EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Enjoy him while you can – Brendan won’t stay for ever
BRENDAN RODGERS is on the verge of becoming a recordbreaking Celtic manager.
And one of his former players, Danny Graham, reckons he will keep improving the club and take them to another level.
But Graham’s vision for the future also came with a warning.
He believes the Parkhead hierarchy, players and supporters should enjoy Rodgers while they can, as their manager is bound to be targeted by some of Europe’s top clubs.
The Blackburn Rovers striker – who played for Rodgers during successful times at Swansea City – said: “Obviously things are going very well for him at Celtic and I can’t say I’m surprised.
“He has made a massive impact and he will go from strength to strength at Celtic. In time, I can see Brendan going to work in a bigger league, whether that’s back down to England or abroad in Spain, Germany or Italy.
“I don’t mean any disrespect to Celtic, because they gave a really good account of themselves in the Champions League.
“Brendan is a Celtic fan and it was a job he couldn’t turn down. But he will go again, that’s for sure.
“However, that will be a few years down the line and during this period he will work hard to keep improving Celtic and take them to the next achievable level.
“He will not stop and will never rest on his laurels.”
Had things been different, Graham could well have been playing for Rodgers in the Hoops this season.
The former Sunderland striker was linked with a move to Celtic Park and Rodgers definitely considered it, before going down a different route.
Graham would have welcomed the opportunity, saying: “Brendan has made a huge impact on my career.
“He tried to sign me when he was at Watford and then he went to Reading. We eventually got together at Swansea.
“I know plenty about him. I thoroughly enjoyed his style of man-management.
“His coaching and training, and his tactical knowledge, is enlightening. He was a pleasure to work with.
“In terms of coaching and the way he dealt with the media, he was innovative and ahead of his time.
“I spoke to him in the summer when he got the Celtic job and wished him well. “We have kept in contact and will send each other a text message now and again if one of us is doing well. The media linked me with Celtic during the summer. I’m not sure they were putting two and two together because I was out of contract.
“Would I have looked at it? Yes, absolutely. Celtic is a massive club and, having worked with Brendan before, it would have appealed to me.”
Graham keeps an eye on Celtic’s results and the performances of their players.
He said: “Brendan gets the best out of players and I can see him doing the exact same at Celtic.
“I have watched some of their games this season and the one who sticks out for me is Stuart Armstrong. Brendan has clearly reignited Armstrong’s career and you can see the player now performing to a very high level.
“That’s another of Brendan’s strengths – getting the very best out of players.
“He does it by asking about your game, and working hard on the training ground with you. He also takes an interest in your life off the park, in terms of family stuff. He’s great.”
Graham is now concentrating on helping Blackburn climb the Championship table, away from the relegation zone. He was taken to Ewood Park last season on loan by Paul Lambert and then signed permanently in the summer by Owen Coyle.
He is enjoying life at Rovers and said: “Paul Lambert signed me on loan for Blackburn and we also had Alan Irvine, two really good Scotsmen.
“We now have Owen Coyle and Sandy Stewart. I’ve been surrounded by Scots for a while now!
“We have signed some good players and to get Charlie Mulgrew has been a shrewd move.
“Charlie is a terrific player. We are all enjoying our football here and we want to help the club climb the table.”