BRENDAN RODGERS has set some tongues wagging among Celtic fans.
That’s because many reckon the former Hoops boss has taken aim at his doomed Parkhead successor Wilfried Nancy and those who appoint him.
Rodgers, 52, is back in football as manager of Al Qadsiah in the Saudi Pro League.
He was appointed to the role in mid-December, less than two months after dramatically quitting as Celtic boss.
It was at the end of October when the bombshell dropped that Rodgers had left the role for a second time.
He departed on the back of a 3-1 defeat to Hearts that left Celtic trailing the Jambos by eight points in the Scottish Premiership title race.
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In the immediate aftermath of Rodgers’ exit, the Hoops’ majority shareholder Dermot Desmond unleashed a brutal statement that absolutely slaughtered Rodgers.
Desmond accused Rodgers of making “divisive, misleading and self-serving” comments
Former Hoops boss Rodgers had some interesting words and hit back at Rodgers’ complaints regarding what was a perceived poor summer transfer window for the club.
Desmond also accused Rodgers of helping to create a “toxic atmosphere” at Celtic.
More than two months on, things remain extremely toxic at Parkhead with the ongoing feud between the board and supporters showing no sign of abating any time soon.
The breakdown in relations was further fuelled by the disastrous reign of Wilfried Nancy.
After winning seven of eight games under interim manager Martin O’Neill, Nancy was appointed Rodgers’ permanent successor at the beginning of December.
But the Frenchman oversaw an incredible downturn in form and lost six of his eight games in charge.
Celtic dismissed Nancy last week after barely a month in charge with O’Neill returning for another stint at the helm.
Many of Nancy’s issues stemmed from the fact he immediately attempted to impose drastic changes to the team’s formation and style of play – and he showed little sign of being willing to adapt despite defeat after defeat.
In his first game back at the weekend, O’Neill returned the team to a more familiar set up and oversaw a 4-0 win for the Hoops over Dundee United.
Now, Celtic fans reckon Rodgers has aimed a perhaps not-so-subtle dig at Nancy during an interview with his club in Saudi Arabia.
Assessing how he’s set things up at Al Qadsiah, Rodgers revealed his belief that managers shouldn’t change things too quickly and insists that it’s up to a manager to adapt to the players – and not the other way around.
Rodgers has utilised a 4-3-3 formation throughout his career but he’s ABANDONED that so far in Saudi Arabia – and he says it’s because his new players don’t yet suit that formation.
Rodgers said: “I mostly in my career have set up my teams to play a really attacking 4-3-3.
“But of course, your tactics have to be based around the players that you have and currently this group of players are more suited to playing 3-5-2 because that’s the strength of the players that we have.
“The two strikers that play so well and you build the team around that.
“I think in my time here I will arrive in 4-3-3 but in this moment I don’t really want to force it onto the players when there’s a different system and structure.
“I always say it’s not so much about the system, it’s about the style, and the style for my teams whether they play 3-5-2, 4-3-3 or 3-4-3, that style is always offensive and aggressive and always with discipline.
“But currently this group of players are working in the system very, very well.”
Rodgers’ words have certainly caught the attention among Celtic fans.
And many are absolutely convinced that the Northern Irishman’s words were a deliberate dig at Nancy, his approach and those who appointed him as Hoops manager.
One fan wrote: “A wee dig there?”
A second added: “Brendan having a dig at Dermot and Nancy.”
A third said: “The first few sentences are a clear dig at Nancy, isn’t it?”
A fourth posted: “He knows exactly what he is doing here.”
Another commented: “He knew fine well what he was saying there.”
A further comment read: “Never misses a trick.”
Another Celtic fan said: “A clever dig at the Celtic board and his replacement.”
While another said: “At this point he’s just trolling Celtic.”
A final comment simply said: “Prime Brendan Rodgers.”
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