Witney Town
Brendan Rodgers played for which team from 1994 to 1995?
Brendan Rodgers Brendan Rodgers ( born 26 January 1973 ) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Leicester City . Rodgers began his career as a defender at Ballymena United , where he stayed until he was signed by Reading at the age of 18 , although a genetic knee condition forced him to retire at age 20 . He remained at Reading as a coach and then academy director , and continued to play non-league football at Newport , Witney Town and Newbury Town for several years . After a period travelling around Spain to study coaching methods , he was invited by José Mourinho to leave Reading and join Chelsea as youth manager in 2004 , later being promoted to reserve manager in 2006 . In 2008 , he was appointed manager of Watford , where he remained until he accepted an offer to become manager of his former club Reading in 2009 . He left the club by mutual consent after some disappointing results six months later . He returned to management with Swansea City in 2010 , leading the club to promotion to the Premier League , the first Welsh team ever to do so , before guiding them to finish 11th the following season . On 1 June 2012 , Rodgers accepted an offer to become the new manager of Liverpool , whom he led to runners-up position in the league in the 2013–14 season before his dismissal in October 2015 . He became manager of Celtic in May 2016 and led Celtic to an undefeated domestic season in his first year , and trebles in both of his first two seasons . He left Celtic for Leicester City in February 2019 , winning the 2021 FA Cup in his second full season . Early life . Rodgers was born in the seaside village of Carnlough in County Antrim , Northern Ireland . His father Malachy was a painter and decorator , while his mother Christina was a volunteer for the Irish charity Trócaire . Rodgers is the eldest of five boys . His younger brother Malachy became a well-known country-and-western singer locally , and is now pursuing a career in Nashville , Tennessee , United States . He grew up as a supporter of Sheffield Wednesday and Celtic . Rodgers was brought up a Catholic . He attended St Johns Catholic Primary School in Carnlough , and then moved on to St Patricks College in Ballymena until the age of 16 . His mother died in 2010 at the age of 53 , and in September 2011 Rodgers was by his fathers side when he died of cancer , aged 59 . Playing career . As a teenager , Rodgers represented Northern Ireland at schoolboy level , notably playing against Brazil in 1988 . He also represented the Republic of Ireland at schoolboy level . He began his senior career as a defender for Ballymena United , his local team , in 1987 . Three years later , at the age of 18 , he was signed by Reading where he played in the reserves . His professional playing career was ended when he was 20 , due to a genetic knee condition . Following this enforced retirement , Rodgers spent several years playing in non-league football for Newport ( IOW ) , Witney Town and Newbury Town , while remaining as a youth coach at Reading . He found employment at John Lewis to support his young family . Coaching career . Rodgers spent a large amount of time travelling around Spain studying different coaching methods , and was eventually invited by manager José Mourinho to leave his role of academy director at Reading and join the Chelsea Academy as their head youth coach in 2004 after a recommendation by Mourinhos assistant and future Premier League manager Steve Clarke . Rodgers was promoted to reserve team manager two years later , and was kept in that position by subsequent Chelsea managers Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari . Managerial career . Watford . On 24 November 2008 , Rodgers left Chelsea to become the manager of Championship side Watford . Rodgers won only two of his first ten league games as manager , leaving Watford in the relegation zone by January . Watfords form dramatically improved , however , and Rodgers was able to guide them to finish 13th , avoiding relegation . Reading . Weeks after guaranteeing Watfords survival , and following the resignation of Steve Coppell as Reading manager , Rodgers quickly became the favourite to succeed him and rejoin his old club . He initially distanced himself from reports linking him with the job , saying that his concentration ( is ) fully on Watford . However , he eventually agreed a deal to become the new manager of Reading on 5 June 2009 , after a compensation package worth an initial £500,000 with Watford was agreed , which later rose to £1 million . The Watford Supporters Trust stated that Rodgers reputation was severely damaged in the eyes of the supporters as a result of the move , but they nevertheless thanked ( Rodgers ) for his efforts last season and ( wished ) him well for the future . On 11 August , Rodgers got his first win as Reading manager with a 5–1 win over League Two side Burton Albion in the first round of the League Cup . Despite a good start in the league , a disappointing string of results followed , and Rodgers left Reading by mutual consent on 16 December , just over six months after his arrival , with Reading one place above relegation in the Championship . Swansea City . Rodgers