Rodgers relentless in his desire for more silverware

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has praised his team’s relentless hunger as they aim to win a seventh consecutive domestic trophy.

Rodgers’ side won an unprecedented second consecutive treble last season and have the chance to extend their record sequence of trophies when they face Aberdeen in the Betfred Cup final tomorrow.

“It shows incredible consistency and hunger, which is what you want as a manager,” Rodgers said.

“When we first came in, we set our targets together in relation to being the very best we can be.

“Celtic is obviously a winning club, so when you play for Celtic you have to win. But of course we want to win in the best way we possibly can, which is playing a really aggressive, attacking style of football.

“So nothing has changed in terms of how we set out from the beginning. But what has been admirable has been the focus of the players and the intensity in which they have just kept going, kept going and keep winning titles.

“And we don’t aim to stop. Our idea is to have that hunger to keep going and we want to do that again come Sunday.”

Rodgers’ first trophy came two years ago against the same team in the same competition and he has welcomed the challenge of leading his players to more and more success.

“What we are trying to transfer to them is that pressure can be a really positive thing,” he said.

“Most people associate it with the negative and the fear but I never tried to transfer that to the players.

“Pressure is good – it means you are at a big club, and at big clubs you are expected to win and you’re expected to win in a certain style.

“So these players have been absolutely magnificent at that and we aim to keep going on the same path.”

Craig Gordon meanwhile would love to feature for Celtic at Hampden Park – but has backed Scott Bain to again be an able deputy.

The 35-year-old is number one at Parkhead but Rodgers will stick with former Dundee stopper Bain who played in the previous rounds against Partick Thistle, St Johnstone and Hearts.

Gordon, who helped the Hoops to a crucial 1-0 Europa League win at Rosenborg on Thursday night, admitted his disappointment but is taking the decision on the chin and will look to help his side in whatever way he can win a seventh successive trophy.

“I would obviously rather be playing but that is the same with every member of this squad,” said the Scotland international.

“It is the manager that picks the team and I would have loved to have been out there and played on that occasion but the manager has given Scott every round and has decided to stick by him for this one,” he said.

“That’s the way it goes. Sometimes managers do change for the final and sometimes they don’t.

“He has obviously backed Scott to do the job and I will back the boys and do my bit to help them achieve that.

“Scott is a very good goalkeeper and it will be a new thing for him to go out and play in that game, but certainly from everything I have seen he is certainly very capable of going in there and handling that and performing well.

“It wasn’t a performance-based decision, it was something that was going to happen regardless and he has made that call and I will have to stick by that and do everything I can to help the lads win the trophy.”

Even if he fails to see any action in the competition, the former Hearts and Sunderland keeper will still add his medal to his collection.

He said: “You do. Everyone in the matchday squad gets a medal.

“Obviously it wouldn’t feel the same whether it is a winners or a runners-up medal, obviously we hope it is a winners.

“It feels slightly different having not played a minute but it is a team game, and hopefully I will contribute behind the scenes or in the dressing room so I am doing my bit to support the team but yes, it still counts.”

Captain Scott Brown is looking to regain his starting place after making his comeback from injury in the final 13 minutes of the Europa League win over Rosenborg on Thursday.

Scott Bain will play in cup final.