Brendan Rodgers arrived in Glasgow for his second spell as Celtic manager alone.
The Irishman was not afforded the chance to overhaul the coaching staff at the club, unlike in his first stint in charge. As it turns out, it’s clear there was a good reason for that.
The 50-year-old cannot praise his backroom team enough for their dedication to improving the players in the club’s ranks.
After scoring against Ross County, Luis Palma raced towards the away dugout at The Global Energy Arena to embrace Harry Kewell. Rodgers has revealed that the Australian had been working with the summer signing to help his game. And Palma’s acknowledgment of this is a testament to the work going on behind the scenes to ensure the club strives to reach the levels of dominance they’ve become so accustomed to in Scotland.
“The coaches have a specific number of players they work with on different elements of the game,” Rodgers explained. “An incredible amount of work goes on here from the coaching staff to help the players develop.
“We will identify areas they need to be better in. Harry will sit with the forward players, John with the defenders and Gavin with the midfield players.
“He [Palma] was probably referencing some pointers he [Kewell] gave him. This is great because that’s why we are here – to train players, give them confidence and improve them. That’s our job so it is once when they can reference people who are helping them.
“I have been impressed with all the coaches. John Kennedy is brilliant, and I saw that in my first spell. He is an outstanding coach and has an incredible thirst to continue learning and developing. He works as hard as I have ever seen anyone work in football. Besides all of that, he is a good man. A very loyal man.
“I didn’t know Gavin and Harry. I met Harry prior to taking the job and had a chat with him at my house down south. And I have to say, for a player who was world-class in his pomp, the commitment he has to being here at Celtic and helping all our wingers, he is very good. And I think (former) players like him give you that bit of gold dust. He shares that with the players and he is good for our team and gives a different viewpoint.
“Gavin is an excellent coach, very diligent and has lovely human qualities. He is always there for the players.
“And obviously Jack Lyons. I brought in Jack as a really young, talented coach who is analytically brilliant. He can analyse and present that to players to. So the team is very good and that’s why I didn’t just single out Harry. The dynamics of it all make it work.”
While driving to meet Rodgers at Lennoxtown last week, his former player and coach Kolo Toure was on the airwaves discussing his future in the game.
The Ivorian lasted less than 60 days in management at Wigan Athletic last season before ex-Hibernian head coach Shaun Maloney was drafted in as his permanent replacement. He has since spent time away from the game, admitting he’s learned from his mistakes and elements of the job he was naïve in.
Rodgers is very fond of the former Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool centre-back. He signed him for Celtic having worked with him at Anfield. After less than 10 appearances in Glasgow, Toure more into a coaching position at the Scottish champions and subsequently followed Rodgers to Leicester City in 2019.
Toure was full of admiration in his appraisal of Rodgers during the broadcast on national radio. It’s something the Irishman appreciates, insisting he would love to see his former apprentice get another opportunity as a manager.
He said: “Kolo is one of the nicest men I have ever met in my life and in football. It was hard for him (at Wigan) because you go into your first job and you have to make that decision to go in despite people maybe telling you not to do it. If you get the feeling to go then you have to go and do it.
“Listen I had that early on in my career when I lost my job before I had even really started my managerial career. I had a really good time at Watford, should have stayed but didn’t. Went to Reading and within 22 games I think it was, I lost my job.
“So I’m thinking ‘Am I going to get another chance?’ I knew I’d be better next time because for the first time in my life, I was unemployed. And I knew that it wasn’t now with development players. I was still developing them but I had to sharpen my teeth. So I knew that with the next job I went into, I had to be good if I was going to survive. Thankfully Swansea City gave me that chance.
“Kolo is a good man he has got great experience, he has played, coached and been around enough. I really do hope that he gets another opportunity because he is someone who develops and helps people improve as players. And as a person, I learned so much working with Kolo.”
