Modesty forbid but Rodgers requires a ring of confidence

BRENDAN RODGERS admits a big part of his job is projecting confidence to his players. Sometimes he knows that results in a public perception that he is, well, a bit pleased with himself. The Celtic manager is selfeffacing enough to admit he was confronted with that very accusation at his first meeting with the club’s biggest shareholder Dermot Desmond last summer.

‘It’s all about perception, isn’t it?’ suggests the former Liverpool boss. ‘I remember meeting Dermot for the first time. He didn’t know me but had a perception of what I was like.

‘His feeling was that I was maybe “having myself” a bit. We had a meal a few weeks back and I asked if he remembered how he’d felt back then.

‘He now says I’m totally different to what he thought. It’s all about portrayal. You have to have belief and confidence in what you do. If you’re a leader, you must have it.’

Rodgers’ successor at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp, is often hailed as a progressive for indulging in exactly the sort of encouraging, tactile behaviour for which Rodgers was ridiculed.

Despite being feted as managerial sages, both the German and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola have resoundingly failed to enhance their reputations in the English Premier League.

The irony is not lost on Rodgers, who led Liverpool to within an ace of the title in 2014. He believes native managers are just not fashionable enough for club owners who harbour pretensions of world domination.

‘British managers have been measured then slapped down for many years now,’ he says. ‘They’re deemed to be failures. But look at how difficult it is (to get into the top four), it shows the job British bosses have done over the years.

‘Whatever we come up with isn’t quite as sexy. Especially a rough Northern Irishman like myself.’

Rodgers won’t be changing his methods simply to please an audience south of the border — certainly not while he has the Celtic support eating out of his hands.

An overwhelmingly successful first season in Glasgow has already yielded a Champions League adventure, two trophies, an unbeaten domestic run and the promise of a crack at a Treble in the Scottish Cup Final later this month.

And yet Rodgers insists he always relates back to the human qualities he applies in the service of his club.

The issue was thrown into focus by the harrowing and desperately sad news that Everton player Aaron Lennon had been detained under the Mental Health Act last week.

Rodgers admits the advent of social media and the accompanying psychological challenges have placed new levels of strain on the modern footballer.

‘Getting inside players’ heads has always been a big part of management but even more so now,’ he explains. ‘Social media and modern technology have given us 100 per cent more information but also 100 per cent more problems.

‘We’ve got three values which we hung up in the changing room even before we’d kicked a ball here — respect, unity and excellence.

‘Respect is the biggest of all. You can play hard ball with players but in the modern society that’s tough — it’s a challenge and a fight to get respect.

‘Our society is developing disrespectful people with no values. People can actually come up beside you now, talk in your face and take a video of you. Then they post it. That wouldn’t have happened years ago.

‘I wasn’t brought up like that. If I did that, I’d have got a slap in the head.

‘People call me modern because I’m young but I have old-school values. And respect is always the very first one.

‘The players here are aware of that and I’m confident that if a player here had a problem they’d come to me, they’d feel comfortable.

‘I’d hope the players would tell you that as well. I never judge them professionally and personally.’

A week ago, Rodgers was asked to discuss the issue of compulsive gambling within football and he concedes there is a deep social responsibility that comes with his job.

He added: ‘You have to get inside players’ heads and understand them. The small details are absolutely vital. You have to know a player’s background and you have to lift burdens.

‘The one thing I’ve learnt is that silence is a death sentence in itself. The ability to communicate is vital. It’s no use trying to second-guess people.

‘What I try to do is stabilise the emotion of a player so they know exactly where they’re at.

‘I know how it works — they get in the car, they’ll speak to their agent or their father who’s asking why they aren’t playing and they’re up and down with it.

‘So I try to stabilise it. I tell them what they need to get better at and then organise a plan for them going forward.

‘It might be a big talk but sometimes it’s just a small talk. Sometimes it’s a hug, a cuddle, a c’mon, whatever — depending on the character. That’s about knowing your player.’

Ultimately, Rodgers insists the human side of the job trumps any of the success his teams might harvest on the field of play.

‘When I finish, it won’t be about titles for me,’ he added. ‘If I get them, great, it’s brilliant.

‘But being a good person, having peace, being satisfied by how I work, that’s what’s important for me. I don’t need to be sliding about on my knees winning a cup.

‘That’s fantastic. But, if I’m an idiot, it doesn’t matter, does it?’