ROSENBORG REVOLTING
CELTIC
RAGING Rosenborg players have staged a revolt over the sacking of boss Kare Ingebrigtsen days before facing Celtic. The Norwegians are in full-blown crisis mode going into Wednesday’s Champions League second qualifying round first leg at Parkhead with the squad going to war with club chiefs.
Ingebrigtsen, left, got the bullet on Thursday after Rosenborg scraped through their tie with Icelanders Valur.
Dutchman Rini Coolen – whose last
FROM BACK PAGE managerial gig was a six-week stint with Aruba in 2015 – was appointed.
Playing staff issued a statement to Norwegian media demanding their old boss and assistant Erik Hoftun be reinstated.
But the bold move was blocked by the board after two hours of showdown talks.
The Rosenborg stars said: “We, a collective player group, disagree with the board’s decision to dismiss Kare and Erik.
“The full group has been behind the coaching team until the end and believes they were and would be best suited to further development. The player group requested the board reinstate Kare and Erik but the board was on its side.”
Chairman Ivar Koteng was forced into crunch talks with disgruntled stars but refused to hand Ingebrigtsen a reprieve.
He said: “The players thought he was the most suitable coach. But we carefully reviewed the assessments we had made and had a good meeting.”
Ingebrigtsen has remained tight-lipped but No.2 Hoftun thought it was a wind-up when he got the chop.
He said: “I worked at the office with (coach) Hugo Pereira when Kare called me and said he had been fired. I thought he was kidding but it turned out he did not.
“The statement from the players means a lot and makes the day easier.
“We go down with the flag flying when we have the players backing us after such a decision. It’s a fantastic bunch.
“You must respect the decision and accept it. Football is strange and brutal but life goes on.”
The coaching staff paid for displays in Europe but Hoftun insists Champions League qualification is brutal compared to 20 years ago. He said: “The distance to the best teams in Europe has grown and the road to the group games has become longer.”
As for Celtic, Brendan Rodgers is convinced their Gallic contingent can crack the national squad and boost Hoops’ French connection.
The Parkhead boss has backed Olivier Ntcham, Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard to eventually become regulars with the World Cup winners.
Rodgers said: “One day I think that will be their aim. There are some very talented French boys around but they only need to look at the regard with which they are held in.
“You look at Moussa and Oli playing in there and you heard recently that Odsonne’s Under-17 coach thought he was more regarded than Kylian Mbappe. That is the esteem he is held in.
“There will be a pathway for those players I’m sure.”
Rodgers also believes rising stars over the Channel will be eager to come to Scotland.
He said: “If you’re on the outside looking in, you see Celtic as a great club for that development. They may not be here for a long period of time but they come in and they learn to love the club.
“They also see they’re improving. Moussa came in for a purpose and that was to get better and improve and play at a big club to win trophies. He has done that.
“Olivier has come in to improve and is a terrific talent.
“Odsonne had his year on loan and we have a good relationship with PSG. Us taking him strengthens that relationship but more importantly it gave us top-class talent. If you’re looking in from France then you see Celtic is a good option for you.” Rodgers is confident Dembele will recover from a tight hamstring to star in midweek.
He said: “Moussa’s come back fit, he’s come back strong,
leaner and light.” THERE’S been a lot of talk about potential when it comes to Kristoffer Ajer and Jack Hendry.
Now is the time for the pair of them to make it a reality.
Thanks to Jozo Simunovic’s brain freeze against Alashkert, Celtic are back in familiar territory in the Champions League qualifiers and looking desperately light at the centre of defence.
I can’t quite believe they have allowed it to happen again mind you. They knew Dedryck Boyata and Mikael Lustig were going to be unavailable. It’s not like the World Cup sneaked up on them.
Rodgers will say they’ve been unfortunate with the injuries and suspensions – and it’s a fair argument, but only to an extent.
They also knew it’s dangerous to hang their hat on Simunovic given his injury record and his habit of turning up his nose at plastic pitches.
Boyata has also had fitness issues and he could be off anyway if a decent bid comes in. Failing to strengthen in key areas has given Rodgers a real headache
Yet here they are, going into a crucial qualifier with a patchwork back four. Again. It was the same in Brendan Rodgers’s first season when he was forced to chuck in Eoghan O’Connell and Lustig as a partnership in Astana.
It was the same story last season when they ended up with Nir Bitton having to play centre-back alongside Ajer in Kazakhstan.
Now they will need to rely on a couple of rookies in the first leg against Rosenborg.
It’s down to these two and now we’ll see if all these rave reviews about the pair are justified. Rosenborg might not be great but they are Norwegian champions and no mugs.
Celtic were lucky not to lose to them 12 months ago and simply can’t assume they will be able to do the same again this time –