Brendan Rodgers has tough Celtic headline slot after Ange's 'Rolling Stones' support act says ex Parkhead boss

Gordon Strachan has compared Brendan Rodgers’ task at replacing Ange Postecoglou at Celtic as headlining a gig with The Rolling Stones as your SUPPORT act.

The former Hoops gaffer is making waves south of the border after swapping Parkhead for North London at Tottenham with current boss Rodgers returning for a second stint. Jurgen Klopp is heading out of Liverpool this summer and the Spurs gaffer has been mentioned as a potential candidate the Reds should target as his managerial and playing style continually earn praise.

The Greek-Aussie signed off from Celtic last term with a Treble success and five trophies from a possible six across his two seasons in charge. His relentless attacking brand and work in the transfer market made him a real popular figure with the champions and considering all factors, Strachan knows how difficult a task it was going to be for anybody replacing Postecoglou. However, what Rodgers can do is play the media game well and that had the former Scotland boss joke ‘I wouldn’t like to take him on at Scrabble’.

He told Lord Ping: “Following in the footsteps of Ange Postecoglou isn’t an easy task for any manager. It’s like headlining a concert with The Rolling Stones as your support act. All the best trying to follow that, and that’s what it’s like at Celtic at the moment.

“Brendan knew what he was getting into when he came back to Celtic, and he wanted that challenge. Is the league a little bit more difficult compared to when he last there? I would argue that it might be. The one thing that I’ve seen over the last few years in the Premiership is that teams like St. Mirren, Hearts, Hibs, they are becoming more physical and are making it more difficult for the likes of Celtic. There has been an emphasis on height and strength over the last couple of years and I think that’s shown by the limited number of home-grown players that are coming through in Scotland at the moment.

“The media will ask Brendan why his team aren’t performing as well as we know they can, and he’ll give honest answers that are then written as excuses, so management can be a bit of a word game sometimes. I think Brendan can play the media game well – I wouldn’t like to take him on at Scrabble (laughs).”

Rangers are hot on the heels of Celtic at the Premiership summit with just three points between the Glasgow rivals. Philippe Clement and his troops have a game in hand which they play on Wednesday night against Ross County with the chance to draw level on points. They could even go TOP depending on the scoreline at Ibrox.

Ange Postecoglou left Celtic for Tottenham in the summer

Strachan continued: “I’ve spoken about this before but taking over from a successful manager is always really difficult. How do you put your own spin on the job without plagiarising or just copying the man that was in the seat before you arrived?

“It’s a horrible prospect for managers to deal with. Did people think that Brendan was going to come to Celtic, grow a beard, put on some weight and start talking with an Australian accent? That was never going to work.

“It can be hard to make tactical changes to winning teams – Gio Van Bronckhorst had that problem at Rangers after Steven Gerrard left. Brendan would have known that going into the job. Brendan is only half way through the season into his second spell at the club. He is just getting started.

“It’s been difficult for him to find that balance. If you try and change too much, the players get a bit spooked. I think we’ve seen glimpses from his Celtic side – they’ve played some nice stuff in parts – but the issue is that the Celtic fans have been in a position where they have completely dominated teams for two years. That is what the fans are missing at the moment. It’s not easy for Brendan or the fans.”

Strachan also joked Rodgers’ comments about a ‘broken narrative’ at the club were “something that I would never have said as a manager” and “too cerebral for me (laughs)!”.