Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to Kerrydale Street. We hope you enjoy your visit.

You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use.

If you decide to register, please be aware that we don't accept email addresses from free web accounts like gmail, Hotmail, live.co.uk etc. Sorry, but almost all of the abuse and spam that we get is from free web accounts. The software on the forum will automatically block any requests using a free email account.

Upon Registration, you will be given access to all our varied Forums, and you will be expected to comply with our fairly stringent Rules and Regulations. Meantime, enjoy your visit

If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Brendan Rodgers; "I was born into Celtic"
Topic Started: 20 May 2016, 05:06 PM (2,287,983 Views)
The Blessed Martin
Member Avatar
Off treasure hunting in Holland
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Bawman
19 Aug 2017, 02:40 PM
The first bit of top class we've recruited since Henrik left.
MON :ponder:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Pussyfoot
À la mode if you will
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Keeps this up and no one will bat an eyelid if his missus makes the preseason squad next year.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
raisedacelt
Member Avatar
Retired and now a BT Sports pundit
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Pussyfoot
19 Aug 2017, 08:12 PM
Keeps this up and no one will bat an eyelid if his missus makes the preseason squad next year.
:lol:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
paulthetim
First-team starter
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
Pussyfoot
19 Aug 2017, 08:12 PM
Keeps this up and no one will bat an eyelid if his missus makes the preseason squad next year.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Zurawski 7
Member Avatar
Off treasure hunting in Holland
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Quote:
 
BRENDAN Rodgers regularly takes a broader view when it comes to football matters but never to the extent of being side-tracked from the main job at hand. Rodgers hopes Celtic’s progression into the Champions League group stage for the second successive season – which will almost certainly be confirmed in Kazakhstan on Tuesday night following the second leg of their play-off round tie with Astana – will have the effect of bolstering Scottish football’s reputation as a whole.

Winning the first leg 5-0 in a match broadcast live across the UK on BT Sport and analysed by a panel of one-time England players including Rodgers’ former Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard, did not do any harm to either club or country. The Scottish domestic scene may be regularly sneered at down south but winning – and winning well – in the Champions League, even in the qualifiers, always delivers a certain cachet.

Rodgers is happy to play his part in giving the Scottish game a leg-up if he can but it is of secondary importance to him. It remains all about Celtic and advancing their cause. It perhaps explained why he looked a touch perplexed when told there was a school of thought that Celtic’s growing financial and playing power is leaving the rest behind in an ever-expanding shadow. That is not his problem.

“I tend not to worry so much [about the other clubs] - I tend to worry about Celtic,” he said. “I can’t be looking in my slipstream wondering where everyone is. If I’m in a race, I’m never looking back, I’m only looking forwards.

“I’ve been asked the question ‘do we need other teams to do well?’ but you worry about yourself and set our own standards. It’s a relentless drive to be the best that you can be. It doesn’t matter what other teams are doing.

“I want to represent Celtic the best I can but I want Scotland to feel pride that they have a team in there competing and trying their best with football. That is productive for Scotland.

“The reality is if we get £30 million or £40m from the Champions League I won’t be getting £30m to spend on players or a player. What it does do is allow us as a club to keep making steps forward.

“Other teams [Rangers, Aberdeen and St Johnstone] had the opportunity to play European football this season, it wasn’t just us. So if they had progressed then that would have improved their pot of money. For us, if we can consolidate Champions League football for the second consecutive year, then that’s great for our project and what we’re trying to do.”

It would take the mother of all comebacks for Astana to deny Celtic that now. No team in 62 years of European Cup competition has recovered from a 5-0 first-leg deficit – Celtic probably came closest in 2005, drawing to within a goal of Artmedia Bratislava – and you can get odds of 50/1 for the Kazakhs being the first to achieve such a turnaround.

Rodgers, though, is taking no chances. He will send his “best team” on the six-hour flight today with a view to winning the second leg, too.

“What we’ve tried to create here is that complacency is your disease,” he added with a typically poetic flourish. “Whoever plays, we go to win. We don't have to, but we want to.

