Rodgers Reflects on Celtic's Recent Performance

Brendan Rodgers spent another 15 minutes treading over egg-shells as he reflected on Celtic’s 0-0 draw with Kairat Almaty mixed in with the club’s failures in the transfer market.

The only addition to the usual menu was injuries with Alistair Johnston, Adam Idah and Auston Trusty missing out on today’s match against Livingston.

Johnston is a long term injury, likely to be three months as the effects of almost three years of non-stop football took its toll with a serious hamstring injury against the Kazak champions.

The pre-match media conference is compulsive viewing as Rodgers and those invited to question dance around the main issue which is the complete breakdown in whatever relationship there was between the manager and the board.

Rodgers occasionally veers towards that territory, he drops a few hints about his frustrations then quickly gets back to the script of not providing any grounds for his dismissal.

Towards the end of Friday’s media conference he was asked about the possibility of leaving before the season, he laughed at the suggestion, underlining again the lessons learned from February 2019.

Rodgers resigning would be ideal for the Celtic board, through their network of messengers all sorts of claims could be laid on the departing manager while the real guilty men lurk in the boardroom shadows.

There will be pre and post match interviews for today’s match before the circus moves into a critical week where the shape of the 25/26 season is decided.

QUESTION: Brendan, maybe start with the after effects of of the other night. Alistair Johnston, what’s the update from him?

RODGERS: Not great. He’ll probably be about 12 weeks. He’s obviously had his scan yesterday. It’s disappointing for him because he’s come back and started well. That’s where we’re at.

QUESTION: As you say, disappointing for him first and foremost, but how big a blow for you and the squad given how important he is?

RODGERS: I think when you lose any player, especially of that calibre, then it is a disappointment, but it’ll provide an opportunity for someone to step in and we know we have Tony Ralston.

I’ve got young Colby Donovan who, as a young player here, has really impressed me over the time I’ve been back here and in this last 12 months, he’s made great strides. It’s always an opportunity for someone, but of course for Ali, we just want to make sure that we’re in a really good position in all competitions when he gets back.

QUESTION: So you see that being an internal replacement rather than one that changes your transfer plans?

RODGERS: It’s my first look. My first look is always inside, and that’s something that we’ll gain more clarity over the next week or so. That’s certainly my first look.

QUESTION: How do you look back on the other night? Yeah, it’s a 0-0 draw and you’re still in the tie, but as we discussed after the game, there’s a lot of negativity around, there was so much in the post-match analysis from everywhere else. How do you feel about it now?

RODGERS: I’m very stable on it. Naturally, you’re disappointed you didn’t win. This team have given me a lot of value in this early part of the season. Working very hard on preseason, started our league season really well.

We didn’t start well in the first half, which I’ve said all along, the first five minutes of games is really important and for some reason, we were a bit lethargic and lacked energy and lacked speed and tempo. When only a few days earlier on the Friday, we were excellent in all of that. That was the only disappointment, but second half we were better.

I was just explaining to our new players that nil-nil will always feel like a disaster here.

QUESTION: You have to live with that because the demands here are to win. And sometimes even winning one-nil can feel that way as well.

RODGERS: The reality is we’re still very much in that tie, and in many ways, it’s fairly simple now because I think the expectation going into the game was from people outside that this will be an easy tie and we’ve won 5-0 before against a team from Kazakhstan and won other games, 5-2, and of course we’d love to have done that.

But we didn’t, but we’re still very much in the tie, and we know what’s at stake, and we will go there on Tuesday to look to qualify. It’s, as I said, in certain moments of the game, we could have been better. It’s still 0-0 and we still have a big chance of qualification.

QUESTION: You say you’re talking to new players there about you know, just kind of Celtic in general. The 0-0 is like a disaster, but have you sensed that focus burning in the days since that the players are ready for this? They’re ready to go over and have that tough fit to Kazakhstan. They’re fully focused on the task at hand?

