PLAYING IT COOL
Rodgers vows Celtic won’t wilt in bid for historic Treble
BRENDAN RODGERS last night vowed Celtic won’t wilt under the pressure of trying to make history by winning back-to-back Trebles.
With the Betfred Cup already won, the Parkhead club face a Scottish Cup semi-final showdown with Rangers at Hampden on Sunday.
The following Saturday lunchtime they have the chance to clinch their seventh Premiership title in a row if they can beat Neil Lennon’s Hibernian at Easter Road.
No Scottish team has ever won consecutive Trebles but Rodgers is adamant the burden of expectation that comes with chasing such an unprecedented feat won’t cause his players to freeze on the home straight.
‘The history is not weighing on us. We just have to do our job,’ said the Celtic boss.
‘We set ourselves targets and goals and one of them was to win the league. Winning the Scottish Cup was another.
‘But it doesn’t cloud our thinking. We still come in and enjoy our work.
‘I tend not to think about the other stuff too much.
‘If you get wrapped up in the whole history or the expectation, you put yourself in a pressure trap. You don’t need it. There’s enough pressure in football.
‘I am here to win, but I am
here to get the team playing well enough to win and, hopefully, that will continue in all of the games until the end of the season.’ Rodgers will try to avoid the hype surrounding Sunday’s game as he chases a seventh successive victory at Hampden as Celtic boss. ‘It’s important the players relax and stay focused — and avoidance is a good way to do it,’ he said. ‘There’s always plenty hype in these games but no matter the occasion, we don’t need to magnify a Celtic-Rangers game. They are always big matches. We look forward to it and, hopefully, we will grasp the opportunity. ‘We enjoy the occasions at Hampden. We have done well in the games there so, hopefully, we will again this time.’ Meanwhile, Rodgers said he understands why his plea for an Old Firm title decider in the first game after the split fell on deaf ears. The Parkhead manager had wanted to host second-placed Rangers in the first of his side’s last five matches of the Premiership season. Celtic
were instead handed a trip to Hibs on April 21 — although failure to win there could still see a title showdown with Rangers at Parkhead in their next game on Sunday, April 29. ‘You don’t mind who you win it against, that’s the honesty of it,’ Rodgers told talkSPORT. ‘You just want to win your league. The trend last year was that we played Rangers (immediately) after the split but that didn’t happen this year. ‘We win our next league game and we win the league — and of course you’d love to do that in front of your own supporters. ‘If it’s against one of your great rivals, fantastic. That hasn’t been the case but I understand the reasons why they (the SPFL) wouldn’t. ‘But I would’ve loved to have the Celtic-Rangers game at Parkhead (next) of course.’ Rodgers also praised counterparts Lennon and Steve Clarke for helping increase the competitiveness of the Premiership. Alongside Rodgers, the Kilmarnock and Hibs bosses are both in the running to be Manager of the Year and the Northern Irishman hailed their achievements, saying: ‘Stevie has done fantastic. He’s come in after (Kilmarnock were) suffering at the start of the season and shown his experience and quality as a coach. ‘They’re very organised and have some good players in there as well. They play well on the counter-attack. ‘Lenny got Hibs promoted and they are a big club up here. They are a very good side and they play very good football and Neil’s done a brilliant job. I think the league is very competitive.’