There were already 70 million reasons why Celtic’s board can’t afford to keep their hands stuffed in their pockets before the passing of Thursday night’s transfer deadline.
But, on Saturday at just around teatime, it became 70 million and one. Because when his frustrations bubbled over and Brendan Rodgers had a nibble back at Celtic’s fans and for the first time the manager left himself looking wounded and a little bit vulnerable It is not like Rodgers to make such a misstep which just goes to show that his patience is running out and maybe even dangerously close to becoming exhausted.
This is a man who revels in the kind of unconfined adoration he enjoyed during his first spell in charge. That’s not unusual and nor is it a character flaw.
Who doesn’t want to feel appreciated in their place of work? But it should come as a genuine cause for concern nonetheless because if Rodgers feels he’s not getting the same sense of job satisfaction second time around, then where exactly does this relationship go from here?