Flop Parkhead boss John Barnes delivered a damning verdict on the Irishman's ambitions
08:33, 21 Mar 2025
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers(Image: SNS Group)
John Barnes has launched a bitter and bizarre dig at Celtic and Rangers and claimed Brendan Rodgers has an “easy life” in Glasgow.
The former Parkhead boss gave a feisty response when asked if the Irishman would ever be tempted by a third crack at the English Premier League having had spells at Liverpool and Leicester.
Article continues below
Barnes also dismissed the chances of Celtic or Rangers ever making a proper mark on the Champions League.
Speaking to PokerScout, the ex-Hoops boss, who had an unsuccessful attempt in the Celtic hotseat in season 1999/2000, was asked if Rodgers would want to try again south of the border.
And he replied: “Well, it’s a question of will the Premier League clubs be of interest to him because he’s not going to go to Liverpool, Arsenal, Man United, Chelsea.
“Tottenham possibly, but it’s a question of is he going to have to come back to being a team in the Premier League who is going to be a mid-table team or maybe a Newcastle, finishing seventh or eighth. He’s going to win the league most years up in Scotland.
"He’s been to the Premier League a couple of times and he’s gone back to Scotland. It’s up to him what he wants.
“It’s a very easy life for him up there. Celtic are the best team and Rangers are struggling.
"I don’t think he’ll be able to come back to the Premier League to a title challenger.
"If he then says he wants to come back to the Premier League because he wants to be playing in a tougher competition, week in, week out, to show what he can do, that’s up to him.”
John Barnes(Image: Daily Record)
Barnes was then asked his opinion on suggestions Celtic underperform in Europe.
And he added: “That’s never going to change, is it? Because what are Celtic going to do? Celtic is never going to win the Champions League.
"If they can get through to a knockout phase or to get through to a group stage, fine. But that is never going to change. Not in his lifetime anyway. So I don’t know what they expect.
Article continues below
"I don’t know why they want to beat him with a stick on that once they get unrealistic expectations.
"But that’s never going to happen for any Celtic manager or Rangers manager, or the two best teams up there in the near future. So I don’t see why those expectations are there.”
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.