Sorry, Brendan, but this is going to be the most TEDIOUS Treble of all time
Deep within the national stadium, Brendan Rodgers was holding court at his post-match press conference as Celtic supporters flowed out of Hampden and reveled in the warm glow of the late afternoon sunshine.
His team moved one step closer to yet another perfect trophies sweep with a 5-0 thumping of St Johnstone, securing their spot in the Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen next month.
Evaluations of such a terribly lopsided battle were never expected to be the primary topic of conversation in the aftermath.
If there had been a boxing battle, the referee would have halted it long before the ninety minutes were up since the St Johnstone team was too inebriated to defend themselves.
The game itself become an irrelevance. Rather, Rodgers was advised to think about his own place in history and the landmark that he can now reach.
He is now practically one game away from being the first Celtic manager to win three domestic trebles, with the league title virtually guaranteed.
Additionally, it will be 3.1 [referring to Neil Lennon taking over and winning another Treble when Rodgers left in the middle of the 2019 season to join Leicester].
“Yes, without a doubt, it’s pleasant when it comes to you personally.” I think it’s best for Celtic. We took home the awards.
Rodgers was obviously in fine form based on his cheeky smile and lighthearted reference to what transpired with Lennon in 2019.
He was asked to pose for a photo with an elderly supporter once the questioning were over. And he did.
The old man appeared to be old enough to recall some of Celtic’s best teams from the past, all the way back to the heyday of the legendary Jock Stein.
However, it did pose an intriguing query.
Where will this team and this season stand in the club’s history if and when Celtic go on to win what would be their sixth treble in nine years, and Rodgers is the only manager to do it three times?
A certain amount of background and perspective is necessary before people start lining up to discuss Rodgers in the same sentence with legendary persons like Stein.
Because this is actually turning out to be one of the most dull and uninspired Trebles any team has ever won.
If that sounds harsh or misplaced, consider this. In four Old Firm matches against Rangers so far this season, Celtic have won only once in 90 minutes.
Just a few weeks before Philippe Clement was ultimately relieved of his suffering and fired, they suffered a 3-0 loss at Ibrox.
They were defeated 3-2 at home by a team led by Barry Ferguson, a temporary manager who has been in charge for two months but has yet to win a game at Ibrox.
In the League Cup final last December, they required penalty-kicks to overcome one of the weakest Rangers teams in recent memory.
The St Johnstone team, who are at the bottom of the table and appear destined for Championship football next season, defeated Celtic in a league game just two weeks ago.
They would be on course to end the season with 96 points if they win their final five league games, which is a big if.
They would still fall far short of the 106 points Celtic amassed in Rodgers’ first season as Celtic won the Invincible Treble in 2016–17, even if they were to do that.
Additionally, it would not match the 99 points they earned in 2022–2023 during Ange Postecoglou’s second season, when they won the Treble once more.
As is always the way with these things, supporters probably won’t care a jot. If Celtic do go on to beat Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup final next month, good luck to them.
Undoubtedly, the supporters will rejoice with their usual fervor and applaud Rodgers and the team for yet another season of unstoppable success.
If Rodgers does become the first manager to do it three times, no one will ever be able to take it away from him.
However, would anyone genuinely contest that this Celtic squad is among the best in the team’s history? The Celtics aren’t even the best of the two Rodgers eras.
Listen, Celtic can only beat what’s in front of them. It is not their responsibility to improve the other teams or guarantee that they face real competition from opposing teams.
That is a perfectly reasonable remark. However, it is crucial to have a sense of context when discussing historical achievements and locations.
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