Brendan Rodgers will celebrate his first anniversary as Celtic manager on Saturday – but the Hoops boss is already well on his way to leaving an outstanding legacy at the club.

I don’t think there is any doubt that what we have seen this season suggests a man who will come to be regarded as a top manager in Celtic’s history. It is, of course, early days but there is a definite feeling that Rodgers is the man who has put the club firmly on the map again.

Domestically they are so far in front that we are looking at the possibility of 10-in-a-row – and it is somewhat ironic that Rodgers’ contract extension is for four years – and I think this season there will be significant optimism that there can be further gains yielded in Europe.

Read more: Albion Rovers the unlikely season highlight for Celtic's Kieran TierneyGlasgow Times: Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is fully focussed on delivering a Treble to Celtic this season

I haven’t had too many dealings with Rodgers but I don’t need to have to have come to the conclusion that he will be up there with the very best that Celtic have ever had in a dug-out.

He is certainly heading that way in terms of the prestige that he has brought to the club and the way in which he has elevated the current players to the level they are playing at just now.

That first day when Rodgers was unveiled at Celtic Park and the front stand was packed with people just wanting to see him arrive is one that will stay with him for the rest of his days. It was an incredible show of support before a ball had been kicked and I suspect that there is already a feeling that Rodgers has repaid that immediate acceptance.

In the 44-year-old, Celtic have a manager who knows the history and traditions of the club and is a natural for that role because he understands what it means. He is happy at the club, his backroom staff are happy at the club and for the Parkhead support there is a genuine excitement about the direction the club is moving on.

Read more: Albion Rovers the unlikely season highlight for Celtic's Kieran Tierney

I think this time a year ago we all accepted that this was an audacious appointment and one that Celtic had done very well to get, but even then I still think that the results and the progress witnessed this term would have surpassed all expectations.

The thing that really stands out for me is not only that the results have been delivered as the club stand on the cusp of only their fourth ever treble, but the way in which it has been done.

This is a Celtic team today that have played the game in a way that is in keeping with the values of the club. It is always difficult to compare generations but what you can see about Celtic this season is that they have tried to attack and play in a way that is true to the philosophy of the club greats and those who expect to see goals and excitement from their team.

No matter what comes now over the next two games against Partick Thistle this evening at Firhill and then against Hearts on Sunday when the trophy is handed out, you have to salute the way they have gone about their business.

To have gone this far – 44 games without a domestic defeat – is a phenomenal achievement at any level of football. We can all claim that the standard of opposition has perhaps not been as astute as it has been in the past but I think that overlooks the sheer consistency that Celtic have shown this term.

Read more: Albion Rovers the unlikely season highlight for Celtic's Kieran Tierney

There is a confidence within the team and that is mirrored to a solid belief among the supporters that Celtic will go out and win a game. Against St Johnstone the other week when Tommy Wright’s side briefly got back in the game to make it 1-1 there was no unease within the stadium; this is a team that you expect to be able to kick on and that is exactly what unfolded as the game went on.

I also think that this season Celtic are a team who look fitter now than they did at the start of the season. Physically they look strong, powerful, fit and full of running – and mentally there is a clear strength too.

I know as a player and as a manger what that does, not just for yourself walking onto a pitch and having that belief and confidence, but also what it does to the opposition.

This season has set the foundations for Rodgers and it will be interesting to chart what comes next. You just never know what might be around the corner in football but on the evidence presented this season you would have to say that you can only expect it to keep getting better.