GARY KEOWN: Don’t expect an old pals’ act when Sahin and Rodgers reopen old wounds in Dortmund

Brendan Rodgers isn’t averse to a bit of name dropping when the opportunity arises. Only this time he might have opened a mighty can of worms.

While the build-up to Rangers’ stunning Europa League win in Malmö last Thursday was dominated by old animosities and unpleasant memories, Celtic’s upcoming trip to Borussia Dortmund now has the potential to throw things into disarray.

Parkhead boss Rodgers spoke on Friday about discussions he had with his old captain Scott Brown during the week when the opportunity arose for the former Scotland midfielder to swap the manager’s job at Ayr United for St Johnstone.

Asked whether he feels he will face Brown in the opposite dugout during a Premiership match in the future, despite his old charge’s decision to remain at Somerset Park for the time being, Rodgers replied: ‘ If I’m still here and I want it, then we can do it right. On Tuesday I meet Nuri Sahin and I had hired Nuri from Real Madrid as a young player at Liverpool, so it’s happening.’

However, that is only the beginning of the story, when it comes to the relationship that existed between the Celtic manager and the head coach of Borussia Dortmund with whom he will meet again in a few days amid the yellow thunder of the Westfalenstadion.

In some corners of the internet, comments from Sahin about the Brodge when he broke off his loan spell at Anfield after five months in January 2013 to return to Dortmund for a second spell as a player are already starting to appear.

“Thank God I left Brendan Rodgers,” he said in an interview with a Spanish newspaper, complaining that he had been used in the wrong position throughout his time on Merseyside.

Moreover, it is absolutely certain that it will be revisited in the coming days as preparations for a tantalizing, interesting match in Europe’s premier club tournament heat up. And herbs added.

At the time, Sahin was in line to join Arsenal from the Bernabeu as Madrid looked for a place for him to play more regular football. At 23, he set his sights on trying it out in the Emirates.

That’s when Rodgers turned on the charm and flipped through the contacts book, as he recalled at the time of Sahin’s signing when describing the conversations he had about the move with then Real head coach Jose Mourinho.

“All my contacts spoke very highly of him and Jose was fantastic in talking about his qualities and strengths, but it’s clear he (Sahin) hasn’t played there that much,” he said. ‘For us it is a great opportunity to bring in a top technician.

‘The player had his heart set on joining Arsenal and we had to convince him to join us. Once we realized he might be available, it became our job to change the direction of the deal and wrestle the momentum away from Arsenal.

‘That was very difficult, because Arsenal is a wonderful club, they can offer Champions League football and they play a style of football that suits his qualities. But we managed to convince him to come here.

‘He’s a smart guy, he’s done a lot of homework on the club and myself as a manager, and he’s decided this is the best route at this stage of his career.’

But he clearly didn’t do enough homework. After just 12 games and three goals – and just three full 90-minute appearances in the Europa League – Sahin returned offski to Dortmund via a brief stopover in Madrid, where he had to make some pretty heavy comments.

“I did not fail at Liverpool,” said Sahin, who would eventually return to Dortmund permanently for a contract worth seven million euros. “Brendan Rodgers wanted me to play as a number 10, but I don’t play behind the strikers.

‘I talked to him and asked him why he played me there. It’s not my real position.

‘The coach couldn’t give me an answer. Still no regrets. If I hadn’t been there, I might not have been able to return to Borussia Dortmund. That’s why I’m happy. Thank God I left Brendan Rodgers.”

Even BVB boss Jurgen Klopp, who was due to replace Rodgers at Liverpool after his dismissal in October 2015, got involved in the pile-up.

“It was the wrong position (for Sahin to play),” he said. ‘If you are a number 8 or 6 and you have to play like a number 9 or 10, that is not possible.

“For some guys that is of course possible, but Nuri is a brilliant player – not nine-and-a-half and not ten – and I don’t know why Brendan Rodgers would do this.”

