Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers' press conference in full

How does it feel to be sat here for a second time and to be unveiled as the Celtic manager?

I'm very privileged and honoured to be asked to come back. My whole plan was to have a year out and reset again but once I spoke to the guys at the club and looked a little bit more deeply into it and you know where the club is at then it was pretty straightforward. The club is in a fantastic place and it made me really excited to come back. This wasn't a nostalgic move, but I had an amazing time here the first time around. I'm here to win going forward and I really look forward to hopefully achieving that.

When you left the club last time you said you had maybe taken the club, as far as you could have had at that moment. What has changed in the intervening period? Do you think you can do more in Europe and what's made you think you can perhaps do more than the last time?

Listen, I think first and foremost, your bread and butter is always Scotland. You have to ensure that you have dominance whilst you're here. What I would like to think is that we can do something in Europe. It's been well-documented over many years when the club hasn't qualified and we have not got a great record in terms of European football. So even though that is a challenge with the resources that other clubs will have in terms of European football, it's a great challenge for us to get Champions League football this season. We must look to have European football after Christmas and like I say that's a great challenge for us all. When I look within the club, whenever I had spoken to Michael (Nicholson) and when he came out to present the infrastructure at the club, there were a lot of things in place that we'd spoken about. When I was here the first time, there was a brilliant recruitment team in place. I look at Mark (Lawwell) and the work that he's done since he's been here and it's set up perfectly for a club like Celtic to work in the markets that they need to be working in and you can see the players that have been brought in through his recruitment team. That for me is very important and I've come into a club for one of the very few times in my career where it has an upward feel to it. I've gone into the clubs who have maybe been suffering, or the teams have been suffering and I've come into pick it up. Here I come in with a great foundation on the back of the great work that Ange (Postecoglou) did here over the last couple of years and I will look to continue with that.

Have you spoken to Ange at all about the group you're inheriting?

No. I've exchanged messages with him. I've spoken in depth to John Kennedy, who's obviously been a pivotal person here at the club and who will be my assistant whilst I am here. So, yeah, I've spoken to him at length. I've obviously watched Celtic as well. The football philosophy is not too different in terms of how we would work and how the Celtic manager is perceived to work for his team, it's an attacking club. Where you have to not just win, but you have to win stylistically in a certain way and in my period before we were able to do that. So it's a continuation of that and looking to continue to build on that.

By and large, the reaction to your return is very positive from the fanbase. They seem keen to have you back and remember what you did the first time around. There was that anger amongst some when you departed. I just wonder how difficult that time was. for you and to see some of the things that were said, the anger that was there toward you, and also if it put you off at all coming back?

No, listen, I understand how the supporters would feel. I also know that when I was here, maybe the first time when we were doing really well, I would always have my critics but it was an emotional time for the club as they were going for ten in a row. There was a lot of emotion around something like that. As you said, I never get too emotional with words. I'm hoping that in my time here I can have that impact that I had in my first time. I think the expectations are greater, and I think the pressure is greater because of what we did the first time and probably how I left, but it's what I wanted. That's why I'm here. I'm here to win. To take on that expectation and pressure, because this is a club that wants to be winning and for me, hopefully, the people whom I've had lots of support from when I did leave and they'll see I'm now coming back, I really thank them for that. For the people that maybe don't want me here, hopefully, I can prove to them with the football we play and the success that we can have that I can shift their opinion.

I was going to say is that the hope that you'll be able to change the opinions of those last few who remain unconvinced that you'll be able to win them back as you had a fabulous relationship with the fan base previously didn't you?

Yeah, and I hope that I can still have it. I think it's just natural when I left that it was a sad moment. I certainly don't regret it, but what I do regret is the hurt that it caused people and it's the very reason I'm sorry here today, you know, as a Celtic supporter, I understood what it meant and probably even more so when I left. That was my regret that I hurt people who were Celtic supporters and that was a big part.

Can you give us an idea of perhaps the difference in resources that Brendan will get to work with this time around from when he came in the first time? Obviously, there's an ambition to maybe make a better dent in Europe.

