Dermot Desmond makes Brendan Rodgers claim after Celtic's heavy defeat

Sunday’s match at Ross County wasn’t Celtic at their best. But it was a win and three points. It sets up an exciting top-of-the-table clash with Aberdeen after the international break as the Hoops' next match. Both teams have a perfect record in the Scottish Premiership so far. Something must give at Parkhead.

A draw or even a loss to Ross County would have made it a dreadful week for Celtic after the heavy Champions League defeat against Borussia Dortmund. Thankfully it didn't come to that.

Brendan Rodgers made some changes to the team after 60 minutes. Those substitutes made a big difference and helped secure the win.

Rodgers had come under some criticism after the Borussia Dortmund match. Was that reflected in the Celtic boardroom too? The last thing any manager needs is the board doubting his abilities.

Dermot Desmond makes Brendan Rodgers claim after Celtic's heavy defeat

It wasn’t the chairman who publicly backed Rodgers this weekend. It was majority shareholder Dermot Desmond, who was speaking at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Desmond is a pretty powerful figure behind the scenes at Celtic, as you would imagine. So, his views carry a lot of weight. As reported by BBC, he said:

"I am very pleased.

"I think we have played good football. We had a good start and could have played bad football, but we have played very good and exciting football.

“Unfortunately we weren't at our best on Tuesday, but I like what we are doing, what Brendan is doing and I think we have a good squad."

Desmond is already looking forward to the rest of the Champions League campaign. It seems he has put that 7-1 defeat at the hands of Borussia Dortmund behind him. Though he does want to see more points picked up. Don't we all? He continued:

"I would like to see some good results, home results and maybe nick a point or two away.

"I think we have done exceptionally well so far. It's interesting to play eight different teams, four at home and four away with all different rankings.

"I think it makes it exciting for the club, the supporters and people generally."

It’s no surprise really to hear Desmond’s views, even if he is rarely quoted in public. He is believed to have been instrumental in bringing Rodgers as manager for his first term at Celtic and also in his return last season for a second run. 

The players and manager are also adopting the approach of putting that heavy European defeat behind them. Sunday’s performance against Ross County was not the best example of that but the way the team kept pressing forward, creating chances, and turning the result around will have been a huge boost too.

With several players away on international duty and some injuries to recover from the break, there is a lull in club activity. They did have a positive mid-season friendly win against Sligo Rovers.