RODGERS WARNS NEW IBROX MANAGER THAT EVERY GAME IS A CUP FINAL

As a player, Steven was world class but nothing will have him prepared for this job

FRIENDSHIP be damned. Mutual respect and shared history? Take a hike. Glasgow rules dictate that Brendan Rodgers will now devote a large portion of his working life to getting Steven Gerrard the sack. And it has started already.

As Gerrard was waiting to be introduced as the new Rangers manager at Ibrox yesterday, Celtic boss Rodgers was already lacing his warm welcome with subtle barbs aimed squarely at the rookie.

‘This is part of the curve, part of the learning curve,’ said the former Anfield gaffer of his illustrious captain, whose coaching CV boasts nothing more advanced than a stint in charge of Liverpool’s Under-18s.

‘I had coaching experience. I stood on the sideline for 15 years before I became a manager, coaching thousands of games, youth games and senior games.

‘But, when the curtain goes back and that light is shining on you as a manager, there’s not a great deal that prepares for you for that.

‘When you were a player, if you weren’t playing well, you could go away and prepare, make sure you’re ready in every element.

‘When it’s the team, it’s everyone. And millions of fans worldwide. So it’s a totally different experience.

‘I can’t sit here and say how Steven or anyone else would be ready for that. Obviously, it’s a job he thinks he can do. But he’ll never know until he’s in there.’

In the diplomatic world of management, this was akin to Rodgers standing behind Gerrard whispering dark doubts and sour nothings into the ear of the former England captain. Good luck, lad. Don’t mess it up now.

The Celtic boss also voluntarily raised the issue of Gerrard’s stellar playing career — and whether that will count for anything when it comes to management.

Asked if the presence of his former pupil will bring an extra edge to the rivalry, Rodgers said: ‘Not really. We worked closely together and went through experiences at Liverpool, certainly in the title challenge we had (in 2014), that will always be with us.

‘I’ve never worried too much who has been in the other dugouts. If you look at my career as a coach and manager, normally the guy on the other side has been an experienced player. He has played internationally, been a fantastic player.

‘So I’ve either looked at Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola or whoever — Ronald Koeman — and they have had this wonderful playing career.

‘My journey was totally different. So it has never really bothered me, who the rival has been.

‘I always treat all the managers with respect and try to do the best for my own club. This will be no different.’

Aware that (Rangers chairman) Dave King had already set the bar high for any new boss with his public demands for ‘immediate success’, Rodgers noted: ‘The chairman was very clear on that.

‘They are looking to win the league. So that’s pretty simple. It’s one where they have their targets, their expectations.

‘At Celtic, we continue with our own strategy and our own work. And Rangers aren’t are the only rivals. You have Hibs, Aberdeen, Hearts.’

So, in short order, Rodgers has warned Gerrard that nothing will have prepared him for life as a manager, dismissed his playing career as insignificant when it comes to being a boss — and rather pointedly suggested that Rangers are not even the main threat to Celtic’s continued domination of the game.

It hardly needs saying that, as was the case with close pals Alex McLeish and Gordon Strachan when they were caught on either side of this divide, relations between the Anfield old boys are going to be cordial, at best.

‘Yeah, I think any coach or manager will tell you that,’ agreed Rodgers. ‘You have only to look at Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson.

‘They are great friends now — but it is difficult to have that when there is a rivalry. There will always be a respect, but it does change the dynamic. You can’t deny that.

‘Your life is so busy, you are totally focused on your job. If someone you know well goes into one of your rivals, then that changes it — but it doesn’t change the level of respect.

‘We’ll share experiences up here that will be unique to us. Not too many people can do that.

‘But it’s like Lenny (Hibs boss Neil Lennon). I know Neil fairly well and, from time to time, we have a meal, a chat and we acknowledge each other on text.

‘But it’s difficult to be so close when you have a sort of rivalry. I’m delighted for Steven, that he feels now is the time for him. He wanted to do it — and all of life is about timing.

‘He felt this was a good time, at the right club, and I wish him good luck — except when he plays against us.’

Rodgers agreed that Gerrard’s mere presence will raise the profile of Scottish football, even if the game itself might take him by surprise.

‘Yes, I believe so,’ said the Celtic manager. ‘Stevie hasn’t been a manager yet. But, as a player, he was world class.

‘I’m sure, and I hope, that he will enjoy the league. It will be totally different to what he is used to.

‘Up here, there are a lot of honest people, working hard for their careers every day. What they lack in quality, they make up for in fight and spirit.

‘Every game is a cup final, as he will experience. He has had that as a player, but it is different as a manager. When you manage these clubs, every time you turn out it is a cup final.’

Regardless of how much financial backing Gerrard gets from the Ibrox board, Rodgers remains intent on strengthening his own squad with a serious summer recruitment drive.

‘We aren’t measuring ourselves against any other club — but that (improving the squad) is something we must do,’ he admitted.

‘We have to improve. Keep as many of the players we have and add to the quality. But that is always a very difficult challenge.’

Rodgers shared a nice anecdote yesterday about arriving at Liverpool as a manager yet to hit 40, to be welcomed by two senior players offering their support and backing anywhere it was needed.

One of those players was Jamie Carragher. The other was Gerrard. If they didn’t always see things exactly the same, manager and captain were always able to look each other in the eye.

As Rodgers was nipping through the foyer at Lennoxtown to pop outside for a photo op yesterday, he passed by the wall-mounted TV tuned to sports news — just as Gerrard was starting his first press conference as Rangers boss.

Did the Celtic gaffer glance over his shoulder? Maybe just for a split second. Or was that the imagination, fuelled by the master v pupil narrative, seeing things that weren’t there?

The thousand-watt smile was unmissable, though. The grin that said Brendan Rodgers is going to enjoy a battle already begun.