Hoops boss injured in goal celebrations
BRENDAN RODGERS took the unorthodox step of thanking his Celtic players for their efforts – BEFORE they beat Rangers at Ibrox.
The Hoops manager did so even though he knew the afternoon could have seen them lose their long undefeated domestic record.
It stretched to six months by yesterday’s 2-1 victory over their Old Firm rivals, Rodgers getting so excited he pulled his calf muscle celebrating Scott Sinclair’s winner.
“I thanked them before the game on behalf of myself as manager and on behalf of the supporters,” he said.
“I did so for playing how they have been playing for a magnificent club, and how they have got themselves on a real exciting path going forward.
“To compete in the Champions League, win the League Cup, and go right to the end in the league as we do has shown an incredible resilience on their part.
“That would have been the case irrespective of what the result was today.
“It has been a huge achievement for them, especially this month’s nine games which everyone talked about.
“To have won eight of those and drawn away at Manchester City in the Champions League, I think everyone would commend them for what a great effort it has been.
“So now we go away to rest for a week in Dubai, then we come back together and will work very hard for a couple of weeks in making things better. Hopefully, in the second half of the season, we will be even stronger.”
In Rodgers case, the trip to the Middle East will also offer the chance for some warm-weather recuperation from an injury which he admitted was almost comedic.
“It was stupid,” he said with a grin.
“When the second goal went in, I tried to make a wee sprint and just slipped, and pulled my calf.
“It was daft and I couldn’t walk afterwards. But I’m okay.”
Title sponsors Ladbrokes reacted to Celtic’s latest success by cutting their odds to stay undefeated until the end of the season to 5/2.
The man charged with masterminding the bid to become Scotland’s Invincibles, though, wasn’t about to get carried away.
“Listen, every game is tough,” said Rodgers.
“This was the same, it was really tough, and you could see why Rangers hadn’t lost here in 15 months.
“Mark is building his team here and I thought they played very well in stages.
“But our quality, our intensity and our fitness really came through in the second half.
“We still have to find solutions in every game. It doesn’t matter who we play.
“But I think our team is finding them all the time. They showed immense character out there.”