“We want to fight for the result and complete the job and if we do that on Tuesday it’ll be a remarkable achievement in terms of the pressures on them this season and the absence of really decisive players.

“We prepare for the game to the same detail as last week. We had John McGlynn out there for a week to watch two games - his body clock was all over the place! But we did our work, and it’ll be the same this time. We plan to win. That’s our way of working.”

Rodgers revealed the details of his pre-match team talk that motivated his players to one of their most accomplished European victories for quite some time.

“In a roundabout way, I said to them that this is a game that you play with your heart. These [Astana] are standing in the way of something we want to achieve. It’s been a long journey for us, so we have to run like hell, we have to fight like hell to get there.

“It was a game to play with your brain, because your heart’s not enough. You’ve got to play football, be tactically organised and stay calm in your defensive and offensive organisation. Then just let them know that they’re not going to have to wait for us; we’re coming for the game.

“My final point was go and enjoy it. You’re not a soldier, you’re not going to war. This is a game to be enjoyed, with 60,000 fanatical supporters willing you on.”

Amid the post-match celebrations, Rodgers dragged Nir Bitton over to accept some individual acclaim in front of the Green Brigade. With neither Dedryck Boyata nor Erik Sviatchenko likely to be fit again before the start of next month, the Israeli will likely continue to deputise in central defence. And his manager believes it is a role Bitton could fill again in future.

“It’s an option,” admitted Rodgers. “If Boyata is fit, he's playing, simple as that. But it’s great having that flexibility and that multi-functional player in your squad.

“If you didn't know he was a midfielder, people would say he was a good centre-half. I've seen him make fewer mistakes than an actual centre-half.

“He’s six foot five, he heads the ball, can attack, has decent speed, and he has this wonderful ability to pass the ball from here to there. Sometimes he’ll give it away and make a mistake but every player does.

“There was focus on this idea it was a gamble - absolute nonsense. I see him every day in training in real-game situations. Sometimes his hardest work is there. So I know what he's capable of. And he's been brilliant.”
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/I_only_worry_about_Celtic
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Zurawski 7
Member Avatar
Off treasure hunting in Holland
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Quote:
 
DAVE KING in a Celtic scarf? Brendan Rodgers is maybe asking a bit much.

The manager reckons Celtic’s Euro glory is so good for Scottish football that their rivals should be supporting them.

It’s one of the big debates that comes with Celtic being on the verge of making it into the group stages of the Champions League.

Is that good for our game — or does the huge success Celtic are having only make it tougher for the likes of Rangers and Aberdeen to compete with them?

Celtic stand to make around £30million from qualification, the kind of money the other Premier League chairmen can only dream about.

But then those chairmen do get a £4million windfall just for being in the same division as Rodgers’ team.

That’s £365,000 each, for just sitting back and watching.

Rodgers said: “The other clubs make some great money.

“I don’t think they would be too unhappy with us qualifying, at least the chairmen certainly won’t.

“Maybe they will be sitting with their Celtic scarves. You just never know.

“Listen, you have to look beyond. You guys report locally on the domestic game but you also have to think what is best for Scottish football, which is to have representation in Europe.

“And not just Celtic, other teams as well.

“Players will grow, they will develop, they will get great experience, so you can’t be just satisfied by being okay domestically, your hunger and desire has to take you beyond that.

“If you can do that then players will be getting better and the national team will play at a better level.”

Celtic’s performances have been making plenty of people sit up and take notice.

From their unbeaten domestic run last season to their displays in the Champions League, the club’s reputation has been growing under Rodgers.

With the likes of Gary Lineker and Steven Gerrard at Celtic Park for the first leg against Astana, Rodgers’ stock is on the rise again.

But he’s just happy for Celtic and Scottish football to get a boost.

Rodgers added: “It’s important for Scottish football.

“We have to fly the flag for Scotland. What is important is that we represent the country.

“It’s not for me personally, I was in England, people have seen my work.

