Chris Sutton believes Celtic’s board have brought unnecessary pressure on themselves over Brendan Rodgers’ future, claiming the manager has made his stance crystal clear – back him or risk losing him.
Rodgers was forthright in his media appearances on Friday, laying bare the frustrations surrounding recruitment and his contract situation. While talks have taken place, the manager confirmed there has been no formal offer on the table yet, reiterating his desire to keep pushing the club forward and warning that he won’t hang around just to “maintain” current levels.
Sutton, writing in his Record Sport column, says the message from Rodgers couldn’t be any clearer.
“The manager’s comments have got stronger and stronger as the weeks have gone on. But yesterday he really spelled it out in no uncertain terms.
“We can talk about fans’ frustration but Rodgers feels the same way too – it looks like his patience his starting to wear a little thin at yet another window that hasn’t gone to plan.
“There’s no need to try to work out any hidden messages any more. This was a clear warning – back me properly or I’m off at the end of the season.
“You can’t blame him. He’s the one who will carry the can if things go wrong in Europe or at home. This follows the Parkhead manager’s comments about his future and club transfers.
“And while the contract situation is the elephant in the room, it could be clearer in the next few weeks. “If Rodgers doesn’t get the backing he wants and needs, it WILL look like the club is treading water rather than matching his ambition.
“He’s cranking up the pressure on the board and it’s now over to them to deliver. It’s all a bit unnecessarily messy really.”
It was the most open and honest that Rodgers has spoken about his Celtic future. He’s happy at the club and seems like he would be happy to stay if the conditions are right. He’s clearly sharing the same transfer frustration as the fans, and admitted he needs to “convince” the board even more to get some new bodies through the door – not something you’d expect heading into Champions League qualifiers in two weeks.
It’s a weird mood heading into trophy day. The fan base is as united as it’s ever been in the past few years, but not in a positive way. The decision makers can hopefully change that in the next month.
