Celtic legend John Hartson makes his feelings clear on Brendan Rodgers

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Rodgers upset a lot of Celtic fans when he left Parkhead for Leicester City and Hoops legend Hartson had his say.

Celtic legend John Hartson has made his feelings clear on Brendan Rodgers amid the ex-Hoops manager’s latest comments praising the club.

The Leicester City manager told the Premier League club’s official media channel on Monday that “with my heart, I’d always be” at Celtic despite quitting the Scottish Premiership champions in February (BBC Sport).

Rodgers guided the Hoops to seven trophies over his two-and-a-half years as manager and on Saturday they clinched their eighth title in a row under Neil Lennon, who took the reins after the ex-Liverpool and Swansea boss left for Leicester.

The manner of Rodgers’s departure proved very controversial amongst large sections of the Celtic fanbase and despite the Northern Irishman speaking highly of the Glasgow club once again, Hartson stated that it will likely be a “long, long time” before he is welcomed back to Parkhead.

“I meet fans all the time, and they are still very angry and very disappointed over the way Brendan Rodgers left the club,” wrote Hartson in the Evening Times. “I think the Celtic fans do (admire the job he’s done), but they are still angered and feel let down by the way he left. He jumped ship out the back door and was away down the road, leaving the club with no manager at a crucial time.

“In time, I think tensions may ease, but then again, the fans are very angry and annoyed at what the man did. He could have left as a legend, but now he isn’t thought about it in that way. And he left for a club that is nowhere near the size of Celtic Football Club, so the finances are obviously a major factor in that. Good luck to him in that sense. But I think it will be a long, long time before he is welcomed back to Celtic Park in any way, shape or form.”

Celtic will contest the Old Firm derby against Rangers at Ibrox this Sunday before twice facing Hearts, first in the Scottish Premiership season finale and then in the final of the Scottish Cup, with a treble treble at stake for the Parkhead side.