Celtic News

Former Celtic boss understands why Rodgers left for Leicester, explains reasons for exit

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Former Celtic boss Gordon Strachan has offered some insight into why Brendan Rodgers did not hesitate when it came to being appointed as Leicester City manager, as reported by The Daily Record.

Celtic supporters were shocked by the manner of Rodgers’ exit last month after he left the club in the lurch on the eve of a vital trip to face Hearts at Tynecastle.

Strachan though, who understands exactly what it means to be boss at Celtic Park, reckons the pull of the English Premier League was just too strong.

As quoted by The Daily Record, the three-in-a-row winner said:

It is not the fact he has chosen one club over another, it is the fact he chose one league over the other. The leagues are completely different. Celtic are a bigger club in world football but Leicester are a top club playing in the top league in the world. That is the decision.

It is not a slight against Celtic, it is reality, which is not really accepted in Scotland. There is a reality that our league is not that great.

Brendan was probably thinking how long he could go on playing teams on plastic pitches and against sides who couldn’t test him or his players. He had to look at that.

We understand it in the football world because loyalty can affect you sometimes. I know from experience that loyalty can hurt you sometimes. He has made that decision and we have to respect it. I know Celtic fans would have loved him to stay until the end of the season.

Everyone knew that Brendan Rodgers was probably going to leave one day but as has been pointed out a hundred times it was the timing of it all that upset supporters most.

Nonetheless there is probably a brutal truth at the heart of Strachan’s comments.

There is little loyalty left in modern football and the Rodgers situation may well end up being a learning experience for fans who expect more from managers and players than they were ever prepared to give.

We will certainly now be incredibly wary of anyone else coming into the club telling us how much they love it here, love the fans and love the experience.

Ultimately words don’t matter, actions do.

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