Brendan Rodgers today revealed that he met with Dermot Desmond along with Celtic colleagues including CEO Michael Nicholson and Finance Director Chris McKay in Dublin this week as speculation starts around the Celtic manager being set to sign a lucrative new contract at the club…
This was NOT mentioned at today’s Media Conference at Lennoxtown although the Celtic manager did reveal some details about Tuesday’s meeting in Dublin.
“His passion, his energy and enthusiasm for Celtic, it’s unswerving. His commitment to the club is incredible,” Brendan Rodgers on Dermot Desmond…
Here’s everything that was said at the Media Conference at Lennoxtown earlier today ahead of Sunday’s trip to Tannadice which remarkably will actually be Brendan’s first time there as Celtic manager!
Q: An enjoyable week, after the weekend?
Brendan Rodgers: “Absolutely, when you win an epic game like that, it is a great feeling. The players have done so, so well and a nice feeling for them and for everyone.”
Q: You mentioned before that it’s important that the players recognise and enjoy their success, isn’t it? Is that something that’s always in the forefront of your mind?
Brendan Rodgers: “Yes, I think celebrating victories at the right moment and the right time is very, very important. Otherwise, why do you do it? It was so important, especially with the free week and playing on a Sunday, we could do that. We gave them a couple of days just to recover physically and mentally and enjoy the victory. We’ve been hard at work since then. Is that partly because it’s changed days with some celebrations? 30, 40 years ago, you’d have had them to celebrate and you wouldn’t know if they’d come back into training when they were supposed to. It’s a two-way trust, you can trust them to go away and celebrate, but also look after themselves and not push. Yes, and listen, not everyone did.
“Obviously, people celebrate in their own way, but I think what I said to the players was that you deserve to celebrate and also celebrate with your family because they deserve that for everything they do and the sacrifices they make. The wives and the girlfriends and the parents and the kids. It’s so important that they can celebrate these moments and especially in such a game of that magnitude.
“And also for the supporters, it was so tense for them in the game. If you talk about a Celtic-Rangers game and the levels of anxiety, it doesn’t get much higher than that. In terms of the game, the way the game flows, getting into extra time, getting into penalties. So, that tension and anxiety that all fits around that game, for the players and the supporters to celebrate that, they have to do that. That’s what this game is about. So, yes, and then we draw a line under it and look to our next game.”
Continued on the next page…
