Brendan Fraudgers!

Two games defeated domestically in BRs reign. Thats all I'm saying. I was * off getting defeated but we are still on course to doing potentially a domestic treble.

 

Steady

 

Any word from Brendan about Boyata and Ajer length of time out?

 

Dedryck is a doubt for next week.

Ajer is confident he can make it.

From the latest up in the injury thread.

 

Cheers bud!

 

Former Hoops captain Gary Caldwell was inspired to throw his hat into the ring for the vacant Scotland job following a visit to Brendan Rodgers’ office.

Caldwell spent two days at Lennoxtown in December when he oversaw Celtic’s training and spent a bit of time picking Rodgers’ brains.

The 35-year-old is keen to take over from Gordon Strachan and believes the manner in which the Parkhead side have supplied the nucleus of the Scotland squad can aid the process of qualification for the 2020 European Championships.

Whoever gets the Scotland job will have something of a hotline to Celtic Park given the volume of players who routinely swap the green-and-white of their day job for the dark blue of their country.

“At the beginning of December I was up at Celtic for the game against Anderlecht in the Champions League and ended up spending a few days at Lennoxtown,” said Caldwell. “Brendan [Rodgers] was brilliant with me. There was just so much to take in from the way he trains and how professional he is and it was great for me to go in and see that.

“As I said to Brendan, I actually felt that you could see the performance levels of Scotland go up with the improvement at Celtic. With so many players coming from Parkhead and into the national team, you could feel the rise in standard at one point.

“Essentially, that is what you are looking to do as an international manager. You want to replicate club form with the national team and if you have players looking to compete in the Champions League very year then that experience, as I know full well myself, definitely helps to prepare you for international football.

“It is no coincidence that Spain done so well with a core of Barcelona players, that Germany did so well with many coming from Bayern Munich. That helps to forge a club mentality. But, certainly, being back at Celtic and chatting with Brendan gave me real lift again.”

 

BR: We want to put a strong team out and I’m always confident that whatever team I put out will get the result. There isn’t any rotation we need to think about. It’s just about picking the team to win the game."

BR: "It’s just been one of these seasons where we’ve had a lot of injuries this year and a lot of bad luck but whatever team we put out will look to win the game. That’s our idea for Saturday as we look to get through to the quarter finals.

BR: "It’s a cup that we want to win like every competition we’ve been in. It’s a really prestigious competition and we really enjoyed winning it last year. The nature of how we won it as well was really special."


BR on injuries: "Ajer had a nasty knock to his achilles but should be ok for the weekend. Boyata will struggle. