Paul Tisdale once branded himself as a ‘football doctor’, so it may well be fitting that he has been brought into Celtic to aid Brendan Rodgers, and as a potential remedy to a structure that many fans have long felt needed some serious attention.
“He won’t live that down, will he?”, Rodgers laughed.
For all that the Celtic manager saw the funny side of that quote though, he believes that Tisdale is a serious operator, and someone who can really make a difference to the way that the club functions, particularly when it comes to their recruitment.
There had been a void at the top of that particular department since the departure of head of first team scouting and recruitment Mark Lawwell back in March, but Tisdale will now officially be the man to fill it – as well as steering some other key areas of the club – as Celtic’s head of football operations.
A former manager himself, spending 12 years at Exeter City as well as having spells at MK Dons, Bristol Rovers and Stevenage, Rodgers is sure that Tisdale will know exactly what he wants from him, and the support he will need in order to ensure that Celtic are not only attracting the best players they possibly can, but producing them too through their academy.
“Paul was in with us over the course of that summer period, and from an operational and strategic perspective, we needed someone else to come in and support that side of things,” Rodgers said.
“So, I’m absolutely delighted that he’s in.
“Paul is a talented guy and he joins talented people that we have here at the club and that’s what we want to strive to bring in, people that can help us make a difference and people that are compatible with the philosophy here and how we work.
“He’s also had managerial experience, which I’m really pleased with as well and that was also a factor. He understands football, he understands the game, he’s managed for a long time also.
“So, he knows from what it takes on the field and he obviously knows that balance between how you need to work with your board.
“So, I’m absolutely delighted he’s here and I’m sure that he’ll make a really good impact for us.
“Sometimes people will never know the challenges of what a manager will go through and what a recruitment team will go through.
“There are many challenges here but having someone that can come in on that operational side [will help].
“My job is to ensure we look after the core performance, and of course, manage that. But having someone like Paul there to focus purely on that is something that will benefit the club.”
The arrival of Tisdale then is a nod to the long term aims of the club, but in the here and now, they have the small matter of a visit to Celtic Park from the side currently tucked in behind them in second place in the Premiership standings to care of.
Aberdeen are the only other team in the division to have won all seven of their league matches so far this season, but at least one of those 100 percent records will go as Jimmy Thelin’s men face by far their sternest test yet in Glasgow’s East End.
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If they leave with anything but a defeat, the Dons fans may start to really believe that their team can mount a sustainable challenge at the top of the table this season, but Rodgers is hanging fire on labelling Aberdeen as genuine title contenders.
“I don’t know, is the honest answer,” he said.
“I don’t know. It’s only seven games in. This will be the first chance [to] get a close-up look to see where they’re at. Then, obviously, we play them in the semi-final of the cup.
“We’re really excited by the game. Obviously, it’s a great game to come back to and get ourselves back into it very quickly. And obviously, first vs second, it’s always a great game, especially this early on in the season.
“I’ve been really impressed with Jimmy’s team. They look to have real clarity in how they play, both with the ball and against the ball.
“You win seven straight games in your league and you’ve done really, really well. So, yes, I’ve been really impressed watching them and we look forward to the challenge now.
“When I look at the team, I see them as well-organised, they want to build the game from behind when they can, want to play through the field.
“They’ve got players at the top end of the pitch that can cause you a problem. Then, without the ball, they play the shape well, defend in 4-4-2.
“They’ve done really, really well and clearly, Jimmy’s a very good coach. He’s got good coaches around him as well.
“They’ve started the season on a real high.”
Rodgers has no fresh injury worries ahead of the game, with a late decision to be made on the possible inclusion of Cameron Carter-Vickers.
“Cam has trained for the last few days, so we’ll just wait for a reaction after today just to see if he’s going to be available for tomorrow,” he said.
“Greg Taylor is doing really well but he won’t probably come back into the squad training until after the Atalanta game. But apart from that, we’re in a good place.
“What we’re conscious of with Cam is he had a wee bit last season where he was in and out, even though it’s a totally different injury this time.
“It’s one where we were told at the time it could have been anywhere between two and three months. But it’s just not wanting to push him back in too early, which might then set him back.
“So he’s doing really, really well. He still has a discomfort there, not as bad as what it was for the Bratislava game. But we don’t think he’s too far away from being where he wants to be.”
