Brendan Rodgers: Ex-boss hopes Swansea City can seal 'amazing' return to Premier League
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Brendan Rodgers was thrown into the air by his Swansea City players after Championship play-off final success in 2011
Brendan Rodgers, the man who led Swansea City to the Premier League for the first time, says it would be "absolutely amazing" to welcome them back to the top flight.
Rodgers calls Swansea's Championship play-off final win over Reading in 2011 the most important of his career.
The Leicester City manager believes Swansea's current crop can repeat the feats of nine years ago.
"Swansea have got great momentum," Rodgers told BBC Sport Wales.
"They are playing a Brentford team who are a good team in the semi-final.
"They have no egos, they work hard and play good football - but there's absolutely no reason why Swansea can't go through."
Rodgers steered the Swans to promotion in his first season in charge, having been given a chance by the Welsh club after his dismissal at Reading.
His Swansea team were known for their attractive playing style, although they had to show battling qualities in their play-off semi-final against Nottingham Forest before beating Reading 4-2 in a thrilling Wembley final.
Brendan Rodgers celebrates after Darren Pratley's goal against Nottingham Forest sealed Swansea's place in the 2011 play-off final
"We went to the City Ground for the first leg and within one minute Mike Dean sends off Neil Taylor," Rodgers recalled.
"Everybody recognised our football, but we also had the resilience we showed that night.
"The home leg was such a memorable game and then we went on and got promoted.
"That was a magical season. I was a young manager at the time and I have always said that there will never be a more important game in my career than the final, because that was a life-changing game."
Having reached the top flight for the first time since 1983, Swansea finished 11th in their first Premier League season, a feat which saw Rodgers leave for Liverpool in 2012.
He came close to winning the title with the Reds in 2014, then enjoyed a trophy-laden spell at Celtic before taking over at Leicester in February 2019.
While his focus this weekend will be on trying to steer the Foxes into the Champions League, Northern Irishman Rodgers will have half an eye on the club where he established himself as a manager.
"I loved everything about Swansea," he said.
"Swansea made me what I am today. The way I was treated while I was there - I was afforded everything you would want from a family perspective and a football perspective.
"I have travelled the world since as manager of Liverpool, Celtic and now Leicester, and people still talk to me about my Swansea team. They talk about the football we played and how they enjoyed watching us."
Rodgers was watching on Wednesday night, when a remarkable turnaround saw Swansea climb into the top six at Nottingham Forest's expense in the dying minutes of the season.
Wayne Routledge, a player signed by Rodgers, scored a brilliant volley and then a late header as Steve Cooper's team won 4-1 at Reading.
Championship play-offs: Agony or ecstasy for Bluebirds and Swans?
"It was incredible," Rodgers said. "I was looking at it from a Swansea perspective and seeing if they could jump above Cardiff, but to close a three-point gap and a five-goal gap (to Forest) in one game was phenomenal.
"I was absolutely delighted for the guys - it was fantastic for a young team and a good young manager.
"Wayne's first goal was genius, that's Wayne, but what I didn't expect was the header. I sent him a message afterwards to say as much."
Swansea head coach Cooper was working at the Liverpool academy when Rodgers was in charge at Anfield.
Cooper later spent six years coaching England's youth sides before taking his first role in senior club football at Swansea in June 2019.
Brendan Rodgers signed Wayne Routledge from Newcastle following Swansea's promotion to the Premier League
"Coops is young, hungry and understands the football idea at Swansea," Rodgers said.
"There's always frustration at a club that has dropped out of the Premier League. It's virtually a total rebuild job.
"To come into his first job and play a brand of football that the Swansea supporters expect - I think he has done a fantastic job and I pray that they go on now and get promoted."
Rodgers' Swansea secured play-off glory despite the disappointment of finishing third in the table.
This time it is Thomas Frank's Brentford who will try to cope with missing out on the top two, as they face a Swansea side who are buoyant as a result of that extraordinary turnaround on the final day.
"It's now about psychology," Rodgers said.
"It's about the mentality - you feel you deserve to go up automatically if you fall just short and sometimes you can fall away.
"We didn't do that. We felt we could still make it if we played our game and stayed really positive, and that's what Brentford will try to do.
"But it was so sad when Swansea went down (in 2018) because it's so hard to get to the Premier League. It would be so amazing if they could get that status back."