John Hartson’s verdict on why Brendan Rodgers was right to fire back at Celtic critics.

After a fantastic season under Brendan Rodgers, Celtic has won the Scottish Premiership for the third consecutive year.

Still, the Irishman has had to deal with criticism from outside and injury concerns since coming back to Parkhead. After reentering the spotlight, his journey hasn’t always been the easiest.

At one stage in the game, Celtic trailed Rangers by five points, which placed their season in jeopardy even though they had finished comfortably ahead of them by eight points.

After the Bhoys rallied late to win 3-1 at Motherwell in late February, he made his game-changing statement of 2023–24, saying that Celtic would “write their own story” in response to press narratives he felt were biased and suggested the title might be going elsewhere.

Now, Rodgers has the opportunity to silence even more skeptics by achieving a domestic double as the team gets ready for this weekend’s Scottish Cup final.

John Hartson on Brendan Rodgers answering his detractors back

It was inevitable that Rodgers would face criticism for returning to Celtic after leaving the first time around, but he has worked hard to make sure his comeback has been a success.

Speaking on the Go Radio Football Show, former Hoops striker John Hartson feels Rodgers did object to being questioned on multiple occasions, citing his style of play as one aspect that has drawn attention. Nevertheless, the Welshman also stated he has been correct to respond to those who have expressed doubts.

He gave an explanation, saying, “I feel like Brendan was returning to a club where he excelled before, but he left in a way that many of the supporters weren’t happy about).” It was unforeseeable for him to enter and immediately alter it.

Then, Hartson elaborated on Rodgers’ reply to his detractors: “I believe it took Brendan some time to incorporate that (efficient style of play) into the club this season, which is why they lost a few games early on, and Brendan is not beyond criticism.

Not to prove anyone incorrect, but I just believed he had a right to voice his opinions and wanted to get it out there because he had won the title. The tiny stick he received definitely affected him.

Under duress, Brendan Rodgers has performed well for Celtic.

Running Celtic is a high-pressure job where mistakes are costly. Fortunately, Rodgers has proven himself in his first season back, earning him a spot in the new Champions League.

Although they will have to wait for now because there is still the Scottish Cup final to be played, fresh obstacles will arise in the upcoming season.

Ideally, Celtic can end this campaign with two trophies, which would be a respectable result for the team.