‘Won’t take long’ - Rangers icon believes Celtic support could turn on Brendan Rodgers

The 2023/24 Scottish Premiership season kicks off tomorrow with Celtic hosting Ross County on flag day and Rangers traveling to Kilmarnock later on.

The two Glasgow clubs are once again expected to battle it out for the title and pundits from the Sky Sports, the division’s broadcaster, have been making their predictions. Former Celtic star Chris Sutton and Rangers’ record goalscorer Kris Boyd have shared their thoughts on how they expect the season to go.

It probably won’t come as a surprise that the two have both tipped their former clubs to lift the trophy this season and have predictable strong opinions on how it will all play out. Speaking on Celtic, Boyd said: Brendan Rodgers has been here before - he knows exactly what to expect - he only lost once against Rangers in his last spell in Scotland. I’m sure Brendan will feel he can be all-conquering again but if it doesn’t start well and there are points dropped, the ones who were vocal about him coming back won’t take long to find their voices.

“There is no doubt Brendan is an outstanding manager and Celtic have done really well to get him after Ange Postecoglou moving on because I don’t think there are many who would have backed themselves to take over from his success. It’s safe to say Brendan Rodgers isn’t lacking in confidence, but if Rangers find a way to beat them consistently this season it will be a very different season for him.”

As for Sutton, here’s what he had to say about the reigning champions: “It’s very different for Brendan Rodgers this time around in terms of the team he’s taken over, he’s taken over a treble-winning team. I don’t think anybody would argue that Brendan isn’t a good appointment and he’s come back with a point to prove. Is Brendan a good coach? Absolutely. Is he taking over a good team? Yes, albeit he is a player down and the standards of Postecoglou were so high.

“We know Glasgow is unforgiving and there can only be one winner so it’s going to be a really interesting season. The most important thing is Celtic start strongly as they don’t have the burden of the Champions League qualifiers while Rangers do.”

On Rangers, who Boyd is tipping to finish first, he said: “Rangers won the last Old Firm game of last season and they need to find a way to start winning these meetings on a regular basis to go and challenge for trophies. Rangers have been playing second fiddle to Celtic for a number of years and they need to rectify that quickly as when you’re not winning big games and not delivering trophies it can become an issue.

“The club have backed Michael Beale in the summer and they’ll need to deliver. The fixtures have been kind to Rangers at the start of the season and it gives them an opportunity. If they can go to win the games up until that Old Firm then you’re able to beat Celtic at home, then you never know.”

Meanwhile, here’s what Sutton had to say about the Ibrox side: “Michael Beale will have learned from last season, he was quite bullish coming in and I think he ended the season with his tail between his legs. He will have taken a lot from last season’s League Cup final and Scottish Cup final defeats to Celtic and his “lucky Ange” comments.

“Rangers have some seriously good players and so do to Celtic so I think it’ll be close this season. Rangers have brought a lot of players in but it’s all about whether they come in and hit the ground running.”

You can read the full predictions of both over at the Sky Sports website.