Brendan Fraudgers!

Me, too (thirty-one).

 

ffs RIP

 

BR at Ibrox
You've got to fight. Especially when you come to places like here, you're not just playing for points. You're defending the culture of your club and the history of your club."

https://streamable.com/nkuoy

 

You not posted this before? Old yin?

 

aye I have but I love that quote from BR.

 

Me too

 

:brendy:

 

It is fitting that Celtic’s tentative steps towards the third leg of domestic Treble should come against Albion Rovers in the Scottish Cup this weekend.

As the Parkhead side unveil a series of events this summer to mark the 50th anniversary of the Lisbon Lions and their 1967 triumph against Inter Milan, Brendan Rodgers will look to deliver a modern day success story in keeping with Jock Stein’s philosophy.

Stein oversaw the most successful years in Celtic’s history, the apogee of which came when the club became the first British side to win the European Cup.

Stein’s playing career began at Albion Rovers where he spent eight seasons, and Rodgers is well aware of how significant a shadow he casts over any subsequent incumbents of the Celtic managerial seat.

Other than Stein, Martin O’Neill is the only other Celtic manager to win a domestic Treble – Stein won two – and while Rodgers will do his utmost to protect his players from absorbing the pressure that accompanies that expectation this term, his own belief is that he carries a responsibility to deliver a style of playing that embraces the attacking culture that was celebrated by his great predecessor.

"It was incredible what Jock did, when you see the story of where they were beforehand,” said Rodgers. “He was way ahead of his time, along with the [Bill] Shanklys of this world.

"I was fortunate to have grown up with Celtic and I was aware of what he did and the background to it. But to come in to the club and see it all first-hand, to see what he achieved, his philosophy and how he managed players, is great. He also managed to inspire those players over 15 years. To strive and have the energy to do that...he was some manager.”

Rodgers attended a commemorative night for the Lisbon Lions which was held in the Kerrydale suite at Celtic Park last month, an event that left such an impression that he called upon the current players to appreciate the magnitude of the achievement.

“They won five trophies that season, playing 60-odd games, a fabulous achievement and I took that back and shared it with our players,” said the Celtic manager. “The will the Lions had to keep going, to keep fighting; it was sensational, really.

“John Clark is here on a daily basis, of course, so I see him all the time and Bobby Lennox occasionally. I sat next to Stevie Chalmers that evening and I’ve met Billy McNeill from time to time. They are the reason I’m here – I’m here because of them, the guys who created this great history. The star at the top of the stadium is down to what they did. Of course, those fellows never had the financial rewards modern footballers get but they’re so rich in everything they’ve done for the club. They were always at the forefront of everything.”

Rodgers’ Celtic side are within two games of levelling the record set by the Lions of 26-games unbeaten at the start of a season. And while Rodgers is reluctant to bury his head in the record books, he is hungry to oversee a Celtic side who deliver success by playing in a certain style.

“I said at the beginning of the season that our appetite and desire to create history is important,” he said. “Celtic is a winning club and winning in the best possible way you can. Sometimes players, especially if they are protected around a big club, just do enough to win.

“For us, from my first day here, it is promoting the philosophy that you win in the best way you can, that you break as many records as you can and win as well as you can. You fight and defend the culture of the club and all these aspects come into it.

“But I never drown under all the stats and what it means. For me it is about preparing the team for the next game, as boring and unromantic as that is. That is the job.”

And while there is inevitable chat about a Treble given that the League Cup and effectively the league are already won, Rodgers has not given any big pep talks to his players about performing a clean sweep this season, opting instead to soak up any of the expectations that surround the club.

“I tend to depressurise the players,” he said. “I take the pressure and I have no problem with that. But I depressurise the players in order that they can go and perform. I think there are so many things going on, especially in the modern game where there can be so many things going on – media, social media, everything – we narrow the focus on performance.

“Because the consequence of performing is that you win games and then maybe that brings all the other things you talk about. You think about it bit by bit and we set targets; qualification for the Champions league, done. League Cup, done…nest thing is what? Title. Can we win the title?

“Then there are performance goals in that. Goals we score, goals we concede, can we be ruthless in terms of records that are out there, be the best that we can be. If you do that then everything else happens naturally but don’t worry about the fantasy side of it.”

 

THIS Sunday, Brendan Rodgers will enjoy his first experience of the Scottish Cup as a participant when he takes his Celtic side to the Excelsior Stadium to face Albion Rovers in the fourth round of the competition.

Not surprisingly, the Hoops go into the tie as overwhelming favourites to see off their League One opponents, having remained unbeaten domestically so far this season. That impressive run of form has seen the League Cup successfully won, while the team currently enjoy a 19-point lead at the top of the Premiership, and with a game in hand over their nearest rivals.

It’s the first game back for the Celts following the winter break, and the players are keen get back to competitive action while the manager and his backroom staff will ensure that there is not even a trace of complacency in the ranks come the three o’clock kick-off on Sunday afternoon.

“When I was younger, you had the FA Cup and the Scottish Cup – games that you looked out for,” he said, “and the Scottish Cup has a wonderful history and great tradition and, again, another competition we would like to do well in.

“Every single game we’ve played this season, whether it’s Barcelona or Alloa, or whoever, we’ve always prepared with the same intensity, the same detail, and this will be no different. We’ve been monitoring them since before the break, when we knew who we had, we’ve done all our reports, looking at how they play.

“Of course, it’s on a neutral ground but the preparation doesn’t change. The minute it does, that’s when you have a problem, so as a coaching team we need to ensure that every aspect of the game is covered so that we can give the players enough confidence to go out and do their job and enjoy the game.”

And the manager has, more or less, got a full squad to choose from, although the game has come to early for new Bhoy, Kouassi Eboue, while Leigh Griffiths, who has had issues with his calf, may miss out until the midweek league game against St Johnstone, although the striker has been training this week.

 

He's been buzzing since he arrived here. Always a smile on his face. Easy to tell he loves every moment here.

He wouldn't get that at most clubs down south. I think he will have a go with another big but he has the best part of 25 years ahead of him yet so won't be thinking anything anytime soon about his next club.

 

BR: "Thought it was a very good, professional performance. We had good tempo right through the game."


BR: "Positionally, we could have been better. We had a lot of the ball and our transition was good, and we got the ball back quickly."


BR: "At half-time, we said, if you are playing against teams behind the ball, that's what you expect."


BR: "@albionrovers defended well but we needed to get the ball down the sides more which would give us more space on the inside."


BR: "You could see that in the second half, we got the ball to our wingers to be creative and aggressive & we created opportunities."

BR: "@Scotty_Sinclair 's goal was that bit of magic and quality, and he was outstanding throughout the game


BR on being paired with @ICTFC in @ScottishFA Cup draw "You always want a home draw. When it comes we know it will be a tough game."

BR on return of @kierantierney1 "Kieran looked like he hadn't been away, dynamic on that side. He and Scott have a great combination



BR: "In the last few weeks in training, he has been great, and today he was really focused with no mistakes. He was very good."

 

He's just a pathetic child

 

What?