There was a question at Friday’s press conference that resulted in Brendan Rodgers getting a wee bit irked, and it may not be because a reporter challenged him on his use of his bench players against St Mirren, not really. But because the player in question may have to play the rotational fall-guy until such times as Brendan Rodgers gets the striker through the door he’s demanding of the Celtic boardroom.
Friday’s press conference may not have boiled over quite like last week’s near nuclear exchange but make no mistake Brendan Rodgers’ words were every bit as calculated, and the last question was as feisty as Rodgers got this week.
When the final question focused on why Shin Yamada didn’t feature against St Mirren, the real story lies in the manager’s deliberate choices, and the message those choices send upstairs as the transfer window enters its decisive final weeks.
When Adam Idah was hooked on Flag Day, it was not the new summer signing Yamada who got the nod, but Johnny Kenny. Rodgers defended the call in blunt and pretty unambiguous terms.
“Who was surprised by it? I don’t know whether you watched the game, but I put Johnny Kenny on,” Rodgers said. “You can only play 11 players, and we have a big squad. Adam came off, Johnny came on, and we scored. We freshened the team with two 8s and one of them scored.
“I can only play 11 players. I know in football people’s values grow when they’re not playing. I always decide what is right for the team. If Shin doesn’t come on, I don’t think he’s right for that moment. Johnny has done well in pre-season — worked hard, been intense, created goals.
“I’ll always make changes based on what the game needs. If I am to answer every question of a player not playing or playing, we’ll be sitting here all day and night.”
The football logic is perhaps sound. Kenny had earned his minutes over the course of pre-season. But the broader strategic picture is far more interesting.
Rodgers likely knows Yamada has the profile to become an important option, but he also knows the Japanese forward is still adapting. More importantly, he’s making it crystal clear, Yamada is not the ready-made replacement for Kyogo the team still lacks, and the manager still wants.
Seven months have passed since Kyogo’s departure, and despite Celtic’s ambitions on domestic and European fronts, to some within the support, and it seems certainly to the manager, the glaring hole in the squad remains unfilled. By limiting Yamada’s early exposure — even when supporters might expect to see him — Rodgers is preventing the board from using him as proof that ‘the striker issue is sorted’.
It’s the same with Hayato Inamura at left-back. The youngster has looked a good footballer in pre-season, yet Rodgers left him out his match-day squad entirely against St Mirren. Why? Because he knows he needs a reliable, experienced deputy to manage Kieran Tierney’s workload over the course of a demanding season and he perhaps feels he needs to emphasise that point. We might prefer the manager used a different tactic, some might agree with him, but it seems he’s emphasising his point, that he’s underlining his wants.
Rodgers didn’t sign these players with first team starts in mind. He’s happy to develop them, but he’s not about to allow their presence to become an excuse for the board to penny-pinch or gamble with the quality in the squad. This is a manager who understands that Celtic’s long-term domestic dominance, and our credibility built up in Europe last season, depends on more than promising projects, we have plenty of those now.
Last week, he went in hard, however, this week, he stayed measured. But the underlying message hasn’t changed, it’s still back me properly, or risk undermining the season, and Rodgers focus now is on players who don’t need developed for Champions League, but ones that come in and lift the team at that level.
With the window closing in just over three weeks, the tension between the dugout and the boardroom is pretty clear. Rodgers’ standards have never been higher, and for the sake of Celtic’s ambitions, the board must meet them, not second-guess them.
Because this isn’t just about rotation or who comes off the bench against St Mirren. It’s about whether Celtic are prepared to fully equip one of the best managers we’ve had to deliver what we all want, another title, and a team that can compete at Europe’s top table.
Niall J
Yesterday Conor Spence attended the Celtic fan media conference at Celtic Park to represent The Celtic Star and to speak to Celtic legend James Forrest alongside supporters from four other fan media outlets. Here’s the video…
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CELTIC IN THE EIGHTIES BY DAVID POTTER, FOREWORD BY DANNY McGRAIN is published by Celtic Star Books on the fifth day of September. You can pre-order now to guarantee your copy which will be signed by Danny McGrain, with just a limited number of signed copies still available, although they are selling very quickly.
It’s looking like the signed copies will run out over the course of this weekend so if you are intending to purchase David Potter’s final Celtic book then why not do it today to get the benefit of a Danny McGrain signed copy!
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- Alec McNair – Celtic’s Icicle now FREE and with FREE postage when ordering with David Potter’s last book Celtic in the Eighties
Thank you to everyone who has already pre-ordered and don’t worry, your copy will be signed by the legendary Celtic and Scotland star who captained Celtic for the early years of the 1980s.
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So you get two great Celtic books by David Potter and better still the postage is only charged on one. Offer available for a short period only as we have a very limited number of copies of David’s wonderful book on Alec McNair left.
So why have one brilliant David Potter book when you can enjoy two? And if you’re planning on buying Celtic in the Eighties why not get your copy signed by Celtic legend Danny McGrain?
Click on the image below to order…
