Gordon Smith: Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic exit brought back memories of Rangers losing treble-winning boss Jock Wallace to Leicester City

Brendan Rodgers’ departure from Celtic has rekindled memories for me of the time I lost my own Treble-winning boss to Leicester City.

It was the summer of 1978 and I was staying at my parents’ house, as happy in the game as I ever was off the back of Rangers’ clean sweep in my first season at Ibrox.

I came down the stairs, and my mother told me she had just heard on the radio that Jock Wallace had left us to go and join Leicester.

More than 40 years later, I can still remember that moment as clearly as anything.

I was absolutely sickened by the news.

I’d loved playing football for Jock.

He’d shown great belief in me when he came to get me from Kilmarnock, and continued to do so at Rangers.

I didn’t always get to play in midfield, which was my preferred position. But he used me there, and I repaid him by scoring 27 goals that season.

It was a terrific team to play in. Davie Cooper and Bobby Russell had both signed at the same time and were brilliant players.

We won the Treble and everything seemed possible.

Then, just like that, our manager left us in the lurch.

Jock never revealed publicly the reasons behind his sudden departure, but it was believed he had fallen out with Willie Waddell, who’d moved up to be the general manager at Ibrox, over money.

It was one of the biggest disappointments of my playing career.

That was back in the days before social media and, with it being the close-season, there weren’t the same interviews with newspapers that there would normally have been.

Had I been asked, however, I know for sure I’d have been truthful and stated for the record that I was sickened by the news.

Given what has happened at Celtic, and Rodgers has moved on while the club are still chasing the last legs of the Treble, I have no doubt there will be guys in the dressing-room there who are feeling gutted right now.

The likes of Jonny Hayes, who also played for him at Reading, and Ryan Christie, who he brought on a tremendous amount, would be those you’d imagine who would feel most disappointed.

We now know that the players have been personally contacted by their former manager.

You can be sure that Rodgers will have told them they are good players, who can continue to be successful under Neil Lennon.

I think Neil is a good choice, who can reprise the success he had in his first stint in the role.

But there will always be that wee element of doubt.

Different managers like to do things their own way, in terms of systems as well as team selection.

So it will be intriguing to see how things work out in the weeks and months ahead.

Of immediate interest is the difference it makes to the rest of the Scottish game.

I have no doubt that Rangers, for example, will have got a boost from Rodgers’ departure.

Why wouldn’t they? He is, after all, the man who has just led Celtic to success the last seven domestic competitions.

Of course, Lennon has led Celtic to the title. Multiple times.

However, he didn’t have the 100% record which Rodgers has enjoyed in his time in charge.

So if you are talking about Rangers going into this year’s Scottish Cup Final against Celtic, they are going to be that little bit more confident about coming out on top.

The same will apply to Aberdeen, their quarter-final opponents at Pittodrie this afternoon.

They have been pipped by Rodgers’ side in final after final these past couple of years.

Yes, if the two meet again they will be the same group of players.

But this time the management duel would be different.

I think today’s game will be another great occasion and fancy Rangers, who are flying right now, to come on top.

Provided that is, Alfredo Morelos – sent off three times already against the Dons this season – can stay out of trouble.

Manager Steven Gerrard will have hammered the point home to him.

Whether he listens or not is the key.

If he does, the Colombian can be a match-winner on the day and set Rangers up with what would be a real chance of winning silverware this season.