‘Immediately’… Scott Brown lifts lid on how Brendan Rodgers maximised his Celtic output

Celtic icon Scott Brown is now trying to forge his way in management after his illustrious playing career came to an end in 2022.

Now cutting his teeth in the dugout at Ayr United, Brown revealed last week that former boss Brendan Rodgers has already moved to help him at Somerset Park.

Speaking about Celtic B Team goalkeeper Josh Clarke’s move to Ayrshire on loan, Brown explained: “He helped us with Josh (Clarke) coming in. The goalie has come in for the last three or four Games there. He has been exceptional.

“We got an injury and we got an emergency loan in. Celtic helped us out. For that, I am lucky enough to pick up the phone to Celtic and to ask for help now and again.”

Of course, the pair enjoyed a brilliant relationship working in conjunction at Parkhead that yielded seven trophies all in, including the famous Invincible Treble campaign of 2016/17.

At one point, roughly when Rodgers came into the building for his first spell, it did appear that Browm may have been on a downward trajectory; however, some would argue the former Scotland international played some of his best football at the club under the Irishman’s stewardship.

Scott Brown explains his impact under Brendan Rodgers

Brown would’ve literally run through a brick wall under Rodgers; however, his improved quality in possession during his tenure caught many Celtic supporters off-guard.

Standards at the club were raised following a frustrating 2015/16 campaign, and our former captain has lifted the lid on how his old manager maximised his output upon arriving in Glasgow.

He stated [World Football Index]: “Brendan coming to the club was great because it was probably what I needed at the time.

“I needed a little bit of direction as I had lost my way a little bit under Ronnie so when Brendan came in, he immediately was able to communicate to me that he had a full understanding of my Game and what he wanted from a centre midfielder.

“He broke everything down for me in terms of how much distance he wanted me to run, how much intensity was required and how many touches you should be aiming to get in a Game.

“He gave me even more game awareness in my position, and it was good timing because I was 30 and was starting to understand the game much better than I had when I was a young player.

“Before he took the job, it was encouraging that he had taken time to come and see me because a lot of people probably at that time thought of me that I only had a couple of years left. However, I felt as fit then as I probably ever did in my career, and Brendan took that to another level.

Rodgers has a unique ability to squeeze an extra 10% from players, and this season, Matt O’Riley, Liam Scales, and Adam Idah are credible examples.

Granted, there have been some extenuating circumstances over the last year due to injury problems involving key players, yet Celtic still find themselves in a convincing position with five league fixtures left to play.

Hopefully, Rodgers can harness that spirit during the post-split period as he looks to build on the initial success he experienced north of the border from 2016 to 2019.