Michael Nicholson (MN): I think from our perspective, the strategy has always been clear and that's to be a world-class football club and whatever we do. As Brandon mentioned that we want to dominate in Scotland, and we want to compete in the Champions League and that has. Been clearly stated for many, many years. So there's no change in that regard and what we have always done over many years is to continuously improve as a football club. To invest, we've got a sustainable model and it is a self-financing model. So we invest when we can for today, tomorrow and the long term. So there's no significant change there and then we all want the same thing, which is to win.

You spoke of the emotions that this club holds for you. I just wondered when you left at that time what effect that emotion still has on you?

Yeah, listen it was a sad time because of the relationships that I built up here with the players, with the supporters, with the board. It wasn't an easy decision, of course, but to go away and then be able to come back again, I think despite what I've read at times and what I hear you know, life is about relationships and I wouldn't be sat here today if I didn't have the relationship with the guys around the table and with the other members of the board. It just wouldn't happen again. I'm clearly ambitious, but I'm very ambitious for Celtic to be the best that we can be. I think I've come back to the landscape and I understand it much better now in terms of where we function but my ambition is for Celtic to be the best and when I left, no matter the criticism that I had the club was always close to me and as I said, it's a real privilege and honour to be invited back again.

To those who may have an apprehension, what would be your message to those individuals directly?

Listen, hopefully, in time I can give you the feeling that I gave you when I was here the first time and I don't expect anything. If I get the support, which has been amazing for me and the reaction since I came back then that's great. For those who doubt I've had that all my career so I will continue to work hard and hopefully produce a team that plays with the commitment that hopefully they can enjoy. It's just going to be something that will take time.

You mentioned that you are taking over the privileged position of the treble winners, how do you assess the squad that you inherit and what are your plans in terms of strengthening this summer?

I think it's a good time to strengthen whenever you've done ever so well. And like you say, the team coming off the back of a treble. I've been in that position before and we were able to do another treble so I understand the feeling now over the course of the summer, what it is you need at this period and that will be a bit of strengthening. I'm really excited to work with the players here because it's a young squad and there's still a lot of growth within that. So really looking forward to getting to see them over the course of pre-season. There are only a few players that were here from when I was here, so it's an exciting squad and we can add to that. It's now a really good time to do that when you’re winning.

You've already mentioned Europe. What does success look like for you? What do you envisage success looking like for yourself and for Celtic on a European stage?

We all know the challenges of the Champions League and of course, it's where you can get through, you can get through into the knockout stages. Then of course that is a big step for a Scottish team. But you arrive in Europe and there’s competitions now where you can - with that little bit of luck and the quality that you can have - can allow you to go a long way. So, for us, I think it's getting through a qualification phase which is important. And like I said, you see what that can take you, but Europe is something that is such a challenge but for us, it is a great challenge and that's something that we will look to embrace.

How much have you evolved or changed as a manager since you were last here and will we expect to see a slightly different Celtic team from what we saw four and a half years ago?

Yeah, I think in terms of how we play, that my teams always play with the attacking philosophy. It's always aggressive and it's always a team set out to win, but always with a tactical discipline so that's never changed when my teams are at their best. That's what they do. So for me, I'm a better manager than when I sat here seven years ago, when I first came, and certainly from when I left four years ago, the experiences - good and bad - always help you and that was the beauty of coming back here. It's an amazing club and I can come back with my experience and hopefully help the club keep moving forward.

Do you plan a lot of recruitment over the next few months or one or two to enhance the squad?

Yeah. Normally I think it's just about getting quality. In my conversations with Mark and the recruitment team, they've got a great handle on where it's at and speaking to Michael, everything is under control in terms of contractually. A good time always to improve is when you're doing well and this would be a nice possibility for us to improve the squad, but it's not lots of numbers. Ange when he came in, had a massive rebuilding job and done a brilliant job at that and over the last couple of years he and the club have built a really, really good squad. So it's a case of continually developing that squad and then adding quality where we can.

The guys have spoken a lot about Europe but how much are you looking forward to just the bread and butter of being back in Scottish football, battling for the title?

