Brendan Rodgers has laughed off suggestions he was making some sort of statement by not wearing his Celtic tie during last weekend’s 2-0 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
The Celtic manager’s choice of attire sparked chatter among a section of supporters already on edge over the lack of incoming transfers, with two weeks left before the window shuts. In the current climate, it seems every detail — even the manager’s clothes — is under the microscope.
One of the more outlandish theories even made its way onto Superscoreboard, the Scottish football phone-in where a certain type of caller thrives on far-fetched conspiracies. The insinuation was that Rodgers, by removing his tie, was silently signalling dissatisfaction.
Rodgers today dismissed the speculation in a typically forthright fashion.
“It’s unbelievable, someone has told me this here, it’s like I’m supposedly sending messages, kidding, as if! It’s unbelievable!” he told CeltsAreHere. “I’m basically like everyone else, see when it’s really hot, you have to take off your jacket, your tie, and see when it’s really cold, you wear a jumper.
“So I remember last year I wore a jumper, people said, what, he’s sending a message — what message? Bloody freezing. I was wearing a jumper on in my big coat and it was up to there and I’m fine.
“I’m basically like everyone else, see when it’s really hot, you have to take off your jacket, your tie, and see when it’s really cold, you wear a jumper.
“And last week, there’s two grounds I’ve realised in my career that are absolutely boiling if you get it at the time and the sun’s hitting your dugout — Pittodrie and Preston. I went there once before and I got absolutely roasted on the day. And Pittodrie’s the same. So I thought, well I’ve either take off my jacket or take off my tie. So I took my tie off.
“So I don’t know what message that is, I’m just warm. So this is modern football, eh?”
Rodgers’ comments underline just how heightened the atmosphere around Celtic is at present. With no fresh signings through the door and a Champions League playoff on the horizon, some fans are clearly overanalysing even the smallest details. For the manager, however, Sunday’s look was nothing more than a reaction to the Pittodrie sun.