“Scotland traditionally was a country, although many years ago, which had this wonderful history of qualification for World Cups and all of a sudden there has been a dearth in the last 20-odd years.

“What I believe we have shown, if you watch Celtic play, I would say you wouldn’t see it as a Scottish team, you would see us as a European team in terms of how we play, press, the aggression, and also the supporters.

“They are patient now because they understand what we’re doing and with that the end result comes.

“But it’s important for Scotland, let’s not get away from that.

“We have to ensure we represent the Scottish game as best we can and when speaking with Steven Gerrard and other pundits, they were really impressed with what they saw.”

That 5-0 win was something else.

Celtic started off looking nervy but from the moment they took the lead after half an hour at Parkhead they simply never looked back.

The result puts them firmly in the driving seat for Tuesday.

Celtic fans are already thinking ahead to the group stages, and who can blame them?

It would take one almighty collapse for Celtic to crash out — and it just isn’t going to happen.

Fact of the matter is, Rodgers fancies winning this second leg and going through in style.

But whatever happens early on, his men must keep calm.

Rodgers added: “That is what we preach. It’s no different.

“There is a huge amount of pressure. They will know that if they open up and press the game, we have the speed and mentality to score goals.

“We will have a clear mind. We know what qualification brings and the team have been really impressive up to this point.

“Now we have one more stage to go, let’s finish the job.

“It’s not really hard to keep their feet on the ground. Complacency is something we tend to avoid.

“We want to get through, there is this final game to go and we want to achieve that.

“The fundamentals will be the same. That’s why we don’t concede a lot of goals.

“In all our competitive games so far we’ve conceded once, and that was right at the end of the Hearts match.

“So the team tactically is set up to press, be aggressive, not to be beaten easily, either in one versus one duels or collectively, and attacking wise we know we have the game to score plenty of goals.

“So it’s one where lots of people will be thinking about all the conundrums but for me I only think about winning.”
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/celtic-brendan-rodgers
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
McStay
Member Avatar
Espanyolification
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
The Blessed Martin
19 Aug 2017, 08:11 PM
Bawman
19 Aug 2017, 02:40 PM
The first bit of top class we've recruited since Henrik left.
MON :ponder:
MON was before Henrik left.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
georgiesleftpeg
Everyone's Fantasy Football first pick
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Tam McManus: Scottish football should listen and learn from Rodgers' philosophy

Tam McManus Herald columnist


Not since the great Jock Stein back in the mid 1960s and early 70s has a squad been built which completely dominates the Scottish football landscape, and the Celtic fans are lapping it up thanks to Brendan Rodgers.

Stein's team won nine in a row and reached two European Cup finals in that halcyon period. Rangers eventually broke that stranglehold and stopped ten but it looks extremely doubtful, bordering on impossible, that anyone can stop Celtic and Rodgers now reaching double figures.

But just how has he turned a Celtic squad, which looked ragged and ripe for the picking in Ronny Deila's final season, into domestic invincibles?

It certainly hasn't been excessive spending. Moussa Dembele has proved to be the bargain of the century at £500,000. Scott Sinclair, who looked a lost soul previously at Aston Villa, was also an astute bit of business at just £3m. But the majority of the squad has been inherited from Deila. The upturn in fortunes of most of those players has been incredible to see.

Rodgers built a superbly creative team at Anfield. Don’t forget, he was probably a Steven Gerrard slip away from winning the Premier League. Gerrard called Brendan a "fantastic man-manager" in midweek before Celtic's Champions League romp against Astana. That says it all.

Guys like Scott Brown had been savaged the previous season. His legs had gone and he was finished. Stuart Armstrong was another; not Celtic class and the club was too big for him.

