BRENDAN RODGERS has revealed that he has held a private meeting with his players to update them on developments at the club and to re-sssure them that he has no plans to leave the club due to last week’s comments that appeared to criticise the Celtic board for not delivering on his transfer targets.
“I spoke to the players just to stabilise them a little bit,’ Rodgers admitted.
“I think that despite the noise it’s important the players understand the real story. There was never once that I said I was quitting Celtic. And there was never once that I said I’d given an ultimatum to the board.
“What I said was we wanted the squad to be stronger.
“There’s no effect really. It’s always a difficult period of the season – juggling your league campaign with your Champions League qualification,” Brendan said.
Rodgers, who will be made aware of the latest media activity from Dedryck Boyata this morning – his Instagram message we reported about in the wee small hours – see HERE and his interview with a Belgium website which emerged this morning – see HERE.
It’s hard not to feel sorry for Brendan when you look at the way Boayata has acted. Rodgers, not the low-life agent, is responsible more than anyone for Boyata’s star shining brightly. Many others, including Chris Sutton, will label him a bomb-scare – see HERE.
Sutton also labelled Boyata a disgrace for his recent behaviour.
Rodgers spoke about the bids that Celtic rejected from Fulham, Olympiakos and Fenerbahce that led to the player’s agent Jacques Lichtenstein throwing a hand grenade into the situation and then Boyata going this clown his 100% backing this morning.
Officially missing from the defeat to Hearts with an injury, Rodgers would not be drawn on the reason for the Belgian’s absence in Greece.
“I feel for the players,’ Brendan said. “This is a guy who has been with us on our journey for the last couple of years.
“One we supported as a team and a management in what was a difficult period for Dedryck when we first came in.
“For him to then grow like he did, we’re now at a period of the season when we really need our best players who are fit and available.
“It’s the guys that I feel for. I understand the situation and I respect the situation Dedryck is in. But I feel for his team-mates.
“This is a game where we need our centre half and if you’re fit we would have hoped he’d have been with us.
“He’s not, so we just have to move on and look at the players who are here to hopefully get us through.”
