History won’t faze Rodgers
BRENDAN RODGERS insists his men won’t get weighed down by history as Celtic home in on Scottish football’s first Double Treble. The Hoops boss has shut his squad away from the mayhem in the build-up to Sunday’s Old Firm Scottish Cup clash as they look to take another huge step towards back-to-back clean sweeps. Rodgers’s men are just one point away
from claiming the Premiership title but are determined to dump their old foes at Hampden to set up the chance to pen a stunning chapter in the record books.
The Parkhead gaffer is ignoring the bigger picture and zoning in on maintaining his stranglehold over Graeme Murty’s Gers.
Rodgers, unbeaten in all nine of his Old Firm encounters, said: “The history is not weighing on us. We just have to do our job. We set our targets and goals and one of them is to win the league. The Scottish Cup is another.
“I tend not to think about the other stuff too much. If you do, and got wrapped up in the whole history or the expectation, then you put yourself in a pressure trap. You don’t need that.”
Rodgers also bristled at the suggestion only their old rivals stand in his side’s way.
He said: “Rangers as a competitor in the league pushes you but no more than Hibs or Hearts. You look at these teams, and Aberdeen, clubs with great histories.
“The league is very competitive but at Celtic we try to set our own standard and that’s to be the best that we can be.”
Rodgers has relished a full week at Lennoxtown and said: “It’s important players relax and stay focused. Avoidance is a good way to do it, avoid the newspapers and media. We’ll do what we do and look forward to it.”