Q: Do you feel the way the team played showed that they’re focused on the football, you know the performance showed that what goes on off the park will not impact the way they’re playing?
Brendan Rodgers: “I don’t want to downplay it either. I think the connection here is always the supporters and the team, and we get that real lift from our supporters, which we got. But for me it’s also making it clear to the team, and having that clarity around it, because there’s obviously controlling a lot of the noise that goes on around what was going to happen. But we can, like I said, we can control that with our confidence and with our speed and our playing and our intensity. And the players started the game well.”
No confidence banner at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock v Celtic, 14 September 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)
Q: At the end, the fans were chanting your name and clapping the players, which shows the fans are fully behind the team?
Brendan Rodgers: “100 per cent. I see this noise around about Celtic in crisis, and this sort of thing. It absolutely is not. You know, the team is coming together again.
Domestically, if you look how we how we started the season. We’re not at our best, of course we’re not, but everything that’s happening now is all natural with the changes that we’ve had and players adapting and coming in late into our structure. But whilst that’s happening, our duty and our idea is to make sure we still win games and the players are absolutely doing that, and you see that togetherness. Of course, ultimately, you want that within every sector of the club. But I think that support and that’s what the supporters won’t forget. They know that they’re there to support the team and give that encouragement to the team, and I think you sense that at the end of the game.”
Callum McGregor at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock v Celtic, 14 September 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)
Q: How important has Callum McGregor been during this? We spoke last week, he was very positive and said he’d be speaking in the dressing room and make sure they’re not distracted?
Brendan Rodgers: “No, he’s a brilliant captain, and he’s been here a long time, and he understands it, and he’s been through a few waves of turbulence in his time here. So he understands that you can’t get distracted, and he’ll be using his experience, of course, to share that message within the dressing room.
Q: Brendan, have you thought of this squad, obviously playing Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday? Will you freshen things up for the weekend or for midweek?
Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah, we’ll have a look. I think it’s just important to have a good week’s training. See where we’re at. We’d obviously no midweek game, so we’re not having to rest and recover from for that. It’s that balance between getting the rhythm in the team, to making fresh changes, so that’s something that we’ll make clear over the coming day or so.”
Alistair Johnston modelling the brand new Celtic FC x adidas Terrace Icons collection
Q: You mentioned Alistair’s making good progress. Is he ahead of schedule or where you expect him to be?
Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah, I think he is. You never know. There’s always a timeline on players whenever they’re injured. But of course, it’s then individually how they react to that, and he’s been coming along really well.”