RODGERS: Our full focus is on tomorrow. That’s the reality, and that’s the difference between working in this as a profession and working in this within media or other circles. You just can’t bypass the next game and go straight to that. I haven’t even thought about that too much.

We’ve analysed the game; we’ll refresh our team tomorrow because it is a massive game for us on Tuesday. But still, our focus is very much on our game against Livingston. I believe when that game comes on Tuesday, we’ll be in a really good place to get through.

QUESTION: Is it difficult when this tie, this magnitude, put it to one side, even though it’s only a few days away. Is it difficult or is it something you get used to with that?

RODGERS: It’s very easy. Of course, you analyse the game afterwards and then look to prepare for the next game because I think that is the danger that you look too far ahead. We have a game to perform well in at home and continue with our really good start to the domestic league and we want to continue with that tomorrow.

QUESTION: Just in terms of other injuries, there were some fears from supporters, looked like Daizen might have pulled up at the end. Is he okay? Is everyone else okay from Wednesday night?

RODGERS: Adam Idah is struggling with his knee. Auston Trusty could be out for a bit with a plantar fascia issue that he’s had.

Daizen has just, we’ve probably had to use him more than we would have liked, but he’s okay. Just a bit stiff and crampy, but yeah, apart from that injury-wise, it’s probably the same squad.

QUESTION: And when you were after the match on Wednesday, there were a lot of questions directed towards you that you’d been unable to answer at that point. In terms of the situation you find yourself in, how much, if any, has this situation impacted your long-term aspect of this football club?

RODGERS: Not at all. I think that I’m still in the same position. I need to one, earn the right to be here. Of course, I want what’s best for Celtic. And I want us to be really successful in this short to long period. But people try and look to find that conflict between me and the board or me and whoever. It really isn’t the case.

The board here at the football club have over many years managed the financial side of the game and run the club to an impeccable level. My job here as the football manager is to really drive and demand and for us to live in a cycle where we can, okay, we understand that we will lose some players, but it doesn’t have this massive impact that it seems to sometimes do and that we can just lose big players and then bring in other ones. That is the cycle I want us to be in. But there’s certainly no conflict.

Everyone at this club from the board to myself, we want the very, very best for Celtic. And for me, longer term, I don’t think so much as a manager. We had the chances over the summer, but I said now the season starts, I only want to think of the football. I didn’t want to think of the contract. Just think of the football. And that will come away later on if it does.

QUESTION: Some fans will have been wondering you will be walking before then considering the situation? Can you just put their fears at rest?

RODGERS: Absolutely no chance. We’ve done that one before. It didn’t go down well. I said from the first day and there’s no hidden messages and there’s no this and that. I said I’ll be here for three years, I’m here for three years.

QUESTION: We spoke to Callum afterwards and he spoke quite passionately about the need for unity at this point. I take it you would echo that in terms of when this club all works together, that’s when you’ve found that blueprint?

RODGERS: I’ve said that repetitively over my time here. Everyone in unison at this club is a real, real strong force. But I do understand where supporters are coming from. The supporters pay, they want the best team on the pitch as early as it possibly can be and they have every right to feel frustrated or air that when it’s possible.

But certainly what my message would be is that, of course, everyone together and unified, that’s the real strength of Celtic and I’ve always felt that and that hopefully can be the case.

QUESTION: Can fans expect any imminent arrivals or is there anything closer to going out?

RODGERS: I don’t have anything new to tell you. I know that Marco Tilio will leave. But nothing imminent on any new arrivals.

QUESTION: And you’ve spoken about in recent times of trying to control the narrative and set the narrative for your players. Has that been a particular challenge recently because even at the game and you hear the chants and so much talk of transfers and the media as well. Is it hard, has it been hard to kind of set the players away from all that talk?

RODGERS: I think on a day-to-day basis, we’re very much focused here and on the positivity of how we work and how we play and concentrate on performance really. I think that’s more the case of just stabilising the performance.

