KEEP IT COOL, GRIFF
Rodgers: Griffiths likes a bit of mischief but he is a good lad and a very important player for me here at Parkhead
Celtic v Linfield Tonight, 7.45pm
BRENDAN Rodgers has warned Leigh Griffiths to screw the nut or risk being out of the team as Celtic try to forge a Euro future. The Celtic hitman could miss the first leg in the next round if UEFA issue a ban for provoking fans in last week’s first leg clash in Belfast. The case will be heard tomorrow and Rodgers said: “For tying a scarf round a post, that’s ultimately what it is. “Then players will be knocking on your door wondering why they’re not playing. The consequence could be you lose your place in the team.”
Leigh has that wee bit of devilment. That is what you want but it has got to be controlled
THERE’S no way of measuring just how much of a challenge it is to manage some players but if there was it could be perhaps called the Balotelli Scale.
For Brendan Rodgers there’s the bottom end, with the likes of Steven Gerrard, guys who go about their business with the minimum of fuss and require the minimum of managerial involvement. At the other end there’s good old Mario – who was off the chart when it came to driving a boss up the wall. Rodgers has dealt with opposite ends of the spectrum at Liverpool and it’s the same at Celtic. The Hoops boss is hardly spewing flames at Griffiths for tying a Celts scarf to the Windsor Park goalposts last week but he is a bit miffed one of his stars could be hit with a one-game ban for a moment of madness. Rodgers won’t be too hard on his man though. He warned Griff to screw the nut as it could cost him his place. But the gaffer doesn’t want the striker to lose too much of his devilish side and he admitted there’s nothing the Scotland man could do that would force him to show him the door at Parkhead. Rodgers said: “I have seen the stories many times but I wouldn’t even bother writing it – he is not one I would ever want to lose here. “I cannot see him ever doing anything that would make me push him out. “I support him off the field and on the field. I help him and coach him along with the staff to make him better. “He has that devilment, which is great. That is what you want but it has always got to be controlled. “I really like Leigh. There have been so many instances and last season I kept hearing he was on his way on. Everyone makes mistakes and will have their wee issues. “If it gets to the point where it is disruptive to what I am doing and ultimately to what the team’s ambition is then I would cut straight away but it is never that. “He is a really good boy. He has issues and challenges, professionally and personally, but I have found him a really good man who wants to play football and score goals.” Rodgers reckons Griffiths – who is an injury doubt to face Linfield in the return tonight – has improved in the last 12 months. The Hoops boss said: “He loves it and I love having him here. I am always going to need at least two top strikers here. “He is a remarkable talent. He is as good as finisher as you’ll see, how he hits the ball, how he works his positions. “For me last year he became a better player. He is working at his talent and he is learning that it is not just about the talent.”