“Wouldn’t surprise me”: Celtic legend gives verdict on Brendan Rodgers’s future as manager

Celtic legend Paul Lambert has delivered his verdict to Sports Mole on the future of head coach Brendan Rodgers at Parkhead.

The 52-year-old has entered the third year of his second spell in charge of the Glaswegian giants, having previously won seven domestic trophies as Hoops boss between 2016 and 2019.

After spending four years in the Premier League with Leicester City, Rodgers returned to Celtic in June 2023 and has maintained the club’s dominance in Scotland, steering them to successive Premiership titles as well as winning the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup.

Rodgers is bidding to win a third top-flight title in a row this season - and fifth in total as Celtic manager - but his Hoops side have slipped five points behind leaders Hearts after suffering a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Dundee last weekend.

In fact, just one victory has been posted across Celtic’s last five matches in all competitions, and this dip in form has come at a time when speculation over Rodgers’s long-term future at Parkhead is rife.

Lambert comments on future of Rodgers as Celtic boss

Recent reports have claimed that Rodgers is ‘increasingly likely’ to leave Celtic when his contract expires at the end of the season, with Premier League clubs said to be keeping tabs on his situation.

Lambert, who won eight major honours as a Celtic player between 1997 and 2005, has suggested that Rodgers may consider taking a break from management, but he would not be shocked to see the Northern Irishman remain at Celtic beyond the current campaign.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Lambert said: “It wouldn’t surprise me if he does stay. Would he leave the club and take a break? I don’t know.

“Maybe he thinks a break and time with his family is good, but I don’t know, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he stayed.”

Sharing his thoughts on whether speculation over Rodgers’s contract situation has affected his Celtic team this term, Lambert added: “I don’t think as a player you should worry about what the manager is going to do.

“It’s very, very rare that you play for a manager. You play for yourself, for your teammates, you play for the club. Managers will come and go, that’s what happens, that’s the nature of the game.

“There were managers that I loved and loved playing under them, but once you’re out there you play for your club, play for your team and play for the supporters. You get good managers, and some you maybe don’t get on with so well, but you still perform at the highest level.

“Brendan and the club will know what’s happening”, says Lambert

“Whether you like a manager or don’t like them, you perform. I think Brendan’s situation, nobody knows what’s really happening there, whether he’s going to leave or not. I don’t think anybody can take away the achievement of what he’s done for Celtic.

“If someone has leaked that Brendan is maybe leaving, like what might have happened a few months ago, then that’s a coward’s way out - that should never have been in the public domain.

“Brendan and the club will know what’s happening, but he has to find a way to get the lads going again.”

Rodgers hit out at a “cowardly” Celtic insider last month after claims surfaced suggesting that he was to blame for uncertainty surrounding his future at Parkhead.

It is understood that an imminent decision on Rodgers’s future at Celtic is not on the cards, as his primary focus is on the club’s upcoming fixtures, including Thursday’s Europa League home encounter with Sturm Graz.

Meanwhile, Lambert has also given his verdict on the Celtic fan protests against the club’s board and why players should not use the off-field unrest as an “easy excuse” for their poor form.

Paul Lambert was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of Betway.