And I think we’ve actually seen that, the 45 minutes of the first half the other night wasn’t what we would have wanted. But in the main, it’s been pretty straightforward. I think it’s only if you follow the noise and get attracted to it. But we have a big job to do here on the football front. The players here, like I said, they’re working so hard, the ones that are here and they’re doing the very, very best.

QUESTION: Brendan, just on Adam’s injury, I mean, how sad is that for him? He’s already gone through a tough time, I guess.

RODGERS: His availability has been very good since he’s been here, Adam. It’s not quite dropping for him yet in terms of the goals. But he is working hard and he is trying to do the right things. But it doesn’t go down easy either. He’s had some knocks before and played through them and put himself out there for the team. We’ll see how he responds over the next 24 hours, but I think he could be a doubt for tomorrow. And it is a shame for him but he’s a strong boy and hopefully if he is out, it won’t be for too long.

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QUESTION: Has that result the other night maybe, and injuries as well, has that maybe accelerated things in terms of trying to bring some bodies in before the last few days?

RODGERS: I don’t think it has to. I think there is a need for it if we’re going to go on and have the season that we have. Like I said, I would have liked it to have been now because in a performance level, these are massive games. These are big games that set the tone for your season. However, if the players arrive late, later than what we would have liked, if they’re here, then we can still be happy. But I don’t think any injuries or anything that’s come up in the last few days has changed what we needed.

QUESTION: With Daizen, you mentioned you may have to use him a bit more often than you would have liked at this stage of the season, with Adam being a doubt as well. Will that make you kind of have to play him even if you don’t really want to play him tomorrow as well?

RODGERS: I would never put the player at risk ever. The player’s centric to all of this here, and if he’s not ready to play tomorrow or he’s feeling anything, there’s any sort of doubt, we wouldn’t start him.

I think it’s one, I think if you look back to last year and we had a really, really consistent year last year, especially in the first six months. All of that was based around the ability to be able to refresh the team and take players on and off, and that kept the energy, kept the tempo, everything in the team, and the football’s great and when you can’t do that, there’s an effect that it has.

And for the likes of Daizen, he’s had to, like I said, he’s had to play a little bit more than we would have liked. But he’s still in good condition, good place, but we won’t take any risk with him tomorrow if he’s still feeling it.

QUESTION: With Auston Trusty, is that one where rest is the only real remedy, plantar fascia?

RODGERS: Normally, it can be a period of time that one. I’ve had a few players who have had that before and sometimes it can be an operation.

It can be a really sore one when you when you plant the foot and so we normally have to wait and see on those ones. But that’s my experience of players having them before.

QUESTION: Obviously got Livingston first, but in terms of Tuesday have you guys spoken about how you’re going to handle that? We hear about staying on UK time, all that kind of thing. Is that the plan?

RODGERS: We’ll stay in UK time. We’ve had experience of it before. As soon as the tie came out, all the logistics, all the operational side of it was planned and prepared, and we’ll leave early Sunday and virtually get a day of travelling and then we’ll be able to stay in our time zone, and that’s worked well for us before. Train Monday, game Tuesday and hopefully job done.

QUESTION: You expecting much the same from Livingston as you’re used to?

RODGERS: I’m really looking forward to seeing David Martindale. I really like him and obviously still been in contact with him because I was conscious that when I came back here and then they weren’t in the league, and when I was here the first time they were they were in the league.

I do like him. I like his passion. I think he’s done a brilliant job at Livingston, and so happy for him and his club because it’s a very, very good club that they’re they’re back in.

What do we expect? They have played, been playing sort of 4-2-3-1 and done really well to get promoted last year. They’ll come up, they’ve had a good result against Falkirk. So they’ll come to us and want to do well in the game. And David’s side’s always make it difficult for you. I think they’ll they’ll look to get balls into the box, deliver it and we have to be really on the game to get a result.