‘There are very good home-grown managers who will never get true recognition. And I was one of them’
English obsession with continental bosses cuts deep for Rodgers
BRENDAN RODGERS believes talented British managers face an uphill battle for appreciation in an English Premier League seduced by foreign influence and where the value of money has been lost. The Celtic boss was speaking at the end of a week in which a statistic was unearthed detailing how he and feted Anfield coach Jurgen Klopp share an identical top-flight record after 54 games in charge.
Klopp replaced Rodgers after the Ulsterman’s three-year reign was terminated by the Liverpool board in October 2015.
The German is in the midst of his first major hiccup following despite last night’s morale-boosting 2-0 home victory over Spurs.
Rodgers, now rebuilding a fine reputation with domesticallyunbeaten Celtic, looks sure to return to the big league in the future.
However, there are some unsavoury aspects that he has not missed while steering Celtic back to the Champions League and to coast home to a Scottish title.
One is what he perceives is a lack of admiration for and awareness of young talent in the home-grown coaching ranks.
‘There will always be a tendency with home-grown managers, we will never get that sort of recognition,’ he said. ‘If we provide any sort of tactical innovation, we’ve stumbled onto it.
‘It’s mysterious. They think you could not have studied the game or been a developer or innovator.
‘We are brought up in Britain to show humility, not to be brash — but then we don’t get called charismatic. British managers won’t be jumping up and down and chasing up the touchline. That’s how we are. We’ve been brought up to shake people’s hands and to go in after games to have a drink with your opponent no matter what happens.
‘That’s the way it is. I had a brilliant time at Liverpool. When I went there, they were eighth in the league. Luis Suarez was an international footballer but he wasn’t world class.
‘Myself and my staff brought in a style of football that improved players. Within two years, we went from eighth to scoring over 100 goals and nearly winning the title.
‘Ideally, you would build on that. Then you’ll be seen as an innovator, you’re everything — or maybe not. That’s the football experience.
‘I don’t have an agent and I don’t leak things to the press, so I am not looking to make propaganda.
‘Liverpool are a great club and there are some great European managers. But there are also some very good home-grown managers who I believe will never get the true recognition for it. I was one of them.’
Rodgers also lamented the obscene levels of cash swirling around the top division in England thanks to colossal television deals that dwarf not only Celtic’s earning power in Scotland, but the vast majority of Europe. Aston Villa copped £66million from the Premier League’s funds for finishing bottom of the pile last season.
‘When money comes into football it always distorts reality,’ said the 44-year-old. ‘You want the clubs to have the money but not at a cost.
‘The brilliant thing for me here is getting back to coaching, working with players, developing them and knowing that you’re not always going to be able to say: “Get me the finished article”.
‘But getting someone you can improve and who does well for the club is good. The English Premier League is a wonderful league. It’s great to be involved in it.
‘But when you come away and look at it from afar and at development of young players, it’s very tough. Over 70 per cent of the EPL is now foreign and it’s also very difficult for home-grown coaches.
‘There’s a hunger that goes out of players. You have a lot journeymen players making their way through. It (the money) is difficult but you must deal with it.’
Celtic published their accounts for the last six months of 2016 on Thursday showing a pre-tax profit of £18.6m thanks to their return under Rodgers to the Champions League.
Dermot Desmond, Peter Lawwell and the Parkhead board will be content with the return so far on their investment in paying top dollar for a manager last summer.
In turn, Rodgers is revelling in a role that allows him to be the club’s ‘architect’.
‘This goes back to my meeting with Peter and Dermot in London and where they have been true to their word,’ he said.
‘They made it very clear that the manager is the architect for the club. That’s not me having any ego. It is me being left to do what I’ve been brought to do.
‘To have the freedom to do what a manager does. My most successful periods as a manager have been when I have had close relations and not too many in-betweeners.
‘Trust me with the football operation and they do the rest. It worked at Watford and Swansea. At Reading, not the same. Too many layers between me and the owner.
‘At Liverpool, I had a great relationship with (former chief executive) Ian Ayre. But probably he gets diluted at what he does because there are so many involved with what he does.
‘That can be an issue at a big club. I come to Celtic and it is simple. I do the football organisation. I have brilliant coaches and good staff.
‘For what I don’t know, I use the knowledge of the great guys at the club who I liaise with at board level.’