Rodgers wants to build legacy while sun shines
BRENDAN RODGERS last night spoke of his desire to build a legacy for both Celtic and Scottish football, but insisted he might not be given the time to see all his work come to fruition.
The Northern Irishman has presided over a resoundingly successful first season at Parkhead in which he has led the club back to the Champions League and pursued an unbeaten path towards a domestic Treble.
Rodgers enters today’s Premiership game with Rangers knowing a win will extend the gap between the sides to 36 points and edge his team closer to a sixth successive title, but he insists he remains susceptible to the innate volatility of football management.
He said: ‘The plan for my time here is just to do the very best that I can. Whether that’s for one year or another four or five years, I want to raise the standard that hopefully pushes the club to the maximum.
‘I’m on a one-year (rolling) contract, so you can’t predict a manager’s stay. You can’t say how long you are going to be here. On a
SCOTT BROWN warmed up for a major Celtic fixture two years ago this week by being pictured drunkenly munching a pizza while sat on an Edinburgh pavement following a tour of lap-dancing pubs. His slump in the street was perhaps symbolic of a drop in standards at the time.
For the incident was briskly brushed off by boss Ronny Deila as no big issue and Brown was free to skipper the side to a stroll over ten-man Dundee United at Hampden in the League Cup Final just a few days later.
Had Brown attempted the same stunt last week, then Andy Walker suspects Brendan Rodgers would have had his captain — if indeed he still was his captain — nowhere near the team for the fourth derby of the season.
But from what Walker sees in Brown right now, there is no chance of the midfielder messing up.
‘If Scott Brown did that now then he wouldn’t play,’ said Walker. ‘And that would also give him a shock. Whereas Ronny Deila would just put him straight back in the team, which told you everything.
‘It wasn’t quite right in that dressing room. There was no strong leadership there. And that decision was poor management.
‘But I don’t think Scott would even think of doing that now. That would be remarkable. And if he did, then he would be punished for it. The last thing you want to do is miss out because this is a great time to be a Celtic player.
‘Not just because you are so dominant. The football is good to watch, so it must be great to play in.
‘I don’t think Scott has ever played better. This is the best spell of his career.
‘It’s controlled, it’s measured. I’m really impressed. You get to that age he’s at, you realised you’ve only got a few years left.
‘You can see him passing on remarks to younger players, you can see him organising things. He’s a much more mature player now and not the reckless Scott Brown getting involved in any challenges.
‘He’s trying to get forward a bit more. I still think he could maybe add an extra goal or two.
‘I think it’s totally down to the manager.
‘Players will always tell you that they are behind the manager. I’m not sure that was the case when Ronny was there. I don’t think the dressing room was as happy as it is now.
‘They were still winning the title but they are playing better football, they’ve got better players and Scott has taken his game up a notch. He’s obviously enthused by a new manager.
‘I think Scott Brown needed Brendan Rodgers.’
Walker’s words of high acclaim for Brown carry a little extra weight than other pundit praise for the Celtic captain this season. For the pair have had their differences in recent years and entertained with some vocal spats.
‘A poor man’s Gary Neville’ was one verdict of the Sky Sports analyst who has never been slow to pick up Brown for perceived shortcomings in his role as skipper of Walker’s former club.
Brown was identified as a pale imitation of his influential, all-action self by Walker when Rangers triumphed in last year’s semi-final at Hampden. What a difference a summer off and the introduction of Rodgers to the 31-year-old’s life has made.
‘I struck a nerve with Scott, that was all it was,’ said Walker, speaking at the launch of the Ladbrokes Football Show. ‘I called him out for his fitness — and he wasn’t fit. He couldn’t get round that pitch against Rangers. That was one of the reasons Celtic lost. I think, now that he’s fit, he just looks a totally different player.
‘It’s not easy to play in excess of 400 games for Celtic and get the amount of trophies he’s got. You deserve all the accolades coming. I know his focus is just on titles, trophies. That’s what he is all about.
‘And as soon as one is out of the way, he’s got his eye on the next one.
‘I get a sense, whenever I’m hanging around the tunnel before games and you see them warming up, Scott and his team-mates just don’t want to let Brendan down. He’s got that sort of aura that you go out and entertain, the great thing that Celtic are all about.
‘They have certainly done it this season and Scott deserves all the praise coming his way. I spoke to him just very recently and said that I couldn’t believe how much praise I am giving him in commentary.
‘He said it was long overdue, so he’s probably right!’