BRENDAN RODGERS CAME came close to securing Premier League title glory at Liverpool but claims to be a better manager at Scottish champions Celtic.
The Northern Irishman saw the Reds fall agonisingly short in their efforts to take the English top-flight crown in 2013-14.
Within 18 months he was relieved of his duties at Anfield and forced to take a break from management until linking up with Celtic ahead of the 2016-17 campaign.
He has rebuilt his reputation in Glasgow, securing Premiership and League Cup crowns to be shortlisted for the PFA Scotland Manager of the Year award, and believes he has improved as a coach.
“Coming to Scotland means I’m a better manager now than when I left Liverpool,” Rodgers told reporters.
“There are two reasons for that. The first is that my players have made me better and the second is the quality of the other coaches, who have all posed different problems for me.
“I’ve been impressed by a lot of the guys up here. They might not have the facilities and they don’t have the money the clubs down south do but they manage to find a way to make it work.
“All the tactics and the styles are all different and I’m a better manager for having dealt with that and I’ll be better still a year from now.
“What you have in Scotland is an unpredictability with surfaces – and I’ve already said you don’t get good games on artificial turf – and that can affect performances and results.
“You also have more varied systems. And no matter how much or how little they’re being paid, the players up here always give their all and there is a physical aspect to that.
Rodgers signs for four more years
“We’ve all seen over the years that big teams can go to lesser teams and find it very tough and that’s what you get here every week.
“I’ve been impressed by how my players have coped with that.”
Celtic still have the opportunity to complete a domestic treble this season, with Aberdeen awaiting them in the Scottish Cup final on May 27.
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To say his career in management has been ‘largely unsuccessful’ is incorrect.He did have success at Sunderland.
That’s why I said ‘largely unsuccessful’ rather than ‘entirely unsuccessful’ Eamonn.
To call his management ‘largely unsuccessful ‘ is unfair Paul. He took Sunderland from bottom of the table to win the championship. Success.Then he kept them in the Prem. more success.
Already sick of the Roy Keane stories. I’ve read sweet f**k all about Martin O’Neill who last time I checked, was actually appointed boss, not Keane.
By the way I hope that O’Neill does not start tiptoeing around d**kheads like Stephen Ireland and Darron Gibson, begging them to come play for Ireland. If he puts 11 men out there who replicate the pride, commitment and passion shown by the likes of the Clare and Cork hurlers last month, in every game they play then ill be happy enough. You can’t ask for more than that. Leave the primadonnas at home.
Agreed. Had to laugh at Stephen Ireland being interviewed and saying he’s going to give some consideration to coming back. He hasn’t done anything to merit it since he was playing for City.
Last month, Roy helped his old Forest mate Gary Charles with some coaching at a University of Nottingham football match. I talked to some of the boys – after they got over the shock of Keane walking into their dressing room unannounced, they said he was articulate, obviously enthusiastic about what they were doing, and helpful in his critique. This is just one example of what he’s been doing the last three years; from helping some university players to observing training at Barcelona – he hasn’t just been walking the dogs and working for ITV. He’s been serious about trying to improve his skill set and I suspect he’s had a good old think about where he’s gone wrong in the past in his management style.
Since when does coaching come into international football??? Coaching is done at your club.
Tactics & the motivation are the only thing an international manager (that’s Martin O Neill everyone not Keane, just try remember that) gets to do with the short amount of time with the players……
Good work journo, another nonsense story
Lets take them across the water. Gerrard and Lampard could never play well together as they’ve only ever played one style of football and basically only predominantly for one club.
Coaching them at international level was the only way to get them to change their style of playing. Unfortunately for England it didn’t work. Possibly a good coach may have made it work.
A coach is essential at all levels.
A hotshot…. In precious few days that you have the players, how can you coach them?? Team organisation, tactics & mentally preparing them for an international match should be just scrapped for coaching grown men???
Kids get coached, precessionals listen to tactics
@Kevin: Maybe the lack of success was because they were trying to coach these two top players into a style of football they were both uncomfortable with, rather than having the tactical fluency to play them as they would wish to be played.
People seem to forget Martin O Neill is the manager not Roy Keane
I think your article is very misleading Paul. You are damning his coaching ability by criticising his man management skills. From what I gather he is an intelligent and innovative coach on the training ground whose management career was stifled by issues with the man management rather than the coaching.
I meant ‘coaching style’ in the broader sense of the word, Joseph. Man management can be considered a part of coaching.
Id disagree, man management is part of management, coaching can be a part of management too but would be more widely considered, in the context of British football at any rate, as the work done with players on the training pitch.
Sorry to say that while your articles are normally good I’m afraid you should have given this one a miss, it smacks of Sun type journalism.
FACT: Martin O’Neill is ROI manager
FACT:Roy Keane is his assistant and no doubt part of his coaching staff.
Why is all the talk about Roy and not what Martin brings to the job. From reports I have read, I have no idea one way or the other, O’Neill can be quite tough when he wants to be. So less of the jumping on the Dunphy bandwagon please.