But both have been rejuvenated under Rodgers. James Forrest and Callum McGregor, two favourite whipping boys previously of the Celtic support, again have turned into key players. Filled with confidence by an arm around the shoulder and specific coaching every day. Craig Gordon has been turned from a goalkeeper who just shelled it up the park, into a sweeper keeper comfortable in possession. His confidence on the ball creates an overload at the back by becoming an extra outfield player. That has been a key component in Celtic's smooth style of play under Rodgers. Credit must also go to Stevie Woods, the Celtic goalkeeping coach, too, for Gordon's transformation.

Rodgers is a teacher both on and off the pitch. If you don't sit and listen you will be out the classroom. Indefinitely. A withering shot across Leigh Griffiths' bows about lifestyle choices has already been taken firmly on board by the talented, if sometime wayward, striker. He has looked a different player since. But the key for me is the fact that the entire squad have now bought into the thing that Rodgers is selling, namely, the bigger picture.

Celtic have now built almost two squads and that requires not only skilful coaching but serious man management qualities. How do you keep 18-20 players happy? Players' egos get dented when they are not playing. Trust me they do. My own was like a battered 40-year-old Cortina by the time I’d hung my boots up. Everyone wants to play, so it takes major communication skills from a coach to keep them motivated. It's very difficult because guys who aren't playing tend to rock the boat.

The game at the weekend was a perfect example of the strength in depth Rodgers has built up. A very young back four was given an opportunity to play in a high-profile game and were rewarded for the hard work they are doing on and off the field. If you have young players training well, standing out in the U20s and making the sacrifices off the pitch that Rodgers demands you need to reward it. It's important to do that as when these young guys inevitably drop back out, they know that there are going to be more opportunities in the future. They see a pathway. He is basically schooling these youngsters at senior level. He is looking for the next Kieran Tierney to come through and you only see that by testing them physically and mentally in first-team conditions.

Guys like Griffiths and Sinclair know they are being rested for a reason. I bet there were no rumbles when they found out they were not playing. The players are all on board with Brendan's philosophy and that comes from winning games. They trust him to do the right thing for them individually and the team. With guys like Boyata, Sviatchenko and Dembele still to come in, Celtic truly are formidable opponents.

The signing of Patrick Roberts will add a little sprinkling of magic dust to the squad and help them make a bigger impression in the Champions League. The fact Celtic are set for another £30m plus in revenue seems to have irked a few people in terms of it being bad for Scottish football. I don't understand that argument at all. It's ludicrous actually. Firstly, in the last 32 years the league has been won by either Celtic or Rangers. It has been dominated for a long time by two clubs. So it's not as if it's something new and kills Aberdeen, Hibs or Hearts' prospects of winning the league.

The main challengers should be Rangers, but the simple fact is that while Celtic have run their club properly from top to bottom, Rangers haven't. That has enabled Celtic to put clear daylight between them and their biggest rivals on the park and off it. So instead of saying that Celtic earning all this money, earning being the key word here, is bad for our game, how about the fact that other clubs frittering money away on and off the park has contributed to that gap growing. A club should not be punished or frowned upon because they have been successful. But maybe that's a Scottish mentality thing in that we like to see people doing well, but not too well. Not to mention the £365,000 that will go into the youth development coffers of the other 11 Premiership clubs because of that success.

That has to be good for our game. It is up to other clubs to raise their standards and get closer, rather than Celtic dropping back down. Under Brendan Rodgers that simply will not happen anyway. He will keep pushing and driving this Celtic juggernaut. It’s up to others not to be left behind.
Edited by georgiesleftpeg, 21 Aug 2017, 07:55 AM.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
riddlehouse
Member Avatar
Retired and now a BT Sports pundit
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Noticed he's a lot happier and a lot more relaxed in interviews since the 5-0. The pressure in the CL qualifiers must be huge.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
mikeybhoy77
Member Avatar
Getting on a bit
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
georgiesleftpeg
21 Aug 2017, 07:55 AM
Tam McManus: Scottish football should listen and learn from Rodgers' philosophy

Tam McManus Herald columnist


Not since the great Jock Stein back in the mid 1960s and early 70s has a squad been built which completely dominates the Scottish football landscape, and the Celtic fans are lapping it up thanks to Brendan Rodgers.

