There is no looking back for Rodgers
BRENDAN RODGERS won’t lose any sleep about Celtic pulling away from the rest of Scottish football when it comes to earning cash.
The Hoops are set to add more than £25 million to their coffers by reaching the Champions League group stage for the second successive season.
They already have one foot in next Thursday’s draw after thrashing Astana 5-0 at home and Tuesday’s second leg in Kazakhstan is surely a formality.
It could be said that having one club significantly richer than the rest isn’t good for the domestic game, but the Celtic manager sees things differently.
He said: “I can’t be looking in my slipstream wondering where everyone is.
“If I’m in a race, I’m never looking back, I’m only looking forwards.
“The other teams had the opportunity to play European football. It wasn’t just us.
“So if they had progressed then that would have improved their pot of money.
“I tend not to worry so much. I tend to worry about Celtic.
“I want to represent Celtic the best I can but I want Scotland to feel pride that they have a team in there competing and trying their best with football that is productive for Scotland.
“The reality is if we get £30 million or £40 million from the Champions League, I won’t be getting £30 million to spend on players or a player.
“What it does do is allow us to keep making steps forward.
“If we qualify, it means we’ve earned the right to be there.”
Although a first leg 5-0 lead has never been overturned in a Champions League playoff game, Rodgers is adamant there will be no complacency.
Supporters haven’t forgotten Celtic came close to achieving that sort of result when they beat Artmedia Bratislava 4-0 at home in 2005 after losing the first leg 5-0.
Rodgers said: “What we’ve tried to create here is a feeling that complacency is your disease.
“The score is 0-0 at the start of Tuesday’s game and, whoever plays, we go to win.
“We don’t have to, but we want to. We want to fight for the result and complete the job.
“If we do that on Tuesday, it’ll be a remarkable achievement in terms of the pressures on them this season and the absence of really decisive players.
“But we’ll get the job done and then hopefully enjoy the draw.”
Rodgers demands high standards at all times and that won’t change just because Astana have virtually no chance of qualifying.
He went on: “We prepare the game to the same detail as we did last week.
“We had John McGlynn out there for a week to watch two games – his body clock was all over the place!”