Brendan Rodgers 'fed up' talking Celtic transfers as squad screams for him and the message is obvious

Daily Record

3 days ago

The Hoops gaffer insists hard working is going on behind the scenes and there is still weeks of the window left to go
Brendan Rodgers admitted he's fed up talking about transfers.
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Against St Mirren he let his squad do the talking for him.
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And it was screaming loud and clear that there's still plenty of work needing done to get this Celtic group up to speed.
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The Irishman is an expert in 4D chess and it was like his plan came together at Parkhead.
Celtic got the win the wanted and the three points on the board to get off to a flier.
But there was also plenty of evidence that this current side is nowhere near where it should be with a Champions League qualifier coming hurtling over the horizon.
The need to start Yang on the wing, Adam Idah's continuing struggles in front of goal, finishing the clash with Johnny Kenny up top and Liam Scales as a stand-in left back.
Rodgers didn't need to repeat his explosive pre-match ultimatum/cry for help.
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It's bleedingly obvious Celtic are short. They bossed Saints for 90 minutes but lacked a cutting edge.
Who would have thought losing match winners such as Kyogo, Nicolas Kuhn and Jota and not having suitable replacements in the building would have an impact in the final third?
Rodgers is having to make do for now and having said what needed to be said, there's no need to keep banging the drum.
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He said: 'We will wait until the end of the month, we concentrated on the players that are here and hope to do some business over the period. I am not going to get bogged down on it, we know what we need. We will continue to work to play like we did today.
'I am fed up talking about transfers. We have got to the end of the window, we concentrate on what is here. A lot of work going on behind the scenes to improve the squad.
'There is a long to go in the market. Today is about the players. Throughout preseason, all the staff as well, it's been a good preseason. It's always nice when you get that victory in the first game of the season, it's a victory for everyone. Really pleased.'
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After badass Brendan on Friday, this time he was going to play nice. A bit like his team at times.
Celtic produced some decent stuff but having failed to find an opener, they fell a little flat.
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And the trouble for the manager was there was very little in terms of options to change things.
Sub Luke McCowan did add a spark – and grab the winner – to put an entirely different slant on the entire afternoon.
If points had been spilled? The reaction would have been wild.
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Instead, it turned into a pleasant afternoon for Celts.
One that started with legend Paul McStay unfurling the flag, saw heroes John Clark and John Fallon given fitting tributes and then a late goal to get up and running with a win.
Saints made it brutally tough – as they usually do – and Rodgers was determined to put a positive slant on proceedings.
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He said: 'To win in the first game of the season is always good and it rounds off a lot of the good work that we've done over pre-season. I'm absolutely pleased with the performance.
'Everyone knows St Mirren and Stephen Robinson's coaching qualities, they're such a hard team to break down. You have to be aware of the threat on the counter-attack, the physicality at set-pieces.
'At times we moved the ball really well. At other times we could have attacked a wee bit more when we got into certain positions and been a bit more aggressive.
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'But overall, to play against that team, against that system, that's how you've got to work it and then you need better quality to finish it.'
Rodgers insisted Celtic would have been out of sight if not for Saints keeper Shamal George.
He said: 'I think it's clear. I think everyone who was at the game or watched it on TV would say that. Sometimes you need a wee bit of good fortune as well.
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"We didn't quite have that, but some of them hit the post and the bar. You have to give credit to their keeper and to St Mirren as a whole.
'Teams aren't just going to roll up here. There's no space, it's tight, it's compact and I thought the players came through so well.'
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It was an afternoon that highlighted some of Celtic's issues – but also some of their strengths.
It shouldn't go unnoticed that while rivals Rangers lost a late goal to slip up 24 hours earlier, Celtic scored one to secure a win.
The point isn't lost on skipper Callum McGregor, who thought he'd eased some of the rising tension only for his goal to be ruled out for a slight handball in the build up.
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He said: 'It felt harsh but if you are going by the ruling, it hit me quite high up. VAR looks at it and you have to accept it. Some you'll get, some you won't.
'We created enough chances to win two games. You are almost trying to suck the ball into the back of the net by the end, but good teams find a way to win.
'There are 38 league games and you want to play brilliant football but it's not always going to be the case.
'This squad is generally very good at that but there's more to come."