Pound to a penny, he will be asked sometime in the next 48 hours. Just like Sahin. And such interactions are made into the most distracting little vignettes as we all wait for the right action in the park.

Just look at how Malmö coach Henrik Rydstrom ended up with an egg on his chops midweek after labeling his club’s social media posts poking fun at Rangers’ financial crisis after they won the Champions League in 2011 qualifier at Ibrox as ‘a bit of fun’. ‘.

Celtic’s impressive 5-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava on the opening day has put them in a great position to reach the top 24 of the somewhat silly new Champions League fixtures and the play-off round.

This visit to Dortmund will not make or break that ambition. Matches against Young Boys from Bern and Dinamo Zagreb plus the visits of Club Brugge and RB Leipzig are the matches that matter in this campaign.

However, that doesn’t mean Rodgers doesn’t have a lot to do in Tuesday’s game. Yes, his team competed very well at home last season against the likes of Atletico Madrid and Lazio in this competition. Outside the house, however, it was a different story.

They sent six to Atletico and lost two goals without a return to both Lazio and Feyenoord. They still finished at the bottom of the section.

Rodgers is back here for Europe. Don’t make a big deal about it. He admitted as much himself when he started his second spell as Celtic boss. It is important to show that he can take a team to a difficult location against a stronger opponent and keep it organized and difficult to beat. And Dortmund’s intimidating arena provides the perfect showcase.

Celtic are not expected to win. He is not even expected to score a point. But Rodgers was able to do it without dragging given the problems on the road last season and the fact that his first term at Parkhead saw major failures as he faced the likes of Barcelona, ​​​​Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Zenit Saint Petersburg. Signs of progress are needed instead of the same thin gruel.

Until then, we’ll have to make do with the question of whether the man he’s up against will have any extra motivation to settle old scores. We will hear them talk about what they think of each other all these years. And we’ll wait to see how warm – or otherwise – their hug on the touchline before kickoff really is.

Because bad blood and old ghosts are a big part of what football is about. Just like making mischief and seeing what really lies behind the platitudes. And it may remain that way for a long time.

U-turn on alcohol sales is a bit of fuss about nothing

The Scottish National Party needs something to regain favor after the chaos, carnage and camper vans of recent times – and selling booze on football grounds looks like a surefire vote winner.

How that relates to the government’s nannies tomorrow putting alcohol at a ridiculous 65 cents per unit, while this crazy plan appears to have no positive effect on public health at all, is unclear.

However, SNP MSP George Adam has long called for a reconsideration of pint pulling during the match.

In reality, the whole debate about selling the old electric soup on site is a bit puzzling. It seems that many stadiums already contain pubs and bars. Bee

St Johnstone for example, we reporters walk through it as we emerge from the ground – usually after seeing the kind of display that would make anyone drink.

And in most grounds that don’t have their own taps or optics, there are bars nearby that will be happy to fill your boots until kick-off.

Getting into a pickle during your day out is no problem at the moment. This argument seems to depend on whether you have the

90 minutes in the middle as sobering time or as an opportunity to refill the tank.

Considering it’s hard enough to stay awake at some SPFL games as it is, it feels like a no-no to treat the gambler like an adult and allow him to keep the merriment going with some sensible tincture – and put extra money into the club’s coffers. -brainteaser.

And actually not that big of a leap at all.

Moss gathers little good will when he goes out

Why couldn’t Jon Moss just leave for his new job and new life in Australia without posting that patronizing nonsense about his 52 days as VAR manager on the Scottish FA website?

The things about how he loved his time at Hampden were bad enough, but his claim that ‘I leave with nothing but fond memories and the wish I could have stayed longer’ is insulting.

No one will take him to the other side of the world, right? If he felt like it, he could have stayed. But he didn’t. And he has unnecessarily damaged Willie Collum’s time as head referee after such a bright and promising start.

The SFA screwed this man. Next time they should make sure they get someone who is actually committed to sticking around instead of posting nonsense on their website.