“No one likes us, we don’t care,” is a football chant which originated among supporters of English club Millwall back in the late 1970s and has since been adopted by followers of many others across the United Kingdom.
Fans of Rangers regularly belt out the song on match days in an attempt to convey their ambivalence about the hostility and hatred which they routinely encounter in the Scottish game.
It was, though, extremely unusual to hear a football manager, the manager of Celtic no less, express those exact same sentiments on Sunday.
Especially after his team had recorded a convincing and important win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie to move, momentarily at least, two points clear at the top of the William Hill Premiership table and four in front of Rangers.
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“Listen, there'll always be a narrative around,” said Brendan Rodgers apropos absolutely nothing in the wake of a 2-0 away triumph over opponents who had denied his men a Scottish Cup final victory and another domestic treble at Hampden back in May.
“You know, I heard something the other day about ‘you don't play good football and don't play that, we've never played that in the last two years’. So, I think there's a number of people that really don't like me here at Celtic.
“But with me and looking at the team, I'm really happy to see how the players are, the current players that we have. Two clean sheets, control, a difficult game, showed resilience last week to breakthrough and we're ticking along nicely.
“And as we know, what will make the football always smile that wee bit more and a bit more creative is the level of player. So, we hope we can do that and then we'll be, hopefully by the end of the month, in a really good place.”
Rodgers’ leftfield comments in the north-east at the weekend have understandably sparked much debate. Where did that come from? Who exactly was he referring to? And what does it mean going forward?
He was pleased with how Callum McGregor and his team mates acquitted themselves against Stephen Robinson’s side even if it required a late Luke McCowan strike to sew up the three points.
Other onlookers were not so convinced. Maybe a pundit irked him with his negative assessment of the display. Perhaps a journalist’s view of the 90 minutes was less than effusive. A blogger possibly annoyed him by being overly scathing. It might be that simple.
Many managers like to create a siege mentality in the first team dressing room. They pounce on any slight and use it to fire up their players. Sir Alex Ferguson was a master at it. Look at what they are saying about us. Are you lot going to accept that? It would be smart if Rodgers deploys the same sort of tactics.
But those who were in the press room at Pittodrie or were listening on radio at home were bewildered. Celtic have by and large been showered by praise in the past season-and-a-half. Yes, they were poor against Aberdeen in the cup final. Sure, they lacked sharpness up front against St Mirren the week before.
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But was there any reason to let loose with “people really don’t like me here at Celtic” chat? It was a strange statement and no mistake. Why would such an experienced coach be affected by what someone says about him or his team? This isn’t his first rodeo.
Rodgers may, after a summer of fairly underwhelming recruitment, be feeling a bit raw at the moment. He has been scathing about the length of time which it has taken to get new recruits in during previous window. His words of warning have clearly gone unheeded upstairs. He still desperately needs to strengthen every area of his side and urgently requires a winger and a striker. The clock is ticking.
It is certainly true that, despite the silverware which he has landed during his second stint in charge of his boyhood heroes and Champions League successes which he has overseen, there is an element, albeit a small one, which has not forgiven him for leaving for Leicester before the end of the 2018/19 season with the title not won. But he knew that already.
The Northern Irishman’s contract situation – he has one year left on his current deal and has not, despite talks with major shareholder Dermot Desmond and chief executive Michael Nicholson this summer, been offered an extension - was always going to be a major topic of conversation during the 2025/26 campaign.
But seasoned observers of the Glasgow giants - who have been, to put it mildly, careful in the transfer market for years now despite their considerable cash reserves – do not envisage the bean counters in the East End changing their business model any time soon or the working relationship continuing beyond next summer. Do the directors not like him at Celtic?
Maybe, then, his words were those of a wounded jilted lover. Perhaps he feels hurt that, after giving his heart and soul to deliver success to the club he grew up cheering on as a boy, his paymasters do not appear ready to back him to the level which he desires.
Nobody likes him? He most certainly cares. And he may well depart for pastures new next May if the feeling is not reciprocated by those who occupy the padded seats at Parkhead on match in the very near future and enable him to elevate Celtic to a higher plane.