Stein's team won nine in a row and reached two European Cup finals in that halcyon period. Rangers eventually broke that stranglehold and stopped ten but it looks extremely doubtful, bordering on impossible, that anyone can stop Celtic and Rodgers now reaching double figures.

But just how has he turned a Celtic squad, which looked ragged and ripe for the picking in Ronny Deila's final season, into domestic invincibles?

It certainly hasn't been excessive spending. Moussa Dembele has proved to be the bargain of the century at £500,000. Scott Sinclair, who looked a lost soul previously at Aston Villa, was also an astute bit of business at just £3m. But the majority of the squad has been inherited from Deila. The upturn in fortunes of most of those players has been incredible to see.

Rodgers built a superbly creative team at Anfield. Don’t forget, he was probably a Steven Gerrard slip away from winning the Premier League. Gerrard called Brendan a "fantastic man-manager" in midweek before Celtic's Champions League romp against Astana. That says it all.

Guys like Scott Brown had been savaged the previous season. His legs had gone and he was finished. Stuart Armstrong was another; not Celtic class and the club was too big for him.

But both have been rejuvenated under Rodgers. James Forrest and Callum McGregor, two favourite whipping boys previously of the Celtic support, again have turned into key players. Filled with confidence by an arm around the shoulder and specific coaching every day. Craig Gordon has been turned from a goalkeeper who just shelled it up the park, into a sweeper keeper comfortable in possession. His confidence on the ball creates an overload at the back by becoming an extra outfield player. That has been a key component in Celtic's smooth style of play under Rodgers. Credit must also go to Stevie Woods, the Celtic goalkeeping coach, too, for Gordon's transformation.

Rodgers is a teacher both on and off the pitch. If you don't sit and listen you will be out the classroom. Indefinitely. A withering shot across Leigh Griffiths' bows about lifestyle choices has already been taken firmly on board by the talented, if sometime wayward, striker. He has looked a different player since. But the key for me is the fact that the entire squad have now bought into the thing that Rodgers is selling, namely, the bigger picture.

Celtic have now built almost two squads and that requires not only skilful coaching but serious man management qualities. How do you keep 18-20 players happy? Players' egos get dented when they are not playing. Trust me they do. My own was like a battered 40-year-old Cortina by the time I’d hung my boots up. Everyone wants to play, so it takes major communication skills from a coach to keep them motivated. It's very difficult because guys who aren't playing tend to rock the boat.

The game at the weekend was a perfect example of the strength in depth Rodgers has built up. A very young back four was given an opportunity to play in a high-profile game and were rewarded for the hard work they are doing on and off the field. If you have young players training well, standing out in the U20s and making the sacrifices off the pitch that Rodgers demands you need to reward it. It's important to do that as when these young guys inevitably drop back out, they know that there are going to be more opportunities in the future. They see a pathway. He is basically schooling these youngsters at senior level. He is looking for the next Kieran Tierney to come through and you only see that by testing them physically and mentally in first-team conditions.

Guys like Griffiths and Sinclair know they are being rested for a reason. I bet there were no rumbles when they found out they were not playing. The players are all on board with Brendan's philosophy and that comes from winning games. They trust him to do the right thing for them individually and the team. With guys like Boyata, Sviatchenko and Dembele still to come in, Celtic truly are formidable opponents.

The signing of Patrick Roberts will add a little sprinkling of magic dust to the squad and help them make a bigger impression in the Champions League. The fact Celtic are set for another £30m plus in revenue seems to have irked a few people in terms of it being bad for Scottish football. I don't understand that argument at all. It's ludicrous actually. Firstly, in the last 32 years the league has been won by either Celtic or Rangers. It has been dominated for a long time by two clubs. So it's not as if it's something new and kills Aberdeen, Hibs or Hearts' prospects of winning the league.