accepted an offer to become the manager of Championship side Swansea City on 16 July 2010 . Prior to this appointment , he had been asked to join the coaching staff at Manchester City under manager Roberto Mancini . His beginning as Swansea manager was very successful , leading to Rodgers being awarded the Championship Manager of the Month Award for February 2011 after Swansea won five out of the six league games they played that month , while keeping four clean sheets . By 25 April 2011 , Rodgers had managed to comfortably secure Swansea Citys place in the 2011 Championship Play-Offs for promotion into the Premier League , with a convincing 4–1 victory over Ipswich Town at the Liberty Stadium . On 16 May 2011 , Rodgers led Swansea to the 2011 Championship Play-Off final as the favourites after defeating underdogs Nottingham Forest over two legs in the semi-final . He faced his old club Reading in the final at Wembley Stadium on 30 May 2011 , which Swansea won 4–2 thanks in part to a hat-trick from Scott Sinclair , meaning Swansea became the first Welsh team ever to gain promotion to the Premier League . Rodgers was praised by the media and supporters for consoling Reading manager Brian McDermott and owner John Madejski before receiving the trophy . Rodgers first win as a Premier League manager came on 17 September 2011 , when Swansea beat West Bromwich Albion 3–0 at the Liberty Stadium . Despite many predicting before the season began that Swansea were favourites to be relegated , their debut season proved very impressive , as they picked up points against Liverpool , Newcastle United , Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea , keeping them well above the relegation zone . In January 2012 , Swansea claimed their first away win of the season at Aston Villa , a month which also saw them beat Arsenal 3–2 at home and hold Chelsea to a 1–1 draw . This saw Rodgers earn his first Premier League Manager of the Month Award . In February , Rodgers signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract to keep him at the club until July 2015 . Liverpool . 2012–13 season . On 1 June 2012 , Rodgers was unveiled as the new Liverpool manager on a three-year contract , following the departure of Kenny Dalglish two weeks prior . Rodgers appointment was immediately endorsed by former colleague and Real Madrid manager José Mourinho . In July 2012 , Rodgers wrote an open letter to the Swansea City supporters , thanking both the staff and supporters for his time at the club , and wishing them well for the future . Days later , Rodgers held his first training session at Melwood as the squad reported back for pre-season training . On 2 August 2012 , Rodgers oversaw his first competitive game as Liverpool manager , a 1–0 win in the UEFA Europa League against Belarusian club Gomel , and won his first home game in charge in the second leg one week later . In his first league game as manager on 18 August , Liverpool lost 3–0 against West Brom at The Hawthorns . His first win in the league came against Norwich City at Carrow Road , Liverpool winning 5–2 . On 31 October , Rodgers welcomed his former club Swansea to Anfield in the fourth round of the League Cup , a match Liverpool lost 3–1 . On 6 December , Liverpool defeated Udinese 1–0 away in the Europa League to qualify for the round of 32 as group winners . On 27 January 2013 , Liverpool were knocked out of the FA Cup in the fourth round , surprisingly losing 3–2 to League One team Oldham Athletic . Liverpool finished in seventh position in the Premier League in his first season in charge , one position higher than the previous season . 2013–14 season . At the start of the 2013–14 season , Rodgers was named the Premier League Manager of the Month for August 2013 as Liverpool won their first three league games of the season . In January 2014 , he was fined £8,000 after making comments about referee Lee Mason after a 2–1 loss to Manchester City in December 2013 . He was later named Manager of the Month for the second time that season for March 2014 , after Liverpool won all five of their games that month to go top of the Premier League . A run of 11-straight wins for Liverpool left them five points clear at the top of the Premier League with just three matches to play . However , they then suffered a 2–0 home defeat to Chelsea on 27 April . This result handed the advantage to Manchester City in the title race . In their next game away to Crystal Palace on 5 May , Liverpool led 3–0 with 11 minutes to go , but the game finished 3–3 . Liverpool ended the season as Premier League runners-up , two points behind champions Manchester City . Liverpool scored 101 league goals in the season , the clubs most since the 1895–96 season and the third-highest in Premier League history . Later that month , Rodgers was awarded the LMA Manager of the Year Award becoming the first Liverpool manager to win the accolade in its 20-year history . On 26 May 2014 , Rodgers signed a new four-year contract at Liverpool . 