I am Celtic player who hadn't heard of Brendan Rodgers and here's my reasons for struggling in 'lower' level Scotland
It was a rocky road for the midfielder in Glasgow's east end as he acted as Callum McGregor's understudy
Former Celtic man Tomoki Iwata admits he hadn't even heard of Brendan Rodgers when the boss made his return to Parkhead.
The revelation from the Birmingham City midfielder has emerged as he attempted to explain his struggles in the Scottish Premiership before his move to English League One.
Iwata initially made a loan switch to Glasgow from Yokohama F Marinos under Ange Postecoglou in January 2023 - with the move becoming permanent that summer.
However, ally Postecoglou would leave the Hoops for Tottenham that same summer for Tottenham after brining a Treble to Celtic Park.
That would see Rodgers' come back to Celtic for his second spell in the dugout. Iwata, reflecting on his time in Scotland with Japanese outlet Soccer Digest Web said: "Manager Rodgers was a famous coach in Scotland, but I didn't know of him at all.
"At first I wondered, 'What kind of person is he?' The team actually got going and the football they were trying to play was interesting.
"But there were some areas where I wasn't able to fully showcase myself. It was partly because there was an absolute player in Callum McGregor in the same position, but honestly, I feel like I could have done more."
While he watched Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate impress in Glasgow - but reckons the Hoops' didn't play to his strengths and the "lower" level of Scottish football didn't allow him to catch the eye.
He said: "For players in the front line, the numbers are clear, but my strengths are my one-on-one strengths and my ability to steal the ball.
"At Celtic, it's difficult to show that. The teams that are overwhelmingly strong in Scotland always have the ball and take the lead.
"I would take it positively that I was able to concentrate on the offensive side, but I can't show my strengths much and I don't get many playing time.
"The level of the Scottish first division is a little lower than the top five European leagues, so I often felt that it was a difficult environment for me."
The Japan international admitted he wasn't sure if Birmingham City was the right move for him - but now hopes he can push them all the way to the Premier League.
He said: "I wasn't impatient, but more than that, I couldn't help but feel the regret that I, a soccer player, wasn't playing in the games.
"At that time, I had a very strong desire to play soccer. Seeing my wife taking care of our children in a foreign country where I was not familiar with them, cooking meals and doing housework, I couldn't help but feel the emotion.
"Birmingham made me an offer as soon as the off-season began, and they patiently waited until August 31st, the final day for transfers.
"I thought to myself, 'If they feel that way about me, I want to go,' and immediately packed my bags and headed for my new home. I didn't have any negative feelings about it being in the third division, and my biggest motivation at the time was wanting to show my family that I was working hard.
"In addition, the manager, Chris Davies, had previously been a coach at Celtic and had recently been a coach under Ange at Tottenham.
"The two managers had heard about me and offered me the position with confidence that we could work together, so I was able to go with peace of mind. I was also moved by the fact that
"Birmingham was in a similar situation to when Oita Trinita, the club I grew up in, was relegated to J3.
"They were originally a large club in the Premier League, but they had been relegated to the third division and were trying to climb back up. When they said, 'I want to go to the Premier League with you' I remembered the time when they had risen to J2 and J1."
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