The main challengers should be Rangers, but the simple fact is that while Celtic have run their club properly from top to bottom, Rangers haven't. That has enabled Celtic to put clear daylight between them and their biggest rivals on the park and off it. So instead of saying that Celtic earning all this money, earning being the key word here, is bad for our game, how about the fact that other clubs frittering money away on and off the park has contributed to that gap growing. A club should not be punished or frowned upon because they have been successful. But maybe that's a Scottish mentality thing in that we like to see people doing well, but not too well. Not to mention the £365,000 that will go into the youth development coffers of the other 11 Premiership clubs because of that success.

That has to be good for our game. It is up to other clubs to raise their standards and get closer, rather than Celtic dropping back down. Under Brendan Rodgers that simply will not happen anyway. He will keep pushing and driving this Celtic juggernaut. It’s up to others not to be left behind.
That's a refreshing change from the pish we've been getting fed since the Astana game. Accentuating the positives of Celtic and not making excuses for the rest.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
oneillsrevolution
Member Avatar
but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Interesting wee snippet in Brendan's interview:

Quote:
 
“What I believe we have shown, if you watch Celtic play, I would say you wouldn’t see it as a Scottish team, you would see us as a European team in terms of how we play, press, the aggression, and also the supporters.


Are we really a European type support now? I'd reckon so.

The Green Brigade have obviously helped change the mentality inside the stadium, but Brendan still had to plead for patience when we faced Lincoln Red Imps last year. We now have implicit trust in what he's doing and it obviously transfers to the players and team. Far cry from the days of silence in the stadium only broken by 'FFS' and cheering at a goal.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Hybrid Moments
Member Avatar
In the Sign of the Octopus
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
hazy
19 Aug 2017, 11:51 AM
Take Celtic out of the equation I'd say MON's achievements down south are better than Brendan's, at least until he accidentally wandered into the footballing black hole of Sunderland.

When Brendan takes over Ireland will be the true showdown :)
Never mind Ireland, Brendan is taking over Europe. :arrr:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
BardseyCelt
Member Avatar


Zurawski 7
20 Aug 2017, 12:56 AM
Quote:
 


“Other teams [Rangers, Aberdeen and St Johnstone] had the opportunity to play European football this season, it wasn’t just us. So if they had progressed then that would have improved their pot of money. For us, if we can consolidate Champions League football for the second consecutive year, then that’s great for our project and what we’re trying to do.”
And there it is, the point being missed so completely by some in the press. If St J, huns and Sheep had beaten the sides that they very well ought to be beating, there'd be even more european money coming into the game but they bottled it as usual. Our fault, of course.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
tinsoldier
Member Avatar
Older than dirt
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
BardseyCelt
21 Aug 2017, 09:43 AM
Zurawski 7
20 Aug 2017, 12:56 AM
Quote:
 


“Other teams [Rangers, Aberdeen and St Johnstone] had the opportunity to play European football this season, it wasn’t just us. So if they had progressed then that would have improved their pot of money. For us, if we can consolidate Champions League football for the second consecutive year, then that’s great for our project and what we’re trying to do.”
And there it is, the point being missed so completely by some in the press. If St J, huns and Sheep had beaten the sides that they very well ought to be beating, there'd be even more european money coming into the game but they bottled it as usual. Our fault, of course.
Yep, we should have loaned each of these sides one of our top players to ensure they qualified.


BillLeckieCSC
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
BardseyCelt
Member Avatar


tinsoldier
21 Aug 2017, 09:46 AM
BardseyCelt
21 Aug 2017, 09:43 AM
Zurawski 7
20 Aug 2017, 12:56 AM

Quoting limited to 3 levels deep
And there it is, the point being missed so completely by some in the press. If St J, huns and Sheep had beaten the sides that they very well ought to be beating, there'd be even more european money coming into the game but they bottled it as usual. Our fault, of course.
Yep, we should have loaned each of these sides one of our top players to ensure they qualified.


