Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Rodgers boosts game – Hartley
FORMER dundee manager Paul Hartley admits he was blown away by Brendan Rodgers after seeing the Hoops boss up close.
Har tley accepted an i nv i t a t i o n to observe Rodgers a t C e l t i c ’s Lennoxtown training ground earlier this month after losing his job at Dens.
And the 40-year-old did not appreciate j ust how good a manager he was until he saw for himself.
“I’ve experienced first hand how he works,” said the former Celtic midfielder.
“He is an i ncredible manager and I think he has brought life back i nto Scottish football, not just Celtic. The game as a whole has benefited from Brendan being here.
“The respect the players have for him, on the training pitches he is outstanding, but just as a person he has time for everyone.
“It was an incredible day for me just watching him and seeing how he works.
“He has changed a lot of things in the background in how t hey are trying t o develop and he has made the players better, that’s the key thing for me.”
Celtic are just 90 minutes away from sealing t he treble against an Aberdeen side they have beaten five times this season, most recently 3-1 at Pittodrie.
But Hartley f eels t he underdogs could triumph in the William Hill Scottish Cup Final battle between two of his former clubs.
“If there’s one team that can possibly upset Celtic, it’s Aberdeen in terms of their form,” Hartley said. “The l ast game was an outstanding game.”