I’m not under scrutiny. I care about deeds not words. Opinions are not always the reality
SAYS BRENDAN RODGERS
THE turn of the year tends to bring with it a few racing certainties. Resolutions that perish quicker than an ice cube in a desert. The thud of hefty bills landing on doorsteps. A country paralysed by the slightest bit of adverse weather.
Football is not immune to its own version of the January blues. The game’s grumps tend to stem from the opening of a window that often sees a blizzard of speculation blow in but little changing materially by the time it slams shut.
Brendan Rodgers certainly didn’t possess the demeanour of a man enjoying all the first month of the year had to offer yesterday.
Freshly returned from a sunshine training camp in Dubai, the Celtic manager was not inclined to discuss the finer points of the maelstrom of possible transfer activity that’s simply a fact of life for clubs up and down the land at this time of year.
Asked if he felt there would be a scrutiny on him strengthening his defence this month, Rodgers replied: ‘No, there’s not. By who? Scrutiny by who?’
When told the observation had been made by, among others,
Sportsmail columnist Kris Commons, Rodgers was clearly not in the mood to debate the finer points of that opinion, saying: ‘I’m about deeds, not words.
‘I’ve heard some s*** since I’ve been up here. I’m worried about deeds. That’s the part of your industry that I don’t like. I don’t want to stand here and waste my time.
‘I have a mountain of things to do rather than talk about speculation, or what Kris Commons or other guys think. Everyone has an opinion but the opinions are not always the reality.’
Let’s be clear here. Rodgers is paid by Celtic to win football matches, deliver trophies and develop players.
Fielding media enquiries may also be part of the gig but it isn’t top of his in-tray and will become appreciably less appealing the minute a transfer window opens.
But that is not to say that speculation on who Celtic ought to sign or what areas most need strengthening from ex-players, pundits or the paying public is irrelevant. Quite the opposite, in fact.
When Commons outlined his view in these pages yesterday, he was scarcely barking at the moon.
With Erik Sviatchenko now back on loan at FC Midtjylland, Marvin Compper ineligible to play against Zenit St Petersburg and Jozo Simunovic attracting interest from Lazio, the former Parkhead midfielder’s concerns about pitching Kristoffer Ajer in against the Russians seemed entirely valid. Rodgers, evidently, begs to differ.
‘I don’t know how many defenders you think we need,’ he stated. ‘We’ve brought in a defender, we’ve got two centre-halves playing, we’ve got Jozo Simunovic, so we’ve got four centre-halves.’
Were he minded to do so, Rodgers might well have referenced the four straight clean sheets his defenders achieved prior to the winter break to ballast his argument.
While their ability to step up to European level is obviously another debate, Rodgers feels he has sufficient depth as things stand. Asked if defence was a priority area, he replied: ‘Not for me, no.’
Simunovic didn’t play after a disastrous personal display in the 4-0 defeat at Tynecastle that preceded the four clean sheets, of course, but interest in the player from elsewhere remains only that for the time being.
‘Nothing,’ Rodgers replied when asked if a bid had been tabled.
‘I don’t want to stand here and talk about players or waste my time trying to give you lines to put in the paper to look to sell players.
‘There are no offers, there is nothing. That’s the same for every player.’
Sviatchenko has left the building, though, albeit, only on a temporary basis initially.
Very much the apple of Rodgers’ eye when the Northern Irishman first came to Glasgow, the Dane drifted out of the picture to the point where his development was in danger of being stifled.
‘He needed to play,’ said Rodgers of the player’s loan switch back to Midtjylland.
‘He was a good guy, part of the squad, had been training but wasn’t playing.
‘Others jumped ahead of him in the queue. He’s an experienced player and he wants to play.
‘It’s a chance to go back to his homeland, they have a World Cup, and if he’s playing then he at least has a chance of getting in the squad. If he’s not playing, then he’ll virtually have no chance. We have enough numbers in that area.’
Stuart Armstrong’s recent hernia operation should only sideline him for a short spell but Patrick Roberts’ return remains pencilled in for the middle of next month.
Being left short offensively for Zenit does enter Rodgers’ thinking but it won’t define his transfer activity over the next fortnight.
‘We’ve lost quite a bit of creativity with Patrick out, too,’ he said.
‘Yes (we’re stretched) but it’s okay. We have a good squad, a chance to bring young players up and see how they cope and develop. Then look to get one or two in. You give it (Zenit) thought but it can’t be everything. We bring players in, not just for the short term but for the long term. You think about Europe, of course, but you can’t be governed by it.’
Any growing grumbles among the support about a window that’s only so far seen Compper and Lewis Morgan arrive is all relative.
While the days in January can be depressingly short, Celtic still have two weeks to get their business done.
‘We know what we want and we’re pretty calm on that,’ explained Rodgers. ‘We just need to bring in quality. I’m not concerned about the numbers we bring in.
‘The job here is to bring in quality to improve the level we are at and that usually takes time.’
Rangers have not let the grass grow under their feet. Russell Martin and Jason Cummings have joined Sean Goss and Jamie Murphy in arriving on loan.
Steven Naismith is edging towards joining Demetri Mitchell at Hearts. And Aberdeeen have acquired Niall McGinn and Chidi Nwakali. None of which are keeping Rodgers awake at night.
‘In any league, you want to have the best coaches, the best players involved,’ he said. ‘I haven’t seen so much of what others are doing but the more competition there is, in every aspect, the better it is.’
Perhaps, in time, the revolving door Rodgers hinted at last month may still be required.
Come what may, he is in no doubt that by the time it jams shut, his stated objected of having improved the players at his disposal will have been achieved.
‘Yes, hopefully that will be the case,’ he said.