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Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
‘I feel like I could have done more' – Tomoki Iwata opens up on his Celtic struggles as he reveals why he had to leave
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TOMOKI IWATA has had a fine season for Birmingham City who comfortably won English League One ahead of Wrexham. However, he failed to set the world alight when he was plying his trade for Celtic, moving south after just 18-months. 3 Game time at Celtic was sparce for Tomoki Iwata Credit: Kenny Ramsay 3 It was clear Hoops' boss Brendan Rodgers didn't fancy the midfielder Credit: Reuters 3 He has had a great first season since moving to Birmingham City Credit: Getty The Japanese was brought in by ex-boss Ange Postecoglu from the Aussie's old club, Yokohama F. Marinos, in 2023, originally on-loan. When his move was made permanent, Postecoglu had departed for Spurs, with Celtic then under the stewardship of Brendan Rodgers. But Iwata admits he hadn't even heard of the Northern Irishman when he took over at Parkhead. He told Japanese outlet Soccer Digest Web: "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." The midfielder felt he had so much to offer the Hoops, but didn't get the chance under Rodgers. He said: "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." "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". Celtic fans would never let their club die says Hoops hero Peter Grant The former J-League MVP knew he had to leave Celtic to show what he can do. Iwata said: "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. "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. Interest in the Japanese began to grow after his first full season in Hoops, and he was determined to get his move, saying: "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". There was still a Celtic connection at his new club in the English third tier which he knew about: "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." The midfielder racked up 47 games for Birmingham in his first season, scoring eight goals. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Glasgow Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Former Celtic midfielder explains why he left for Birmingham
The midfielder made a deadline-day switch to the League One side, where he thrived in his first season. Iwata scored eight goals and was nominated for the League One Player of the Season award, helping Birmingham win the division. Read more: He has now opened up on why he left Celtic, admitting he did not know who manager Brendan Rodgers was. He was quoted by Soccer Digest Web as saying: "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." He also revealed that the lack of minutes played a big part in his decision to leave. The 28-year-old 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." Iwata will now play his football in the Championship with Birmingham City in the 2025/26 season.
The National
a day ago
- Sport
- The National
Iwata in key Rodgers admission as reason for Celtic exit revealed
The midfielder completed a deadline day switch to the English third-tier outfit. Iwata has thrived in his first year south of the border, scoring eight goals and finding himself nominated for League One's Player of the Season award. Read more: He recently lifted the lid on his Celtic exit, admitting that he had no knowledge of Brendan Rodgers when he rejoined the club. "Manager Rodgers was a famous coach in Scotland, but I didn't know of him at all," Iwata told Soccer Digest Web. "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. "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 much 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 28-year-old's lack of minutes, along with his family life, was a key factor in his exit: "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," he said. "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." Birmingham won League One last term, and Iwata will play his football in the Championship in the forthcoming 2025/26 season.
Daily Record
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
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." Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
The National
28-04-2025
- Sport
- The National
Ex-Celtic treble winner scores as club break points record
The Japanese midfielder joined the St Andrew's outfit last summer, completing a rather surprising permanent Parkhead departure. Read more: Iwata has thrived since joining Birmingham and was recently nominated for English League One's Player of the Season award. His side recently secured promotion to the Championship after winning the third tier, and at the weekend, they broke League One's record points tally by hitting 105 with a 4-0 win over Mansfield. Iwata netted the fourth in the victory, finishing well after some neat interplay: IWATA Blues 4 - Mansfield 0 — CMF (@Ohffs1984) April 27, 2025 The 28-year-old made 42 appearances in green and white during his year-and-a-half spell in Glasgow. Iwata won five domestic trophies with Celtic, including a treble in his first few months at the club under Ange Postecoglou. The former Celtic manager, now in charge of Tottenham Hotspur, heaped praise on Chris Davies, who was previously his and Brendan Rodgers' assistant, after Birmingham won League One: "I am delighted for him," said Postecoglou. "I really enjoyed working with Chris. He was only with me for a short time last year, but I really enjoyed working with him. He was a big part of what we built last year. It was ground zero in terms of building a whole football programme in a different direction and he was a big part of that. "Your first job is pretty important when you're trying to embark on a career as a senior manager, and he's done brilliantly well, which is not surprising. "I am sure there is more to come from him."
