OPINION
As with any disappointing defeat at any club across the world, Celtic’s loss to AEK Athens is set to undergo an autopsy from both the club and fans to determine what went wrong and what needs to change.
The Hoops saw their Champions League campaign come to a premature end with defeat in Greece, leaving Brendan Rodgers and his men to fight for a place in this season’s Europa League, where they could be joined by fierce rivals Rangers.
Their exit has led to fans furiously suggesting that a number of players and staff are not good enough for the Hoops, which in turn has got talkSPORT presenter Alan Brazil tearing apart any suggestions that Rodgers should be out of the door.
Speaking on his morning programme on talkSPORT (15/08) he said: “Sack him? He was a hero six weeks ago. Who is going to come in and do a better job than Brendan?
“You just can’t point the finger at Brendan… This is the wrong time to be on Brendan and Celtic’s back.”
While he might be right about the blame game, with Rodgers hardly at fault for being under-prepared for the crunch clash, there are plenty of managers out there who could do his job, and perhaps do it better.
The Celtic board only need to look down the road at Ibrox to see what effect an inspiring manager can do to morale, with Rangers enjoying a resurgence under Steven Gerrard.
Simply put, Celtic have the best squad in Scotland, and their quality should see them to another domestic title no matter who is at the helm, despite the Light Blues pushing hard to topple them.
However, Rodgers has not proven his worth in Europe, and with success on the continental stage being the next step to progress as a club, it is time for the Hoops to seriously consider making the shock decision to replace him with someone else.
Who that might be is up to the board at Parkhead, but if European success is their aim, then they will continue to struggle under Rodgers.