Brendan Fraudgers!

BR: I thought our intensity for a lot of the game, considering we played a few nights ago, was huge.

BR: We were a little bit inconsistent in or play in the first-half but at half-time we made some adjustments to allow us to play quickly.


BR: I thought in the second-half we were a lot stronger and scored some very good goals.


BR on @StuArmstrong16: He's at a real high level at the minute with an inbuilt brain for the goal. All round brilliant again for us.


BR on James Forrest: Minor injury, out for no more than a couple of weeks.





SECOND-HALF tactical adjustments helped Celtic win the three points at Firhill tonight but Brendan Rodgers believes his team’s dig and determination ultimately proved decisive in their 4-1 win over Partick Thistle.

Stuart Armstrong’s goal five minutes before half-time gave the Hoops a slender advantage after a frustrating first-half, but a positional shuffling of the pack following the restart allowed the champions to power into a three-goal lead in the space of five minutes, with Armstrong grabbing his second and Leigh Griffiths making it 3-0 on 50 minutes.

The home side pulled a goal back on the hour mark in the midst of an action-packed 10 minutes but Celtic were soon three clear again when Callum McGregor powered home a cut-back from Emilio Izaguirre with less than 10 minutes left.

The result sent the Celts 11 points clear at the top of the table and clinched their 12th domestic victory on the bounce. And the manager praised his team for battling to claim the win after a tough trip to Manchester on Tuesday where they concluded their Champions League journey with an impressive 1-1 draw with Manchester City.

“Our intensity for a lot of the game, considering we played two days ago, was huge,” he said. “First-half our positioning on the field wasn’t so good and our game was too slow. The passes were too long and sideways and backwards too much.

“We want to keep possession and penetrate but we were inconsistent in the first-half but still our intensity to press the game was good. We ended up getting a very good first goal and then at half-time made some adjustments to get some numerical advantages in key areas to play quickly through the thirds and from that, second-half we were fluid in our play and scored three very good goals.”

Armstrong’s goals marked his fourth and fifth in 10 games for Celtic, underlining the midfielder’s resurgence under his new manager in recent months.

The former Dundee United star was a threat throughout the 90 minutes and was once more commended for his contribution by the Hoops boss.

“He is at a real high level,” he said. “If you look at his first goal he shows desire to get in the box. He’ll always have that and even when we played him like I did at right-back, he’ll still look like he’ll score. He has an in-built brain for finding the goal.

“The second was a wonderful strike, shifting it on to his left foot and the power he’s generated with that, he’s bent it out and finished it really well, and his pass for the fourth goal was sublime. It was a real deadweight pass for Emilio to then pull it back for Callum to finish.

“He’s pressing the game really well and they’re all working well together but Stu’s on a real high level.”

Celtic's run of nine games in December continues with the visit of Hamilton on Tuesday at Paradise, but after watching his team go 11 points clear at the top of the table ahead of the weekend’s fixtures, the managed added that he has faith in his side to continue picking up points.

“Confidence is high within the team,” he added. “They all respect we’ve a lot of games to play and it’s very early but we’ve a lot of ambition over the course of the season. They understand we need to have intensity and pressure in every game.

“Leigh came in and got a great assist for the first goal and scored a great goal himself on the back of his pressing right from the kick-off. And Gary came in to the picture and did well to the hour. We’ll look at him evolving and improving as well so there are many positives from the team.”

 

a young BR at Ballymena United

 

Like a fine wine, Brendan clearly just gets better with age

 

aye that's true what a guy.

 

another one of Young Brendan

 

JK: Brendan has got the full package, he ticks all the boxes and has filled the players with confidence.


JK on Brendan Rodgers: In terms of an ideal manager, from what I've come across, he's it.

 

shocked to see him without kt .

 

Welcome to Celtic Brendan Rodgers.

 

W W W W W D W W W W W W W W W W W W W Brendan Rodgers has the best domestic start of ANY Celtic manager in history.

 

BR: "We didn't quite hit the heights which is understandle with the number of games we have played, but we showed the same desire."



BR: "As a collective, we weren't as fluent but we combined really well for the goal."


BR on @acciesfc: "They were very well organised so we had to be patient. We got the job done."

BR: "The boys had to dig in. The game should have been over long before it was but we saw it through which is a credit to the players."


BR: "Mental fitness is important [at this point in the season]. The number of games and level we have played at makes recovery important."



BR: "We want to play fast football and score lots of goals but when you don't, it's about 'can you still win?'"

BR: "To keep winning, you need to show drive and desire and we did that."



CELTIC struggled to hit the heights of their recent scintillating form in tonight’s 1-0 win over Hamilton Accies, but Brendan Rodgers praised his team for still getting the job done.

The champions recorded their 10th league win on the bounce thanks to Leigh Griffiths’ solitary first-half strike, and could have added to their tally throughout the game as chances were continuously created, but the Hoops couldn’t find the killer touch to make their possession count and were forced to settle for the narrow but deserved 1-0 win.

The victory, while not as emphatic as many of their recent triumphs, was still enough to put the Bhoys 11 points clear at the top of the SPFL Premiership with two games in hand, and the manager praised his team for getting over the line.

“Throughout most of this season we have performed at a really high level and some games we haven’t,” he said. “Tonight was one of those games where we didn’t quite hit the heights, which is understandable with the number of games we’ve played, but we showed a desire and persistence to keep going.

“Hamilton were very well-organised. They’ve lost a lot of goals here in the past so they were never going to open up, but they had a back-five, midfield diamond, one up front and young players with good energy who work, so we had to be really patient in the game. We got the job done in the end and it was a good victory for us.”

Tonight’s match was Celtic’s fourth in the month of December, with another five games still to be played between now and December 31.

Such a demanding run on the back of 31 competitive games already played this season can have its toll, the manager added, but he said his team have the mental fitness to keep striving for performances and results.

“Think of the number of games this group has played and the level they’ve been playing at,” he said. “Our last game against Partick Thistle and the level they got to that night second-half, they have to recover, come straight into a game like tonight and it’s very much about that mental fitness.

“We all want to play beautiful football with goals but you can’t always do that and when you aren’t, can you still win? It shows the mark of the team that they can get through that, get the end result, which is a victory.

“When you’re winning the attitude is very simple - work like you’re losing and keep working and be relentless. If you’re going to succeed you need drive, desire and many qualities to keep winning and we show that in bucket-loads.”

 

Brendan, take a * bow mate!

Made history tonight!

:brendy:

 

:brendy:

 

amazing stuff this season.

 

Could have been so much better without the draw.