Rodgers praises ‘monumental’ feat of unbeaten champions
● Rodgers praises Celtic players as champions end Premiership undefeated
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers hailed his team for what he describes as the “monumental achievement” of completing a top-flight Scottish league season unbeaten and predicted it will never happen again in his lifetime.
The six-in-a-row Scottish champions wrapped up their Premiership campaign yesterday with a 2-0 win over Hearts at Celtic Park before receiving the trophy.
Celtic won 34 and drew four of their 38 matches, becoming the first team since Rangers won all 18 of their league fixtures in 1898-99 to go through a season undefeated. On a day when Celtic also set a new club landmark of 106 points, Rodgers praised his players for securing a slice of footballing immortality.
“When you look at the past, when it was last done in the 1890s, it tells you the difficulty of achieving that,” said the former Liverpool boss.
“It’s a monumental achievement by the players. What is lost among all the records set is the real dedication to excellence that they have shown since I’ve come in, in their lives, how they have worked hard every day.
“They will probably tell you themselves that they get pushed really hard. But you see the benefits. It is a remarkable achievement for this football club and for the players who have inscribed their names into the history of this incredible club now. It’s something for their kids and grandkids to be proud of. It is a special achievement.
“I will probably look at it when I’m long gone from here. The job is too big here to allow too much self-praise or self-reflection. we still have to continue. I’m here to give as much to this club as I can. When you’re gone, you’ll get a true feeling of how people see you. But for now I’m just so proud of the team and the staff because it’s a real special achievement.
“I’m not so sure it will happen again in my lifetime. You just need to look at when it was done before – in the 1890s and it was only an 18-game season. This is a 38-game season and with so many variables in football, that’s what makes it a brilliant achievement.
“Whether it will be done again, it’s out there for everyone to have a go at. But we’ll have a go at it again next year.”