BillLeckieCSC
Typical selfish Celtic.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Otis
Member Avatar
Has his boots and is available for selection
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
That McManus article:

Quote:
 
The main challengers should be Rangers, but the simple fact is that while Celtic have run their club properly from top to bottom, Rangers haven't. That has enabled Celtic to put clear daylight between them and their biggest rivals on the park and off it. So instead of saying that Celtic earning all this money, earning being the key word here, is bad for our game, how about the fact that other clubs frittering money away on and off the park has contributed to that gap growing.


Head shot.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Zurawski 7
Member Avatar
Off treasure hunting in Holland
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Quote:
 
BRENDAN RODGERS wants Celtic fans to chant the names of all his players.

But having unsung heroes is still fine by him.

Callum McGregor’s Scotland snub left the Hoops boss baffled.

Just like Rodgers can’t understand why James Forrest does not get the credit he deserves.

The bottom line, though, is these players are living up to his expectations, and are on the verge of Champions League glory.

Rodgers said: “When you play for a club this size you have to prove yourself all the time.

“Whether you are a player or a manager, it never changes.

“I just think we get players that are under-valued and underrated a wee bit.

“You look at James Forrest in our side. I know he is in the Scotland squad, but he’s a player who I haven’t heard a song for yet, you know.

“These players are fantastic.

“OK, they are not sexy maybe, and they are not running up to the crowd and sliding on their knees and all that.

“But James and Callum McGregor are good guys, very modest and very humble.

“They come in and do their job, and I can only talk about my time here, but those two boys have been brilliant for me.

“With the likes of McGregor and the situation over the international squad, sometimes that’s just the way it is.

“You saw it in the past with international teams that there are some players who maybe just don’t make the squads, while others are always there.

“But we always have to respect Gordon Strachan. He is the manager, he sees the players, he goes around the cubs, sees them play, and sees them perform.

“Sometimes it’s about the dynamics of their group. Gordon has had a group over the last 12 months that have maybe got close, and sometimes it’s hard to change that.

“But if you are talking about footballing qualities then Callum should definitely be in the squad.”

McGregor and Forrest are two of the main reasons Celtic are on the verge of making it into the Champions League group stages.

Rodgers is always at ease before big games.

But he was especially calm and relaxed as he looked ahead to the second leg with Astana.

Brilliant 5-0 first-leg wins can do that to managers.

But Rodgers insists the message to his men is the same as always.

Rodgers added: “It is a unique situation, but our approach is very much the same as it always is.

“We want to stay focused and treat the tie like it’s 0-0.

“We want a good result here. If you look at our European performances in the main away from home, we’ve gradually got better.

“I think of Astana here last time, we drew, then Monchengladbach we drew, Man City we drew, and then Rosenborg we won.

“We’re creating a mindset, really, and no matter the conditions of the game we want to perform well, and finish the qualification phase with a positive. Our main objective is to qualify. But
we always plan on winning a game, and if we don’t win and fall short we’ll take a draw.

“Nothing really changes for us, in fact, if anything our concentration is even greater.”

Celtic are on the verge of a £30million windfall from qualifying for the Champions League, money that means the club don’t need to lose its best players on the cheap.

Jozo Simunovic is wanted by Burnley, as SunSport revealed on Sunday, and Torino are also keen to sign the Croat stopper.

Celts are set to complete a deal for young South African centre-half Rivaldo Coetzee in the next 24 hours.

The arrival of Coetzee, 20, has increased speculation Simunovic could be sold, even though stoppers Dedryck Boyata and Erik Sviatchenko are currently crocked.

But Rodgers vowed: “We don’t have a great need to sell anyone. That is the message.

“There is nobody really we have to sell.

“I understand what you will have now is a real focus on a lot of our players, because of the level they are playing at and their quality. Managers and coaches looking from the outside in will
think: ‘Wow these players are playing for a big club, dealing with pressure and dealing with it well’.

“If they see they can do that they will know for sure they would be able to play for their clubs, but we have no need to sell.

“All the players are in a good place. There will always be that moral issue in terms of finance and money they can be offered elsewhere.

“But if any player ever leaves then the buying club would have to know there are no cheap players out of Celtic.

