Scott Bain has put Brendan Rodgers ahead of Ange Postecoglou in his Celtic manager debate, saying the former boss had the sharper tactical edge. Bain said both men delivered Treble success, but he ranked Rodgers first because of how he adjusted his approach in Europe.
He pointed to Rodgers' record at Celtic, where the manager lifted 11 trophies across two spells, while Postecoglou won five trophies in two years. Bain said Rodgers would change away in Europe instead of repeating the same plan every time.
Rodgers over Postecoglou
“I hold Brendan above the rest. I know you guys love Ange and his style of football, but I just think Brendan in terms of tactical.” Bain said that Rodgers and Postecoglou both brought Trebles, yet he still rated Rodgers higher because of the way he handled different opponents and different match settings.
He drew the sharpest line in European football. “I think Brendan would change and go away in Europe and change. Ange would go away in Europe and play the same way, and we’d get battered off Real Madrid.” Bain added: “Anyone in Scotland and our sort of level would get battered at that level.”
Rangers debut under Rodgers
Bain also used one match to explain why Rodgers left such a mark on him. “I made my debut against Rangers and found out I was playing on the morning of the game.” He said Celtic had a team talk before leaving the hotel, with Rodgers working through what to do if they conceded early, scored, or had a man sent off.
Every one of those situations came up. Bain said Celtic went down to 10 men, switched to a 4-3-2 shape, scored again and won 3-2. He called Rodgers “an absolute genius” after seeing the plan survive the chaos of the match.
Falkirk and John McGlynn
Bain, now at Falkirk under John McGlynn, said he can still see Rodgers' influence in the current setup. “You can see John has taken bits from Brendan from when he was at Celtic,” he said, before adding that Falkirk want flair, attacking football and play out from the back, but are not afraid to go long to Motherwell when the game calls for it.
That leaves Bain's verdict clear: he praised Postecoglou as “brilliant” but still placed Rodgers above him. The comparison now sits on tactical flexibility, not trophy count alone, and Bain's own debut story gives the judgment some weight.
