IT was somehow apt that there were repeat mentions of “the Celtic family” at Brendan Rodgers’ introductory press conference as at times this felt more like a christening or a wedding. Not every new manager gets a reception as boisterously joyful as this. By the time Rodgers strolled into the No. 7 restaurant inside Celtic Park at around quarter part four, flanked by chairman Ian Bankier and chief executive Peter Lawwell, the room was teeming with bodies young and old. This was a media conference where the media had only a bit-part to play. There were fans in strips, family members, children, and even a baby in a buggy with a Celtic strip on its back. All either seemed to have a connection to Rodgers or were keen to get to know him.
READ MORE: In Pictures: Brendan Rodgers unveiled as Celtic manager at Parkhead press conference
The black tablecloth-clad round tables, the soft lighting, the finger buffet and the raucous music that drifted in from the adjoining stadium – where around 10,000 fans gradually gathered to welcome the new manager – further added to the celebratory, family atmosphere. The man at the centre of it all handled the fuss with presidential professionalism, and with great patience and courtesy. As first dates go, he could not have made a better opening impression. By the time the Northern Irishman departed the room a good hour or so later – having spoken to four different media groups, including a coterie of fans representatives – he had enhanced an already glowing reputation, exiting the room to a series of hugs, handshakes and kisses.
Rodgers is not here to be the next president of the Celtic supporters club but, by serving up a cocktail of pragmatism and nostalgia, he did his appeal no harm at all. There was an early mention – to positive murmurs – of the Lisbon Lions, a word for his former close friend Tommy Burns, and the revelation he had attended his first Celtic game in 1984, a friendly against Finn Harps. A legion of cousins and uncles, many of whom seemed to be beaming proudly in the background, was credited for starting his interest in the team and for giving him an early introduction to the “great values” of Celtic. When he later strolled out to a platform assembled on the pitch to meet the acclaim of the supporters - who had filled the main stand and were spilling around the corners – he could not help pushing his two palms to the sky as the supporters sang about Celtic going for 10 in a row. It was a populist move and the crowd roared their approval.
READ MORE: In Pictures: Brendan Rodgers unveiled as Celtic manager at Parkhead press conference
It was difficult to recall his predecessor Ronny Deila getting anything like this sort of welcome, from the private jet that brought Rodgers to Glasgow to the masses who congregated inside and outside the stadium to hail, hail his arrival. Rodgers, with his Premier League background and pedigree, represents the club clearly pushing the boat out once again. “A very special manager,” chirruped Lawwell, a reference – perhaps unintentional – that had echoes of Jose Mourinho’s arrival at Chelsea.
There is an undoubted element of Rodgers downsizing by coming to Scottish football and he did not try to play that down. Few leagues in the world can match the Premier League for finance or prestige and certainly not the one in which Rodgers will shortly be managing. “It’s not the same as down south,” he said, but there would still be a pressure to “continue the dominance of Scottish football and also make inroads in Europe”. Reaching the Champions League group stage – something Deila couldn’t achieve in his two seasons - will be his most pressing priority, although Rodgers also acknowledged he did not have a huge amount of time to prepare for the qualifiers. “We’ll just have to be ready,” he added with a smile. Rather than compare Celtic with clubs down in England, he felt the continued success of Porto and Benfica – both regular Portuguese champions who tend to punch above their weight in Europe – should serve as a more realistic barometer. He is still to properly evaluate his squad to see what changes are required but would “look within the youth department” to see what he can unearth there in the first instance.
If a manager’s opening press conference is a bit like a job interview, then Rodgers did not stint in the business of selling himself. There were references to Raheem Sterling and Luis Suarez – players he felt he had developed into multi-million talents during his time working with them at Liverpool – and he eagerly seized upon a question about his success at Swansea City to underline his capabilities in delivering success on a budget.
READ MORE: In Pictures: Brendan Rodgers unveiled as Celtic manager at Parkhead press conference
As Rodgers stood on the pitch next to the Premiership trophy, whirling a green and white scarf around his head, it was difficult to escape the irony that, without having played a game or signed a player, he was already held in greater reverence than the man who had actually won it. The hard work starts here for Rodgers but his first appearance could scarcely have gone better.
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