Time with Sir Alex is gold dust ..he is the big boss of everyone
Rodgers stays hungry after dinner with legend Fergie
BRENDAN RODGERS had dinner with Sir Alex Ferguson this week and the pair of them spent the night talking about hunger.
It was nothing to do with the meal served up at the Street Soccer charity bash in Glasgow the other night though.
Rodgers admits he laps up any time with the legendary boss and it’s how Sir Alex maintained his insatiable taste for success that’s always on the menu.
The Celtic manager can see the managerial DNA handed down from Jock Stein to Ferguson filtering through to the current crop of modern coaches.
Sir Alex has weaved his way through the career of Rodgers, from when he was a kid on trial at Man Utd, a discarded boss at Reading, a top-flight rival at Swansea and then a sworn enemy at Liverpool.
The Parkhead boss admitted the godfather has been a huge inspiration along the way.
Rodgers said: “It was nice to speak to Sir Alex for a bit and meet some of the other people that were involved. It was very humbling.
“Time with Sir Alex is gold dust really. He’s the big boss of everyone. He was incredible with what he formed, developed and cultivated and stayed modern all the way through.
“His enthusiasm, the drive, the hunger. It is that drive, that relentless way of working and demanding to be the very best.
“You have to always keep the complacency away and that’s what he mentioned last night.
“He actually mentioned that complacency is like a disease. We speak about it here every day.
“The last time we played Kilmarnock we beat them 5-0. We played Astana here and we beat them 5-0 but we have to be hungry and fight to get the results.
“To lead like he did at that level for so long is incredible. He is a very inspiring man and obviously full of wisdom and knowledge of top-level management.
“It’s incredible what he’s achieved. He’s up there as a beacon for every manager.
“I love listening to him on Jock Stein. Jock was clearly a huge mentor and I’ve heard Sir Alex talk about him on numerous occasions.
“He did a half hour at the Hydro on what Jock Stein meant to him.”
Rodgers was a youngster when the pair first crossed paths – but he never dreamed he’d end up sharing wine with the king after going up against him in the dugout.
He said: “It stuck with me the fact that every time I went there I saw Alex Ferguson every single day. Every day. It was incredible. I was 14 and I was seeing him every day – but that was the work he put in to everything including the youth.”
Years later he’d be sharing cups of tea before games then a glass of vino after trying to plot his downfall on the pitch.
Rodgers was happy to reminisce and said: “His team were the first side to beat us at Swansea at home.
“I don’t think we had even conceded a goal until around November time. They beat us 1-0 but he was very complimentary of us at the time and I obviously had to get him a special bottle of red wine, Fin del Mundo.
“The story behind it comes from Patigonia, a Welsh speaking part, and this wine – meaning the end of the world – gave rise to a quiz question about who was the last Welsh speaking player to score at the old Wembley.
“Everyone will think of Ryan Giggs etc but the actual answer is Gabriel Batistuta who scored for Fiorentina at Wembley.
“He was from Patigonia and
It’s incredible what he’s achieved. He’s up there as a beacon for every manager RODGERS
spoke fluent Welsh. Sir Alex loved that! So he got a couple of bottles of Fin del Mundo, a question for his quizzes and three points so he had a good day in south Wales!”
Sir Alex’s love of trivia is well known – as was his dedication to helping other bosses.
There’s barely a gaffer in the game who doesn’t have a Fergie tale of advice when the going got tough and Rodgers has become a similar figure.
He said: “He did that when I got the sack from Reading and I got a
letter from him. That meant a lot to me at that time.
“I’m still relatively young as a manager at 44 but there are guys in their early 30s coming in now. If I can help in any way I’ll always do that.”
Ferguson built the ultimate empire over his quarter century at Man Utd but Rodgers admits those days are gone.
Celtic fans would offer him the job for life but the man himself knows the game has changed.
He said: “It won’t happen. Football doesn’t work like that now. Where I am thankful is that I have a brilliant and clever board.”
Celtic also have a brilliant and clever manager who has enjoyed a dream week. One foot in the Champions League, a new deal for Stuart Armstrong and Patrick Roberts on the way.
No wonder he was all smiles with Sir Alex. Ferguson couldn’t help but be impressed as well.
Rodgers said: “He said it’s always nice when you win a European game 5-0! It was a great win for us.”
Like his old mentor Rodgers is hungry for more.