RODGERS CALLS ON PARKHEAD TROOPS TO SHOW STEEL
Hoops boss urges side to bounce back
CELTIC manager Brendan Rodgers has called on his players to show their mental strength as the Parkhead side endured their worst start to a league season for 20 years.
Kilmarnock netted a 93-minute winner to come from behind and take all three points from Celtic at Rugby Park yesterday afternoon with Rodgers accepting that this has been the most challenging time of his tenure at the club.
And Rodgers has called on his players to stand up and be counted as the Parkhead side find themselves under pressure.
“It’s a challenge,” said the Celtic manager. “We have to accept that. There’s no doubt we need to be better. When you’re at the
biggest clubs and you don’t win the heat comes onto you.
“That’s when you show you’re a Celtic player, manager, member of staff. You come together. When you lose games the spotlight will always be on you.
“You need to do the basics right. The basics cost us this time.
“It hasn’t been great but we have to accept that. We’re the only ones who can make it better and get more consistent results.
“It’s been very bitty but we have to go away and see where we can be better.
“I think teams have got better. I also think there’s a new-found respect playing against Celtic. At St Mirren we saw it. You saw Rangers come and sit deep, Kilmarnock did that too.
“It’s up to us, we have to find the answers to that. That’s the job. We have to analyse the game and build the mentality to win your next game.”
Rodgers also insisted that he was shocked to lose the game to Steve Clarke’s side yesterday after Leigh Griffiths had opened the scoring in the opening period.
The Celtic manager has yet to get the better of Clarke in Scotland in four games leaving Rodgers to lament two sloppy mistakes.
“I’d have been disappointed to draw but to lose is bitterly disappointing,” he said.
“It was a scrappy sort of game but I still feel we had the better moments and more control.
“Two basic situations cost us. I’m so disappointed. I take the responsibility for that.
“But it was still difficult. Kilmarnock will always be deep and in their blocks so you’ve got to be able to run beyond them and get behind.
“We mixed our game up well but it’s never going to be a good game on that surface and we wanted to find ways to win.
“We got in front, looked comfortable. The first goal comes from a corner, we cleared well together but leave one side open and Burke finished well.
“The second one is basic. You have to defend a corner and be strong.
“I’ve been there when we’ve scored enough late goals and it’s always sore when you lose it late but we’ve got no-one else to blame but ourselves.”
Rodgers also maintained that he will not be pressing any panic buttons just yet.
“We look at it after 10 games,” he said. “We never get too carried away when winning and we won’t get carried away when we’re in the position we are.
“There’s no doubt we have to be better.”