2014–15 season . Liverpool were eliminated from the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League after drawing against Basel in their final group match , dropping into the Europa League . The Reds were subsequently knocked out in the Europa League round of 32 after losing 4–5 on penalties to Turkish side Beşiktaş . On 19 April 2015 , Liverpool were defeated by Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final . Liverpool finished the season with a 6–1 defeat to Stoke , finishing sixth in the Premier League . This meant Rodgers became the first Liverpool manager since the 1950s not to win a trophy after three seasons in charge . Despite this , Rodgers received the backing of Liverpools owners . 2015–16 season . On 4 October 2015 , Liverpool played their 225th Merseyside derby against Everton with the game ending again in a 1–1 draw . This was the fifth time in Liverpools previous six games that they had taken a 1–0 lead , then to have the game end in a 1–1 draw ; while they had just one win in their previous nine games . Just one hour after the game , Rodgers was sacked , leaving Liverpool in tenth place after eight matches played . Later , it became known that the decision to sack him had already been made prior to the match against Everton . The following day , Rodgers released a statement through the League Managers Association stating , I am , of course , incredibly disappointed to be leaving.. . [ but ] it has been both an honour and a privilege to manage one of the games great clubs . Rodgers signings for Liverpool included James Milner , Roberto Firmino , Philippe Coutinho , Adam Lallana , Joe Gomez , Dejan Lovren , Divock Origi and Mario Balotelli . Celtic . 2016–17 season . Rodgers was appointed manager of Scottish Premiership champions Celtic on a 12-month rolling contract on 20 May 2016 , following the exit of Ronny Deila . Upon his arrival in Glasgow , Rodgers spoke of his admiration for the late Tommy Burns , the former Celtic player and manager who was in charge of Reading when Rodgers began his coaching career . On 12 July , in his first competitive game in charge , Celtic lost 1–0 away to Gibraltars Lincoln Red Imps in the first leg of their second qualifying round of the 2016–17 Champions League . He said of the surprise result , There is obvious disappointment . There is no embarrassment . Celtic overcame their one-goal deficit with a 3–0 win at Celtic Park . On 23 August 2016 , Celtic qualified for the group stage of the 2016–17 Champions League for the first time in three years after a 5–4 aggregate victory over Hapoel Beer Sheva . In the first game of the group stage , 13 September 2016 , Rodgers suffered a 7–0 defeat against Barcelona at Camp Nou , this was Brendan Rodgers heaviest defeat and the worst ever result for Celtic in European competition . On 27 November 2016 , Rodgers won his first ever trophy as a manager as Celtic beat Aberdeen 3–0 in the final of the Scottish League Cup . The win also gave Celtic their 100th major trophy . On 31 December 2016 , Rodgers became the first manager in Celtic history to win his opening three games against Rangers . This victory meant Celtic went 19 points clear , with a game in hand , in the 2016–17 Scottish Premiership table . It also secured Celtic their 5th consecutive league victory , 58 points from a possible 60 , and stretched their unbeaten run in domestic football to 24 games . On 2 April 2017 , Celtic defeated Hearts 5–0 to secure the clubs sixth consecutive league title , with eight games to spare . Five days later , Rodgers signed a new four-year contract with Celtic . As Celtics unbeaten domestic run continued , they subjected Rangers to their heaviest defeat at Ibrox since 1915 , thrashing their rivals 5–1 on 29 April . Celtics 2–0 win over Hearts on 21 May saw them finish 30 points ahead of second-placed Aberdeen in the league with a record 106 points , and the team become the first Scottish side to complete a top-flight season undefeated since 1899 . On 27 May 2017 , Celtic defeated Aberdeen 2–1 to win the Scottish Cup , securing a domestic treble for the fourth time in their history , and ending the 2016–17 season unbeaten in all domestic competitions . 2017–18 season . On 4 November 2017 , Rodgers guided Celtic to a 4–0 victory over St Johnstone . This victory meant Celtic were unbeaten for their last 63 domestic games . The victory also meant they surpassed the 100-year British-held recorded for consecutive domestic games undefeated , which was also held by Willie Maleys Celtic team , set in 1917 at 62 . On 26 November 2017 , Rodgers won his fourth trophy in a row as a manager as Celtic beat Motherwell 2–0 in the 2017 Scottish League Cup Final . Rodgers became the first manager in the clubs history to win his first four domestic trophies and also stretch the unbeaten domestic record to 65 games . This unbeaten run finally ended after 69 games , ending with a 4–0 loss to Hearts . On 29 April 2018 , Rodgers secured his second and Celtics seventh consecutive league title with a 5–0 win against Rangers at Celtic Park . This win also extended Celtics unbeaten run against Rangers to 12 games . The season ended with Rodgers winning the first ever Double Treble ( a treble in two consecutive seasons ) in Scottish football history with a 2–0 Scottish Cup Final win over Motherwell on 19 May 2018 . 