Rodgers wants his own piece of history

COME kick-off tonight, the answer to the oft-asked question will be pretty evident to anyone fortunate enough to be present in one of the game’s true footballing citadels.

Over the years, Celtic Park on Champions League nights has been lavished with such praise that those who haven’t experienced it might suspect there’s a degree of hyperbole at work. Few who sample it for themselves subsequently dispute that it’s in any way undeserving of such heady accolades.

On such occasions, those querying the sense of Brendan Rodgers’ decision to leave the golf course and the English Premier League job market for the Celtic hotseat tend to nod knowingly.

For John Hartson, though, Rodgers’ motivation in agreeing to succeed Ronny Deila as manager goes way beyond a handful of European nights on which his side take centre stage.

As a teenager travelling across the Irish Sea to stand in the old Jungle, Rodgers instinctively knew his green-and-white history.

These days, Hartson contends, it’s the prospect of creating some of his own that will occupy his every waking hour.

‘I’m not surprised Brendan chose Celtic,’ said Hartson. ‘It’s a boyhood dream. The lure of Celtic is hard to resist.

‘I do a lot of media work in Dublin and, when you talk to former Republic of Ireland players, the likes of Matt Holland, Robbie Keane, Roy Keane, Gary Breen and Kevin Kilbane, they are Celtic-daft.

‘It is their dream to play for Celtic. Not Liverpool or Manchester United. Roy Keane showed that. He lived out a dream just to pull that Celtic shirt on — and he’d had ten years at Old Trafford.

‘It’s the same for Brendan Rodgers. He told me he’d stood in the Jungle with his brothers. He knows all the songs. He’s a Celtic man, so he had an affinity with the club, like Martin O’Neill and Neil Lennon.

‘Brendan will want to stamp his name in the record books. It’s very similar to myself. I didn’t know much about Celtic before I arrived. I had played here once in a friendly with Arsenal.

‘After my first goal, though, I wanted 100 because I wanted my name in that group and you create your own bit of history.’

The parallels between Rodgers and O’Neill go way beyond the land of their birth.

In the early months of their tenures at Celtic Park, both displayed a remarkable knack of turning lost causes into players of substance. High-profile additions hit the ground running. The belief among the fanbase that anything was possible was palpable.

But Hartson (pictured) contends that for all the obvious similarities, there are distinct differences.

‘Brendan has brought the fire back to Celtic,’ added Hartson. ‘He is a fan, which got the majority of the crowd on board immediately.

‘He’s proven himself to be a top manager, finishing second in the English Premier League with Liverpool and by taking Swansea to the top flight for the first time in 30 years.

‘So it’s a great appointment. Is he similar to Martin O’Neill? I don’t like to compare because they all have their own ways.

‘Brendan is more of a tactician on the training ground. Martin used to come up to training but left a lot of it to Steve Walford and John Robertson. But they’re both winners. That’s for sure.’

O’Neill’s tenure began by Celtic first reasserting themselves as the dominant force in Scotland by dint of winning the Treble in 2001.

Re-establishing the club as a force to be reckoned with in Europe took a little longer.

For Rodgers, there remains the distinct possibility of doing the latter well ahead of schedule.

Should they beat Borussia Monchengladbach tonight, European football beyond Christmas would become a distinct possibility.

Were his former club to replicate the high-octane display against Manchester City three weeks ago, Hartson feels they will take some stopping.

‘Gladbach have a responsibility to come and try and get a result,’ he added.

‘They will see themselves as the third best side in the group and Celtic as the worst. They play in the Bundesliga against the likes of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Schalke.

‘But, from Celtic’s point of view, it’s still their best opportunity to get third in the group.

‘They have to take maximum points from this game because Germany will be difficult and the Etihad will be twice as hard. With Barcelona to come, this might be their chance to pick up three points.

‘The Germans have a great mentality — look at how many World Cups they’ve won — but it’s all about Celtic going about it in the right manner and trying to win game.’

It might just prove to be the defining week of Rodgers’ reign. If a positive result can be secured tonight, Celtic’s momentum going into Sunday’s Betfred Cup semi-final clash against Rangers would be considerable.

Even if the fates conspire against them this evening, Hartson believes his old side should have every reason to believe they will simply have too much for their city rivals.

‘I think the game at the weekend is Celtic’s to lose,’ he added.

‘I always thought it would take a bit of time for Rangers to get back. I know they beat Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final last year.

‘It was on penalties, and Rangers actually did well that day. They got in Celtic’s faces and they were the team that showed a little bit more hunger.

‘I know anything can happen in a Celtic v Rangers match. We have seen it so many times now. But you look at events at the weekend, and think where Celtic are and where Rangers are, and for me it is almost a case of: “Look, Celtic will win on Sunday”.’ John Hartson was speaking at the launch of the Hartson Foundation’s Sportsman’s Dinner at the Glasgow Crowne Plaza Hotel on Nov 20. Special guest is Neil Lennon. For more info go to www. johnhartsonfoundation.co.uk

“He gets his motivation from trying to break records”