At a club like Celtic, the expectation is to win every game at the domestic level. Season after season, without fail. That might sound almost impossible to pull off but it is just the reality of the pressure that comes with managing the club. Otherwise, it is only a matter of time before you are shown the exit door. And for Brendan Rodgers, it might not be long before the Hoops reach that decision, if he does not turn things around soon.
The start to this season has been worse than the 20/21 one for Celtic. Let that sink in for a moment. And it is hard to imagine how things will get better from here with some of the injuries they have picked up recently, and some of the results they have produced.
Celtic are eight points behind Hearts. Just for context, inspite of all the failures of the Russell Martin era, the Rangers are five points behind their Glasgow rivals.
To be very honest, the Rangers' struggles have taken the spotlight away from how bad Celtic have been at the start of this season. Some will say that it was expected after the horror show that was the summer transfer window. Others feel that Rodgers needs to be getting more out of the options available to him.
Celtic tipped to sack Brendan Rodgers for one reason
Rodgers has had his fair share of disagreements with the board in recent times. And that could make it easier for them to show him the exit door if things continue on this downward trajectory. As reported by Football Insider, Mick Brown said:
"In any circumstances, if you’re the Celtic manager and you’re not winning the league, there’s going to be a lot of pressure on you to turn things around from the fans and the board.
“So for Rodgers, I have no doubt they’re having a look at him and hoping he can turn things around.
“If he can’t, then they might be left with a huge decision to make about his future.
“Another thing that isn’t helping his cause is the clashes with the board, he’s demanding certain things which they haven’t delivered, so there’s a disconnect there.
“He may well be using that as a reason, pointing to the results and saying this is happening because he hasn’t been giving what he’s asking for.
“So it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he was let go, even before the end of his contract, because there have been several disagreements and the results haven’t been good enough."
That is a reality that every Celtic fan will need to agree with, whether you want Rodgers to continue in the role long term or not. The results and performances are not good enough at the moment.
In fact, they have not been for a while now. One could even argue that they have never been in his second spell at the club.
Even in the 23/24 campaign, they had allowed the Rangers to take a lead in the title race before pulling things back late on and winning the league. But overall, this is not the dominant Celtic team that we saw in the Northern Irishman's first stint. He has not been able to recapture that magic the second time round.