‘We must get tough on tackles that harm the Scottish game’
● Rodgers: Reputation of a ‘great product’ is suffering
Brendan Rodgers believes Scottish football is suffering reputational damage through what he regards as its failure to apply appropriate sanctions for the type of fouls committed against Celtic captain Scott Brown this season.
According to Rodgers, antagonism towards Brown from opposing players and supporters is driven by “envy of his ability and influence” in leading the Scottish champions.
The Celtic manager remains concerned by the fall-out from the crude and cynically late challenge on Brown from Ross County captain Andrew Davies during last Saturday’s Premiership fixture at Parkhead.
Davies was shown a straight red card for the studs-up lunge into the groin area of Brown which incurs an automatic two-match suspension for violent conduct. The County defender is set to escape any further punishment, however, with no notice of complaint issued against him so far by Scottish FA compliance officer Tony Mcglennan under the auspices of excessive misconduct. Earlier this year, Aberdeen striker Sam Cosgrove also received the basic twomatch ban for a wild lunge at Brown.
Rodgers insists he is eager to talk up the competitive nature of Scottish football to a wider audience but feels incidents such as those involving his captain recently make it more difficult to portray it in a positive light.
“If you get bad tackles and challenges, some with clear intent, that go unpunished, then it dilutes the quality of the game up here,” said Rodgers.
“My concern is the protection of the players, whether it’s Scott Brown or whoever. They have a right to go on to the field and be protected.
“What we have up here is a great product. Every team you play is supercompetitive, they fight and they can make it difficult for you. But if it goes over the mark and crosses the line, it dilutes the standard of your game. I’ve known Andrew Davies since he was a kid and it was probably out of character for him. But it was still a tackle that could really have damaged the career of Scott Brown.
“If the authorities deem that to be violent rather than excessive misconduct, then we have a problem. You want it competitive. But if it goes over that, then it affects the standard. There has to be a point for the authorities to look at it and know that’s not right. That’s the only way you can govern the game – by being really strong on this type of challenge.
“I’ ve always tried to be complimentaryabout scottish football but also never complacent. If challenges like that come willy-nilly and you see it every week, then it’s not good for the game or for people from outside watching the game. It’s not a good representation of the football in Scotland.”
Rodgers believes Brown fills a “pantomime villain” role in Scottish football, comparing it to how Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez was perceived when he managed him at Liverpool.
“What I’ve found in my time here is that there is a lot of envy towards Scott from all sectors,” added Rodgers. “I see it in certain sectors of media, I see it among players and other managers talking about him. There’s a definite envy of his ability and his influence. He’s a player who should be emulated, not envied. Of course he has a personality that winds people up but I had the same with Luis Suarez at Liverpool. If he plays for you, you love him and ad ore him. if he doesn’ t, you think he’s a pantomime character.”
Celtic look to close in on a seventh successive league title when they host Dundee tonight, with keeper Craig Gordon set to return after being out for two months with a knee injury.
Leigh Griffiths believes his best form in a Celtic jersey is still ahead of him after finding what he hopes will be a permanent solution to his disruptive injury problems.
The striker returned to action for the Scottish champions as a late substitute in last Saturday’s 3-0 win over Ross County, having been sidelined for two months with his latest calf and hamstring issues.
But a visit to a specialist has reassured Griffiths he can get his prolific Celtic career back on track and even improve on the performance levels which have seen him score 97 goals in his four years with the club so far.
“I’m hoping the best is yet to come,” said the 27-yearold who is in contention for a place in Brendan Rodgers’ starting line-up for tonight’s Premiership fixture against Dundee at Celtic Park.
“The specialist identified straight away during my assessment where the problem was coming from and how we can rectify that and move forward. Hopefully we won’t have another problem again.
“It is all to do with my hips. My hips were so blocked up, the muscle tissue there, that my calves and my hamstrings were doing double the workload. I wasn’t getting the full range of my movement. That is why my calves were going on either side.
“It wasn’t just one specific area, both sides were going at different times. Hopefully now that has been released
RARING TO GO “The reception I got from the fans when i came on was incredible. Just being back on the pitch was great. I have put this injury behind me now” LEIGH GRIFFITHS
and the muscles are flowing again I will be back sharper with a lot more movement in my legs.
“It is very straightforward when you get to the root of the problem. You have to continue that work and make sure the muscle doesn’t get blocked as much.
“The most frustrating thing was that I was feeling good, playing well, scoring goals and helping the team get three points and then suddenly bang - the calves go and I am out for three or four weeks at a time. Obviously, it was a bit longer this time. But I am hoping that is it done now and I can move forward.
“With the muscle being released now and unblocked it is going to give me a lot more movement in my legs. Hopefully working with the manager and fitness staff means that come pre-season I will be flying and back to my best.
“I have trained fully for the last two and half weeks now and am fully fit. The manager said I have been looking sharp. He just told me to go on the pitch on Saturday, get some minutes under my belt and show everybody that you’re still here and what you can do.
“The reception I got from the fans when I came on was incredible. Just being back on the pitch was great. I have put this injury behind me now and hopefully I can be a big part of the runin to the end of this season.” With potentially nine games remaining in the campaign for Celtic, should they reach the Scottish Cup final to stay on course for another domestic treble, Griffiths should have sufficient chances to hit the century mark of goals for the club before the summer.
“If I get a good run in the team, if I get a good few minutes under my belt, I will hit that before the end of the season,” he added.
“Hopefully I have earned my place either in the starting eleven or on the bench against Dundee and can contribute. It is an exciting part of the season to be involved in again. The Scottish Cup semi-final (against Rangers on 15 April) is going to be massive for us. But we need to win our next two league games before that to put us in good stead for the league title.
“We are under no illusions that the next two games, against Dundee and Hamilton who are both fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table, are going to be tough. We have to approach them properly.”