TOM ROGIC today revealed that he never considered leaving Celtic, not even for the huge riches that would have been on offer for such a hugely talented player such as Celtic Australian superstar.
Rogic is absolutely adored by the Celtic support and the news that he signed a new contract yesterday evening to commit himself to the Celtic cause for another 5 years, was greeted with widespread joy and perhaps a little surprise.
Plenty of glass half empty supporters reckoned we were about to lose our most creative player. That though was always wide of the mark and something that not even the big Aussie could control.
For Rogic is very well aware of the Celtic cause and he knows that he is in a fortunate place being able to work with a manager as impressive as Brendan Rodgers.
“There was only ever one thought on my mind,” Rogic said. “I can’t control what’s going on outside but within my own mind I wanted to stay here.
“No-one had to sell the Celtic vision going forward too much, it sells itself. I’ve been here five years now so I know certainly what the club is about. I didn’t need any more convincing.
“Obviously over the last couple of years we’ve been successful and the manager has been a big part of that, so I’m excited to be working under him.
“My relationship with the manager was very important to my decision but the club is the reason I stayed.
“The manager is the best manager I’ve worked with and I feel I’ve grown under him. I just need to keep working hard and I’ll be able to become an even better player.”
“I certainly feel I’ve got levels still to reach. There’s an element where I can be proud of what I’ve achieved at the club so far but I certainly feel I have a lot more to give.
“I’ve progressed my whole time here but I don’t want to stop at that. I’ll keep striving for better.”
Rogic of course is back at Hampden tomorrow for a Scottish Cup Final. Last year he started on the bench but a first half injury to Kieran Tierney saw Rodgers shuffle the pack (copyright Dave King) and move Callum McGregor to left back and Rogic went into the Number 10 spot.
The last minute in that game is the stuff of legend, up their with Henrik’s goals in the 6-2 game and against Boavista in the UEFA Cup as the iconic Celtic moments of this century. Even the weather obliged adding to the drama and the theatre as Rogic drifted past the Aberdeen defenders to score the most beautiful goal imaginable. The lightening strike simply added to the magnificence of it all.
“I wasn’t aware of (the lightening) at the time but people have told me about it since.
“It’s hard to describe how it felt to score that goal in those circumstances.
“It’s a day I’m never going to forget and of course they are memories I can look back on.
“But tomorrow is a new day and it’s a completely different match, so (last year) doesn’t count for much. Now we’ve got a chance to create new memories.
“We know what we were able to achieve last year and we’re one game away from matching it. We were confident last year as we are in all games and tomorrow is no different.”
LAST NIGHT The Celtic Star Podcast – A Celtic State of Mind won the prestigious The Podcast of the Year Award at the Football Blogging Awards in London.
The latest podcast is out this morning – it’s part 2 of the brilliant interview with Celtic’s SLO John Paul Taylor where he selects the games and the soundtracks of his own personal Celtic journey. Loved his memories of the 4-2 game in the first part of his interview. Here’s the latest instalment from the UK’s Football podcast of the year…
Listen to “John Paul Taylor with A Celtic State of Mind (Part 2/3)” on Spreaker.
