Brendan Rodgers might have enjoyed a brilliant time at Parkhead as a manager but his departure in the middle of a season to join Leicester City has made him a controversial figure in the eyes of a lot of Celtic fans. And his opinion regarding the club providing a potential guard of honour to the Rangers is certainly interesting.
There is already much discussion on whether Scott Brown and his team should welcome the Rangers players on to the pitch with applause and a guard of honour because of their Premiership title win this season.
It is something that the Rangers chose not to do back in 2019 when Celtic had lifted the trophy themselves. Thus, it would be hard to blame the Hoops for not giving them a guard of honour this time around.
As reported by Sky Sports, Rodgers said of the matter:
"“My feeling is always that you should show humility and class and be a sporting team.”"
He also believes that it could provide the team with motivation going forward, talking about the time when Manchester United provided a guard of honour to Chelsea:
"“It was sporting but can also provide you with great motivation going forward. It’s something that for me – despite the rivalry, despite how difficult it is – you should do and then use it as motivation.”"
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Rodgers’ take on Celtic’s potential guard of honour is interesting
Rodgers did go on to give an example from his own career regarding the matter. Referencing back to his time as a coach at Stamford Bridge, he talked about Sir Alex Ferguson making sure his Manchester United team gave a guard of honour to the visiting Chelsea side, who had just secured the Premier League title.
Very few clubs who are close title rivals will like the idea of giving a guard of honour. Chelsea and Manchester United were just that during that period of time, when the two were regularly competing for the Premier League title. But even then, it is hard to compare their rivalry to that of Celtic and the Rangers. The history is completely different.
In terms of whether a guard of honour happens or not, only time will tell. Of course, that is if the match does indeed go ahead according to schedule.