio of McGregor, Hatate, and O’Riley was foremost among the nondescript players who made Celtic look unrecognizable in recent weeks.
With a shot that Jack Butland spilled and Adam Idah converted into the net, Paolo Bernardo, Hatate’s substitute, played a part in determining the winner. Certain things are bigger than all of us if you can win a final after falling so far short of your finest selves.
It appears as though events are unfolding to fulfill Rodgers’ deepest desires. He defeated Rangers, the fiercest adversary of his team, to win the Scottish Cup yesterday, May 25, the most memorable day in Celtic’s 136-year history.
In doing so, Rodgers gave a nod to Billy McNeill and Jock Stein on this, the 57th anniversary of the manager and captain’s victory over Inter Milan in the European Cup final in Lisbon.
Rodgers’s arrangement and leadership of an emotional symphony in the Hampden Bowl is a fitting addition to his recent event orchestrations, which have seen Celtic transform into a force to be reckoned with at just the appropriate time of year. the portion of the campaign that involves awarding rewards.
After his club defeated Aberdeen in the Viaplay Cup final, Philippe Clement, his counterpart at Ibrox, stated that there was “zero challenge” to inspire his teammates to go on and achieve a domestic treble.
With the light of hindsight, this is now apparent to have been a significant underestimate of his squad’s overall resolve. Conversely, Rodgers is unstoppable when it comes to influencing the psyche of his team.
There was the development of a siege mentality in yesterday’s cup final, which would have done credit to Alex Ferguson in his pre-knighthood days at Aberdeen, as well as in the approach to the league games that finally decided the championship outcome.
When describing the press clippings that were affixed to the Celtic Park dressing room wall prior to the last two weeks of the season, when a Double was built, Aaron Rodgers called them “a collage of negativity.”
Naturally, it’s one of the oldest ploys in the book—as if a bad headline following a poor outcome is an attack on a team’s self-worth.
However, ardent supporters typically avoid sarcasm and other such behaviors. It was a well-planned bit of humor when Santa Claus emerged from the tunnel at Celtic Park last Saturday with the Premiership trophy.
It brought back memories of the December afternoon when the home crowd booed Santa mercilessly during his halftime show, which coincided with the park team busily losing to Hearts putting on a show of dubious worth.
Put another way, if everyone was being honest with one another, the group of people that supported Rodgers was the ones who were most critical of his squad.
However, Brendan’s command of a season that became too much for Clement to handle has now humbled the same people, among them an element that was initially opposed to Rodgers returning to the manager’s office.
When the Belgian came, Celtic was leading the league standings by seven points; they would go on to win the championship by eight points overall. It seemed as though no one noticed him.
The following season, that cannot remain the case. What the Celtic fans really want—perhaps a more accurate term would be “crave”—is a league title triumph that matches the Rangers’ record of 55.
The consequences at Ibrox would be catastrophic if that were to occur. The significance of titles earned even before my birth to current affairs is something I’ve never completely understood, but that’s not the point.
The teams that depend on the steadfast support of season ticket buyers place a high value on it since it is very important to Celtic or Rangers supporters.
Don’t run out of water if that’s what keeps their boat afloat. But putting aside political bickering for a moment, the anniversary of the Celtic people making history in Europe needs to be understood in its larger perspective.
Twenty years after Celtic’s last group stage victory and knockout tie, European football has long since moved on and become a cause of shame.
Although the idea of raising the club’s profile in that field has received lip service, there is only one way it will truly take place.
And the way to do it is by paying appropriate money to purchase appropriate players. What precisely is the symbolism of Champions League qualification intended to represent? Is it only the accumulation of ostentatious wealth to maintain the noisy neighbors’ localized dominance?
Or is it a way to get Celtic back on track in a league where they were once thought to be competitive?
Rodgers must now devise a strategy to gain the same level of insight into his employers’ minds as he did into the one that sparked excitement in the locker room in order to track his progress toward that goal.
In fairness, he exhibits a great deal of promise in that area.
The club on the opposite side of the city, across the street, has the most reason to be regretful of this.
Rangers don’t need an advertising tagline that says they’re better than the rest, but they’re not quite the best. Furthermore, remorse cannot persist indefinitely. Otherwise
Get related news on
sportchannel.co.uk
Leave a Reply