As Martin O'Neill puts Celtic's Honda Civic into top gear with two quickfire wins on his return to the wheel, was self-important Brendan Rodgers the problem all along?

Even when it became clear that his tenure as Celtic manager was coming to an end, Brendan Rodgers certainly didn’t suffer from a lack of self-confidence.

Bold and brash to the point he would have given David Brent a run for his money, Rodgers remained the president and chief spokesperson of his own fan club right until the very end.

After being questioned about his now infamous Honda Civic analogy and whether he had any regrets, Rodgers doubled down on it prior to the Europa League game against Sturm Graz a fortnight ago.

‘If I look at my own style as a coach, I would say I’m a transformational coach, it’s a transformational style,’ he claimed. ‘I think I can come into a club and teach and inspire and motivate players.’

Even though results and performances had fallen off a cliff, it was clear that Rodgers still maintained an extremely high opinion of himself and was full of his own self-importance.

This kind of bluster was not uncommon throughout his time in Glasgow. As his old yarn about meeting a Rangers fan in the Clyde Tunnel made clear, Rodgers would eat himself if he were made of chocolate.

But, as was the case with much of what he said prior to his departure last week, his claims about being a ‘transformational’ coach were not reflected in reality.

In Johnny Kenny and Callum Osmand, Celtic had two young strikers on their books whom Rodgers clearly just didn’t fancy.

The fact that Kenny and Osmand have now been given a new lease of life under Martin O’Neill, with both players scoring in the victory over Rangers on Sunday, is a pretty damning indictment of Rodgers.

Kenny was signed from Sligo Rovers back in January 2022. A raw and unproven 18-year-old at the time, he was a player whom Celtic hoped to develop in the future.

Subsequent loan spells at Queen’s Park and Shamrock Rovers were to follow. These were viewed as necessary steps to gain more exposure to first-team football.

After scoring 20 goals in 39 matches in a productive spell for the Irish club last year, it looked like Kenny was ready to push for first-team football when he returned to Glasgow back in January.

Yet, still, there was a reluctance from Rodgers. Even accounting for the loss of Kyogo Furuhashi, it was Daizen Maeda and Adam Idah who remained the preferred options up front.

Kenny was limited to only one start and eight substitute appearances across the second half of last season. His game time did not improve a huge amount in the current campaign.

Prior to Rodgers leaving Celtic last week, Kenny had only made two starts and five appearances from the bench this season. 

Putting it more bluntly, he was a last resort when no other striker was available.

He signed a new long-term deal with the club and Rodgers spoke of how he could be a ‘major asset’ in future. But, at 22, Kenny was no longer a kid. 

He was not Celtic’s future. He was their present. He just needed a chance to show it.

No one is arguing that he is suddenly going to turn into a prime Henrik Larsson. But he has already shown enough in two games under O’Neill to suggest he can add value and depth to Celtic’s squad.

Kenny scored twice in the 4-0 win over Falkirk last week, before following that by netting the opening goal against Rangers at Hampden on Sunday.

If he had legitimate cause to feel under-used by Rodgers, then that would apply tenfold to Osmand. Signed from Fulham in the summer, the 19-year-old didn’t play a single minute of football under Rodgers.

Osmand had been consigned to playing for the B team, often not even making it into the senior squad at all on matchdays, before coming off the bench to make his debut against Falkirk.

Another substitute appearance was to follow against Rangers and, in a lively and productive display, the pacy striker scored Celtic’s third goal in extra-time to wrap up the victory.

It begged the question. Given Celtic’s obvious problems up front, why was Rodgers so reluctant to play both Kenny and Osmand?

If he was such a transformational and developmental coach as he claimed, why were these two gifted young forwards effectively dismissed as being of no use?

Did Rodgers feel that using these two players more frequently would actually vindicate the board’s decision not to furnish him with a new multi-million-pound striker in the summer?

By deliberately limiting the involvement of two young forwards who clearly have something to offer, was he cutting his nose off to spite his face?

Only he will truly know the answer to that. But one thing is for sure. It has already become very clear that Rodgers was a far bigger part of the problem at Celtic this season than anyone ever realised.

Perhaps the great success of O’Neill’s short reign so far is that he is getting a much better tune out of the same group of players who had looked so stagnant under the previous regime.

The players look like they have a greater sense of freedom and confidence. They are playing the ball forward much quicker and look all the better for doing so.

Especially in the first half on Sunday, Celtic’s energy and aggression unsettled Rangers. Kenny gave John Souttar and Nasser Djiga the runaround, as did Osmand when he came off the bench.

On the influence of O’Neill, Osmand said: ‘He said he thinks very highly of me and that gives you the boost you need.

‘Martin has just given me the belief and the trust. It only takes one person to believe in you and hopefully this is just the start for me.

‘This is the craziest day for my life ever, this won’t be beaten, it’s the best day of my life.’

Meanwhile, O’Neill said of the young striker who was making only his second appearance in senior football: ‘I didn’t know anything about him until Monday, but I thought he was excellent.

‘He wants to get a couple of DVDs of Henrik [Larsson]... that would help. But he’s got plenty of confidence, I’m delighted for the young man.’

There is something counter-intuitive about it all in the sense that it is the grizzled old managerial warhorse who is actually getting the young players onside, rather than the more modern progressive coach in Rodgers.

Normally it’s the other way around. But in Kenny and Osmand, O’Neill may have helped Celtic uncover a couple of rough diamonds.

It is far too early to say with any certainty whether either of them could be the answer long-term. But, along with Daizen Maeda and Kelechi Iheanacho when he returns to fitness, Celtic suddenly have options up front.

Kenny and Osmand were given an opportunity and have grabbed it with both hands. After being confined to the shadows under Rodgers, they already look the part in much more prominent roles under O’Neill.