Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
OUR SLUMP COULD LAST ALL SEASON
FROM SPAIN TO SHANIA TO ST JOHNSTONE.. A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF STEVIE
Kilmarnock v Celtic
BRENDAN RODGERS has admitted Celtic are nowhere near the dizzying heights they have set for themselves over the past two years – and warned fans the slump might last for an entire season.
Rodgers aired his growing concerns after the champions laboured to a
1-0 Europa League win over Rosenborg on Thursday night thanks to a late winner from sub Leigh Griffiths.
The manager must now attempt to re-energise his players ahead of tomorrow’s perilous SPFL encounter on Kilmarnock’s plastic pitch.
But Rodgers (inset) admits there has been an alarming lack of energy and dynamism about Celtic so far this season and fears it could continue to slow his team up as they push for an eighth successive league crown.
He said: “I don’t think we are anywhere near the level of our game. The win on Thursday was probably down to spirit and persistence.
“I said last week at St Mirren, even with 10 men, we were dominant. But it’s just that final third. It’s a mixture of confidence and not being dynamic enough at times. We’re not being decisive enough in games.
“Whilst we are not conceding – that’s five games when we have not conceded – you just have to keep going. You have to be persistent and you have to trust right to the very end that we will get the goal.”
“We’ve lost dynamic players. We have had lots of games. It might be a season for us like that but we will always find a way and try to find a solution to perform well.” HE spent last night gazing at Shania Twain when he really only has eyes for Tommy Wright.
If Steven Gerrard hears anyone complaining about the lot of a manager? That don’t impress him much.
Spain on Thursday night, Shania on Friday and St Johnstone on Sunday. His diary is packed but day-to-day life is deadly dull, Gerrard laughs.
He had already analysed the pros and cons of his side’s 2-2 draw at Villarreal, flipping open his laptop after take off on the two-and-a-half hour flight home from north east Spain.
Gerrard is beginning to build a reputation as a good manager and maybe a lucky one to boot and even with his wife and kids in Liverpool it’s little wonder he’s revelling in life in Glasgow. Well, most of the time.
He said: “I have been reeled into Shania Twain tonight – don’t ask how that has happened. I have been bullied into it. That’s my exciting life. There is nothing really happening.
“My family are down south but I see them a lot so it’s not as if I’m away from them. They are up every single weekend and I get down the road at night, sometimes twice a week. Nothing has changed. I am probably seeing more of them now than I did as a player, so I’m happy.
“My family life is good. I have no complaints off the pitch. I’ve settled into Glasgow really well. It’s similar to Liverpool in many ways. I don’t walk about much but then I don’t do that in Liverpool either. When I’m home I like to be at home with the family.
“My role in football now is to produce a game plan and contribute in a different way and I am really enjoying that, although it doesn’t replace the buzz of being a player.
“I’m loving my job. I’m really lucky to be in this position, to manage this fantastic club. It’s a rollercoaster, it’s emotional. It’s full on and difficult to switch off but I wouldn’t change it for anything.
“Do I know the job now? No, I’m still learning. I’ll be learning all the time. When you are a player you don’t appreciate what coaches and managers put into it.
“Management is 24/7. It doesn’t stop. (His phone rings in his pocket). Nice timing,” Gerrard jokes.
Another three points tomorrow would cap a good week for Gerrard.