IRRATIONAL

CELTIC v MOTHERWELL

But when Brendan Rodgers first arrived at Parkhead he could sense FEAR from his players at the thought of performing at the National Stadium.

At that point, the Hoops’ record in Mount Florida was poor.

A defeat to then- Championship side Rangers followed losses to the likes of Kilmarnock, St Mirren and Ross County in cup competitions.

Rodgers could feel their players’ trepidation when he turned up to replace Ronny Deila two years ago.

Family and friends told him Celtic just couldn’t perform at Hampden.

So as well as improving his players’ physical performance, Rodgers had to change their mentality when it came to games on our biggest stage.

The change has been dramatic. Celtic have played at Hampden seven times under Rodgers and haven’t lost once.

If that continues against Motherwell on Saturday, the Northern Irishman will make history by completing a double Treble for the first time.

Now, his team go to the ground brimming with confidence.

But ahead of the Scottish Cup Final against the Steelmen, Rodgers revealed that wasn’t the case when he came in.

He said: “This team and support now go to Hampden expecting to win.

“But before I arrived there was always a wee bit of trepidation about it.

“That was all I heard from Celtic people – they didn’t like going to Hampden.

“I told them they had better start liking it because if we’re going to win things, we’ll have to win there.

“It was a different mindset then. I have family who are supporters and it was all they talked about – going to Hampden.

“How did I change that? That’s what I get my wages for. Obviously, on the field stuff but also mentally to try to affect their mindset.

“The big game for us, when we really started to believe, was the League Cup Final against Aberdeen last season.

“We had qualified for the Champions League and everything we had been doing was put into a pressure situation that day.

“We won 3- 0 and then they believed. They weren’t timid or soft about going to Hampden any more.

“Now we go there with a confidence but we still know we’ll need to earn a victory next week. The players will be prepared and know how we can win.

“We always respect the other team but the players know this is how we play and if we do it this way then we can win.

“It has built up from that final against Aberdeen in terms of our confidence in these big games.

“It’s about achieving a balance between the emotion – not overcooking it – and playing well enough to win.

“When you get too carried away and think too much you trap yourself into pressure. And when you’re under big pressure it’s difficult to perform.”

Playing under pressure hasn’t been a