A lot of Rangers fans online have not seemed particularly concerned about the return of Brendan Rodgers as Celtic manager. Some of their players and managers appear to be taking the matter a bit more seriously though, as the Northern Irishman won seven trophies in his first stint at Parkhead, including two trebles and an Invincible season.
It is that time of the year when the Rangers fans are very confident of their team’s chances in the upcoming season. And the news that they have started to sign a few players has only encouraged them further. Graham Souness has already talked about Rodgers’ return to Celtic Park though and the problems it could pose for the Ibrox club.
And now, Ally McCoist has become the latest Rangers icon to speak about the matter. He clearly rates Rodgers highly and had a message for Michael Beale as well.
The news of Rodgers’ return as Celtic boss was confirmed finally on Monday. Although it seemed a long wait to get the official news, it was a remarkably quick appointment in reality. Just two weeks after Ange Postecoglou departed for Tottenham Hotspur. And nobody can deny the ambition behind the move either.
Rangers legend sees Rodgers’ return to Celtic as bad news
McCoist acknowledged Rodgers as a top class coach and manager, and recognised the success he enjoyed in his previous stint in Scotland. As reported by Football Scotland, the Rangers legend said on talkSPORT:
"“Within Scottish football it’s a kind of no-brainer decision because he’s a top class coach and manager.“He knows the club really well and was extremely successful before so that alone makes it an obvious choice and a pretty good choice in my book. However, as has been well documented, there’s a certain section of the Celtic support who made it clear they were not happy with Brendan when he left.”"
When asked by Gabby Agbonlahor whether it was good or bad news for Rangers, he said:
"“I’d have thought it was bad news, yeah, for the reasons I’ve given.“But Rangers and Michael Beale can’t afford to start thinking about what’s going on across the city. They have to concentrate on themselves and that’s bringing four or five players in.”"
With so many contracts expiring last season, it is a major rebuild for the Rangers. Rodgers has a more settled squad and will be looking to add more quality during the summer transfer period.
The club have already started doing that as well, by bringing in Odin Thiago Holm. They are also being linked with several others including Daniel Amartey and Wilfred Ndidi, both of whom worked with Rodgers at Leicester City.