‘You have to park it’.. Rodgers refuses to look back in anger
CELTIC Parkhead boss won’t let the off-field noise distract him and his players
AND now football.
If we for a moment forget all about Scott McKenna, Dedryck Boyata, the manager and board not seeing eye to eye and some clubs hovering over Parkhead ready to write out some big cheques, their is a tie to get through.
The Europa League group stage is not so bad, you now. There is every chance Celtic will be in pot two which would give them a more than decent chance to reach the knock-out stage after Christmas and they might well draw a big name.
AC Milan, Chelsea, Arsenal, Lazio, Marseille, Arsenal. That would have the old ground off London Road jumping for sure.
And a good run – plus the same with Rangers – might get the co-efficient above Scotland’s 23rd place, just behind Israel and above Cyprus.
Celtic and defensive crisis traditionally went hand in hand. Ask any older supporter and they will tell you of bad back fours from the past who with a slip or missed tackle could undo so much good work in a split-second.
And this is when Celtic were one of the best teams in Europe. Yup, even when Billy McNeill and the rest were at their pomp.
Suduva are most likely the weakest team Celtic have faced so far this season. However, they are champions of their country and to the actual therefore demand respect, in particular in this first leg
Brendan Rodgers was in a good mood at the Celtic team hotel last night but it’s been a tricky month for the manager to deal with on and off the park issues.
“You have to park it. It’s important and it’s all in the life of a manager,” he said. “There are bumps along the way but you are trying to find the solution to it, that’s important. I respect and understand this period is so emotional for players. Especially because you have sums of money now these players are being offered which are vast. It’s not just a small jump, it’s a significant jump. It can be up to three or four times their salary here.
“And if players feel there is an opportunity and it’s a short career then of course they have to ask the question. So, I understand it.”
A good manager, and Rodgers is most certainly that, is to protect the players when there is background noise, and in this case it is in the foreground.
“My job is to protect the team,” he said. “I want to develop individuals, develop the team, but also to look after the team. This is a group which over the last couple of years – and still remains – one where we have no frauds in that group.
“We try to take out as much of the risk in terms of bringing in the wrong types as we can to preserve the spirit within the group. And the captain, Scott Brown, is vital to that.”
Celtic are not were they want to be. Let’s not pretend otherwise. However, the Europa League gives them a different objective. They won’t win it, but they can pick up a lot more wins and points than they have over the previous two seasons.
“We are not in the Champions League this year,” said Rodgers as if he needed to remind himself. “We are at the stage where we are not entitled to it, we have to earn