Brendan has to deliver more Toure-type signings

Exit door may be the key

OVERVIEW

THE Hoops have won the last five titles, so of course Brendan Rodgers will be under pressure to make it six and advance them towards what would be a record-breaking 10-in-a-row.

With his management style and the backing he will be given, he should achieve that.

The new manager knows he already has the playing and financial resources he needs to win the Premiership this season.

If Ronny Deila can achieve it with the admittedly far too large squad currently at Celtic Park, then – even with Rangers in the league – Rodgers will be in no doubt he can do likewise.

I think he will face two main challenges in his new position.

The first is recruitment, and how to get more players of the standing of Kolo Toure in to the club.

The second is being able to move others on to be left with the sort of lean group he likes to work with.

MANAGER

RODGERS will lead Celtic to six-in-a-row but Hoops fans shouldn’t count on him hanging around to try and deliver number 10.

The Northern Irishman was THE big signing of the year in Scotland.

He has managed at the very top level of the game in England with Liverpool and was, in fact, a Steven Gerrard slip away from winning the Premier League title in 2013-14.

Things didn’t quite work out for him in his last season with Liverpool, but he still has a great reputation as a coach.

There are not many who come to Scotland with that kind of history behind them, so you have to say Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell have done very well to capture him. I think Rodgers will enjoy being at Celtic because of the access to Champions League football the club offers.

At the same time, I believe his aim will be to build his reputation back up then, when his stock is high again, move back down to English football.

That would be shrewd, too, because whether Celtic can get the 10 will be totally down to how Rangers develop, and Mark Warburton seems to be getting them going.

If Rangers can’t win the title this season, they will be desperate for it in the next two or three years. Remember how Celtic raised their game to prevent Rangers hitting double figures in 1997/98.

In the short term, however, the move north is something of a gamble for Rodgers. If Celtic don’t finish the season as champions, it will be a huge low point in his career.

MOST-IMPORTANT PLAYER

SCOTT BROWN is the captain of Celtic, plus the figurehead of the club.

But his form has dipped, and he was not at his best last season, with his performance in the Scottish Cup semi-final loss to Rangers much talked about.

But he is the top player at Celtic in the same way Joey Barton is at Rangers.

So I think he is the key. If he can recapture his form and fitness, then the Hoops will benefit greatly.

FINISHING POSITION

CHAMPIONS.