Yeah, and battling with the media, that's always good fun. I have to say Scotland brought me a lot of happiness on and off the pitch when I was here. Obviously, the joy of working here at Celtic was amazing and how successful we were and of course off the pitch. I had a lot of respect for the city and for the country as a whole, and hence why whenever we were coming back and thinking about coming back it wasn't just about the football side, even though the last moments moment when we were here was tough and difficult off the field, it still didn't change for us the good feeling that we had here when we were here at Celtic, so I'm delighted to be here from a professional perspective, taking on the other teams and also from a family perspective. They'll find great happiness here.

Do you see yourself being here for the long haul for several years?

Well, hopefully. I've signed for three years, and I'll guarantee I'll be here for three years unless I get “emptied” before that, as they say up here. But yeah, that will be the plan and then we can look at it from there.

Obviously, there's always the focus in the Celtic Rangers rivalry. You've worked with Michael (Beale) before in the past. What kind of challenge are you expecting from Rangers moving forward and do you think they'll be stronger than they were in your first spell?

All you can do when you're a manager is beat the opposition that's in front of you. I think when I arrived seven years ago, Rangers were getting promoted. They'd just beaten Celtic and there was a big feeling that they could go on and win the league. Now obviously over the next number of years, we were able to focus on ourselves and play the football that we wanted to play and that allowed us to win trophies and have success. And I'll be exactly the same here. Michael is a coach that I knew from back in the Chelsea days and then came to Liverpool when I was manager there. So, I've known him for a period of time and he's an excellent coach. But my focus will purely be on Celtic, improving us as a team and that will be my thought process every minute of the day.

There's been a lot of talk over John Kennedy as your assistant. A wanted man it seems. Just how crucial was it that you keep him by your side and obviously a man who knows this club better than most?

Yeah, it was very important. I had spoken to Michael (Nicholson) about that when we met. I think that over the course of my career I've always come into clubs, some I've come in on my own, some I’ve come in with staff. But I've always felt that coming back here that it was really going to be really important for John to be here because he knows how I work. He knows the rhythm of my days and how I can work. He is steeped in Celtic. He's an incredible worker. He's a great football man. He has the respect of the players. He has respect for all the staff. So, for me to be able to have him here was important. So, when I spoke to John and try to convince him to stay. I was really pleased and happy that he wanted to. He’s a great guy, a great football man, and we worked well together last time we were here and hopefully, it can be the same this time.

Can I just ask about the recruit of Brendan, from the point you realised Ange was potentially departing to bringing Brendan in - timescale the process and how quickly you realised that Brendan would be the man you would prefer to have at the helm?

MN: So, Chris McKay and I went for lunch in Mallorca and that was the starting point. It was perhaps the worst-kept secret in Scottish football. Perhaps Chris’ Sombrero and Beach Ball gave us away in the airport, but no, I think you always have to be ready for a change in football. And when Ange left we knew we had to replace him with a manager of top, top, quality and in Brendan, we know we've got that. As we mentioned we've invested in this squad over the last couple of years. we've got a very young, hungry squad. So, we profiled managers that through the process could take us on. And Brendan was the standout candidate, so that was our priority, was to bring Brandon back to Celtic and we're delighted to do so.

And just on the contract Brandon mentioned it's a three-year deal, he says he's there for the duration of it unless you decide otherwise. Was that a conscious decision to give a longer definitive period as it's not been the regular way of doing the contract?

MN: Sure. But again, when Chris and I met with Brendan, it was clear that it was mutual excitement about what we could go on to do. And this is a mutual statement of our commitment to that. So that was an important part of it, yeah.

Brendan, your message to the Celtic fans when you were appointed was ‘Let's get to work’. Do you have one now that you're sitting here in the stadium?

It’s just a thank you for the support that I've had. This is a club that allows you to dream, it’s an amazing football club with a history so rich, and I'm hoping that together we can add to that. And it has to be unified. It has to be together and like we were the first time, let's see if we can create those memories again. They were special memories and as I said from this day forward, we stay together.