“They are playing at a top club at a good level. But I’ve had nothing in terms of players wanting to leave.

“When that time comes and we have to look at it we will, but right now we’ve not had it.

“We are trying to build something. But I also understand the nature of it, the financial pull there will be for players.

“OK, we qualified for the group stage of the Champions League last year, and hope to make the final step this year.

“That allows myself and the board to continue progressing the club forward. That’s the idea, constant improvement.

“But there is always going to be riches from elsewhere.

“Even Neymar has left Barcelona and joined PSG for £198million.

“So that can happen, but what I’ve always tried to do, and what I’m building and creating is a stronger team.

“Individuals will flourish within it, or improve within it, and get better and may end up improving the conditions of their life and better their lives, which is fine.

“My job is to create a team and a group of players that if we lose one that’s the way it works, and Celtic will benefit from that.

“The player will go on and benefit and the club will always move on.”
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/forrest-mcgregor-unsung-heroes/


Quote:
 
BRENDAN RODGERS admits he is stunned by Callum McGregor’s Scotland snub.

Gordon Strachan named his squad for the World Cup double header with Lithuania and Malta.

Rodgers was expecting in-form midfield ace McGregor, 24, to be picked, and the Hoops boss couldn’t believe it when he saw the players named ahead of him.

Rodgers said: “I haven’t talked to Callum about it, but I’m disappointed for him. I don’t know what else he can do.

“I was surprised when he wasn’t in it, then even more surprised when I actually saw the squad. But I don’t think Callum can do any more.

“Gordon Strachan and his staff will have their reasons why, I’m just thankful I’ve got him in my squad.

“I think about the number of positions he can play and the quality he brings. He’s a really special talent.

“Nothing will change with Callum, he’ll go on and do what he’s been doing over the course of the last 12 months.

“He will show just how valuable he is for Celtic.

“I think for Callum he can be very cool to the fact he can’t do any more. There is no more he can do.

“The season he had, the number of games he played last season, he has performed in big games.

“He has a real talent, especially in European football and international football, where the ability to keep the ball is crucial, and the ability to tactically understand the game.

“He has really impressed me with that side of it.

“Maybe Gordon has other players he feels have been in the squad for longer, and he doesn’t need to disrupt that and change things so you have to respect that. But I thought back to the Scottish Cup Final where I had a very quick decision to make, replacing Tierney at left-back, and having someone like McGregor on the pitch.

“If I didn’t have a player of that quality, or that sort of multi-functional player, then I couldn’t do that. Wherever he plays he does it to a top level.”

Celtic skipper Scott Brown has revealed he told McGregor he wasn’t in the Scotland squad, but insists his time WILL come.

Broony said: “I broke the news to him. I told him to enjoy his days off!

“Callum might get a holiday, a wee bit of sun to make sure those white legs of his get a tan.

“The wee man will keep working hard. The manager knows him, he’s been up to a lot of our games and seen him play.

“We do have a lot of competition in the middle no matter which formation the gaffer plays.

“So Callum will keep scoring goals, creating chances and doing what he does for us.

“His time will come for Scotland. But it doesn’t just happen like that.

“You have to work hard, which he is doing. He’s trying to improve all parts of his game. Callum’s also working with a great manager as well which will push him in the first direction. He might be in the next squad.”
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/brendan-callum-mcgregor
Edited by Zurawski 7, 21 Aug 2017, 10:46 PM.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
BardseyCelt
Member Avatar


Quote:
 
There will be no cheap players out of Celtic
:rocker:

Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Jozo67
Member Avatar
First-team starter
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
Can we clone him and make him the Scotland manager?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
only1henke
Member Avatar
Getting on a bit
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Strachan got utterly clamped there, in the most polite way. :lol:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
5 users reading this topic (2 Guests and 0 Anonymous)
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Create a free forum in seconds.
Learn More · Sign-up Now
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Celtic Football Club Discussion Forum · Next Topic »
Add Reply