Brendan happy to replicate O’Neill in quest for success

BRENDAN RODGERS may resist the comparison but, as he prepares for his first cup final as Celtic manager, there are clear echoes of the Martin O’Neill era in the air.

Like O’Neill, Rodgers is a lifelong supporter of the club who hails from Northern Ireland, yet the similarities between the two extend much further than nationality.

In 2000, O’Neill travelled north from Leicester with a remit to halt Rangers, then dominant and spendthrift under the David Murray regime, and announced his arrival with a thumping four-goal victory in his first Old Firm game.

Celtic do not currently have a rival who come close to matching the financial punch of that Dick Advocaat-managed team but it was not coincidence that the Celtic board should push the boat out to secure the former Liverpool manager just as their Ibrox rivals re-emerged in the top flight after four years away.

A 5-1 victory in the opening Glasgow derby of the season was a resounding statement of intent from a club determined to extend its run of five titles in a row.

Yet perhaps the biggest single correlation between the pair is in their preferred method of work. Rodgers may be much more of a training ground coach than O’Neill ever was, but both were appointed under the title of manager and governed the Parkhead club accordingly.

Just as O’Neill had no truck with a staff structure that, prior to his arrival, featured a head coach and director of football, so Rodgers insisted on total control. Shackled by the Anfield transfer committee system that governed recruitment in his previous job, Rodgers (right) sought autonomy — and got it.

‘It’s the only way to work, that’s why you are the manager — to manage the football operation,’ says Rodgers. ‘There are lots of people here with really good skill sets. What I always try to do is create an environment where it is there for people to learn, improve and develop.

‘I like to be involved in most things but I don’t know everything. I’m an on-field coach, that is my natural environment, but what I have found in my short time here is that the working group is very small.

‘I have inherited really good people. My experiences, I hope, will be able to help the club develop.’

While O’Neill succeeded with a raft of big-name signings like Chris Sutton and Neil Lennon in his first season, Rodgers has fared just as well with comparatively minor resources by bringing in Scott Sinclair, Kolo Toure and best of all Moussa Dembele.

At Liverpool he was only one voice on a recruitment panel, forced to speak up in favour of the players he had personally identified would improve his team. He did not always get his man.

At Celtic he has been encouraged to lead from the front. The club’s former scouting chief John Park has recently moved on and, in tandem with chief executive Peter Lawwell, Rodgers will be involved in appointing his successor.

‘When I spoke to Peter, we agreed to take our time on that,’ he continued. ‘It’s not about getting someone for the role, it is about getting the right person. We are in a process, speaking to a very small number of people and we will see.

‘At Liverpool, the structure was in place. The manager has to be a big part of the process, but with players, it always boils down to availability and affordability. ‘When I came in here I was asked by Dermot and Peter to be the architect of the club. And that was very appealing.’ Today, Rodgers has the opportunity to place the League Cup on the boardroom table — the first trophy snared by O’Neill in that first season. ‘I was a huge admirer of Martin,’ admitted the current Celtic boss. ‘What I first and foremost saw was that he did the dirty work. He was a player and had a great career, he did great for Northern Ireland. But his first job was at Grantham, then at Wycombe before making moves.’ O’Neill’s first trophy led to a domestic treble — making him only the second manager in the club’s history to achieve a clean sweep. The idea of joining his compatriot and Jock Stein in that Parkhead pantheon can only hold appeal for Rodgers but he refuses to articulate it directly. Instead, he speaks vaguely about leaving a legacy. ‘Hopefully we can be here as long as possible and grow and develop,’ he added. ‘The biggest thing for me is having a team of substance, one supporters enjoy watching. That’s the ultimate aim as a coach and a manager.’