Brendan Rodgers' second stint at Celtic hasn't gone as swimmingly as the first. For starters, Rodgers has had to re-earn the trust of the Hoops' faithful due to the manner of his exit to Leicester in his first spell in Glasgow. Secondly, Celtic haven't been as dominant on the pitch as they were between 2016 and 2019 and are in danger of surrendering their Scottish Premiership title to Rangers.
Last weekend, however, the Green Brigade offered Rodgers something of an olive branch when they organised a demonstration at Celtic Park prior to their side's Old Firm derby clash with Rangers. No Celtic fans were allowed at the match itself so they took matters into their own hands by meeting at Celtic Park the day before the match to send the Celtic team on their way.
Countless Celtic fans turned up to give the squad a boost ahead of what many people saw as a title decider and although the match finished 3-3, Rodgers has said that the gesture meant a lot to him and his players and that it gave them all a big boost ahead of kick-off.
Rodgers praises ‘big impact'
Speaking ahead of Celtic's clash with St. Mirren, the Celtic manager heaped praise on the actions of the Celtic fans. The Northern Irishman said:
“It had a big impact. It was absolutely amazing. They told me that there would be a couple of hundred supporters to greet us. Then I got a call coming up saying they’d miscalculated it and there were a few more.
“So when I turned around the lights and saw everyone, it was such a huge lift. Did it surprise me? No. The support of the club is incredible. Without being able to be at the stadium, that was their way of giving us a great send-off. It was absolutely amazing, a lot of the new guys especially were taken aback by it – as was I. It gave us a real lift driving away.”
Brendan Rodgers saluting the fans at Celtic Park ✊🏼 🍀 pic.twitter.com/RqBnFpP7Ew
— Celtic Curio (@Celticcurio) April 6, 2024
Rodgers in key message for Celtic fans
In addition to praising them for their support last weekend, Rodgers provided the Celtic faithful with a key message ahead of what is going to be the closest title race in Scotland for several years. He said:
“Just keep the faith. Keep giving us that incredible support because it really, really makes a difference. I’m sure there will be some edgy moments throughout the six games and in the cup game. But just keep the faith, keep with the team, give us everything and we’ll give you everything back on the pitch.”