2018–19 season . Rodgers said that he turned down an approach from a Chinese club during the summer of 2018 . He told BBC Scotland : With China its big money , but Ive found happiness here . After failing to qualify for the Champions League , Celtic qualified in second place from the group stage of the UEFA Europa League . They were knocked out by Valencia in the round of 32 , 3–0 on aggregate . Celtic won the Scottish League Cup in December 2018 , Rodgers seventh successive trophy with the club . In February 2019 , with Celtic leading the Premiership by eight points , Rodgers departed Celtic , joining English Premier League club Leicester City . Leicester City . 2018–19 season . In February 2019 , Rodgers was appointed manager of Leicester City , following the sacking of Claude Puel . Rodgers first game in charge of The Foxes was on 3 March 2019 away against former club Watford . The game ended in a 2–1 defeat , with Andre Gray scoring a 92nd-minute winner for the Hornets . In Rodgers home debut , his second game in charge , Leicester won 3–1 over struggling Fulham . Striker Jamie Vardy scored his 100th goal for the club in the match . 2019–20 season . On 6 December 2019 , Rodgers signed a contract extension keeping him at the club until 2025 . At the point of signing the deal , his team had recorded 7 wins in a row and sat second in the table after 15 Premier League games . In his first full season , Rodgers guided Leicester to fifth place and therefore qualifying for the UEFA Europa League group stage . 2020–21 season . They started the 2020–21 season strongly , beating Manchester City 5–2 away from home on 27 September 2020 , meaning that Rodgers is the first manager whose team have scored 5 goals against a team managed by Pep Guardiola . In Europe , Leicester managed to win the Europa League group with Braga , AEK Athens and Zorya Luhansk to progress to the round of 16 , but they were eliminated by Slavia Prague after a 0–0 away draw in Czech Republic and a 0–2 home loss . On 15 May 2021 , he led Leicester City to win the first FA Cup title in their history , after a 1–0 win over Chelsea in the final . The end of the season in the league saw a fierce battle between Leicester , Chelsea and Liverpool for the remaining UEFA Champions League spots . Despite being in third place for most of the season , a 1–2 loss to Chelsea in the penultimate round saw Leicester drop to 5th place after Liverpools 3–0 defeat of Burnley , with Leicester and Liverpool tied on points and Chelsea up in third via a solitary point . Despite Chelseas 1–2 loss against Aston Villa giving them a chance to a fourth place finish , Leicester couldnt take advantage due to a dramatic 2–4 loss to Tottenham Hotspur after maintaining a 2–1 lead until Kasper Schmeichels own goal in the 76th minute , coupled with a brace from Gareth Bale . Thus , Leicester once again finished fifth , qualifying for Europa League . Management style . Rodgers believes in his teams keeping possession of the ball and playing a flowing passing and attacking game with the ball always moving ; defensively , he likes his team to put a lot of pressure on the opposing team . His Liverpool team during the 2013–14 season interchanged from 4–5–1 to 3–5–2 to 4–4–2 to 4–3–3 to a diamond formation . Steven Gerrard described Rodgers one-on-one management as the best he had seen . Personal life . Rodgers separated from his wife , Susan , in the summer of 2014 ; the couple divorced in December 2015 . They have two children – a son , Anton , also a footballer , and a daughter , Mischa . Rodgers got engaged to Charlotte Searle in February 2016 , and they married in June 2017 . He is a boyhood Celtic fan . On 6 March 2019 , thieves broke into his home in Glasgow , stealing family possessions and medals he won at Celtic . In June 2011 , Rodgers joined a team representing The Football League to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care in honour of his mother – who died in 2010 – and his father – who died of cancer in 2011 . In June 2014 , he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the University of Ulster . Rodgers speaks Spanish and Italian . His nickname is Buck Rodgers , after the comic strip character Buck Rogers . In May 2020 , Rodgers revealed that he and his wife had tested positive for COVID-19 in March the same year after showing symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic – both of them made full recoveries . Rodgers likened his breathing difficulties to the altitude when he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro . The couple endured losses in smell , taste , and strength for three weeks before being tested positive . Honours . Manager . Swansea City - Football League Championship play-offs : 2011 Celtic - Scottish Premiership : 2016–17 , 2017–18 - Scottish Cup : 2016–17 , 2017–18 - Scottish League Cup : 2016–17 , 2017–18 , 2018–19 Leicester City - FA Cup : 2020–21 Individual - LMA Manager of the Year : 2013–14 - PFA Scotland Manager of the Year : 2016–17 - SFWA Manager of the Year : 2016–17 - Scottish Premiership Manager of the Season : 2016–17 , 2017–18 - Premier League Manager of the Month : January 2012 , August 2013 , March 2014 - Football League Championship Manager of the Month : February 2011 - Scottish Premiership Manager of the Month : August 2016 , October 2016 , December 2016 , April 2017 , September 2017 External links . - Manager Profile - Brendan Rodgers LFC History