Brendan tells his men to forget about 10-in-a-row
Brendan Rodgers has told his Celtic players to block out all talk of 10-in-a-row and zero in on making it eight.
Having watched their side record Scottish football’s first ever back- to- back Treble success, Hoops supporters increasingly believe it is only matter of counting down the years until they reach the landmark they crave the most.
The man charged with helping to make those dreams reality, argues it is just not that simple.
“The demand of this club is that, domestically, you have to try to win every competition you are in,” said Rodgers.
“That is not easy because you can have a bad day, get something go against you, or you just don’t play well and the other team does.
“That is why I tip my hat to the players for how they have performed.
“It is exactly the same idea this year, there is a hunger to improve. You hear everyone saying about 10- in- a- row, but for me and the players and the coaching staff it is eight-in-a-row.
“Forget the other two – go get the eighth.” A delicious sub-plot to this year’s title race is the fact one of the men trying to stop Celtic’s juggernaut is a close acquaintance, Rodgers’ former Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard having taken over at Rangers.
“I have not seen them play under Stevie yet, but there will be an expectation there,” the Irishman said.
“Stevie will come in and will know how he will want to work but I think the league in general will be strong.
“Aberdeen always do well, Hibs, Hearts with Craig, Kilmarnock under Steve Clarke so I don’t think you can speak in isolation about a challenge.
“So, all in all, I think it is going to be really competitive. We have to try to find a way to beat everybody.
“But we will be ready. I have a brilliant staff. I have an outstanding coaching staff that understand the philosophy and ideas of how we play.
“As a manager it is your job to lead, but I am only young. I am only 45 years old and I’m not tired.”
It is an appetite which, Rodgers insists, is very much shared by his players.
“For me, you always do your talking on the pitch. Over pre-season we think we have done that,” he said.
“You see the players and the work- rate and the intensity and there is a real collective spirit there. There are maybe one or two who didn’t do so well who are coming back with a real appetite to do well. So the hunger is there. “And the balance is good.
“If you look at our midfield three, we have a controlling, defensive player in Scott Brown, a passing midfield player in Olivier Ntcham, who can make a goal and has that power and then we have an attacking midfield player in Callum Mcgregor or Tom Rogic.”
Rodgers’ mention of his satisfaction with the middle of the park is an intriguing one, given Celtic have had three separate bids rejected for John Mcginn of Hibs in recent weeks and they received an inquiry about Ntcham from West Ham following his stunning goal against Rosenborg.
Both he and Hibs boss Neil Lennon have stated the Mcginn matter is being dealt with by those above them. But the fact it has got this far indicates he has identified the 23-year-old as a player he likes and, cheeringly from a Scotland perspective, believes he can improve.
Because of that as he heads into the new campaign minus Stuart Armstrong, who was developed then sold on to Southampton for £ 7m, remains one of his biggest personal motivating factors.
Faces will come and go but the system will remain the same.
“It is about firstly getting the right profile of player. You have to get the players that are hungry and that is your recruitment. Once you get the right types in, then you can really have an effect on them,” Rodgers said.
“They have the hunger and this is an era where they can really put themselves in a really successful period. And the beauty and the exciting thing for me is that I can see it growing and developing all the time.
“From the manager down we never have a lazy day. It is intense, it is relentless with the work but the culture is in place now.
“So the players want to succeed, they want to win things and they want to get better. It is the biggest thing you can create.”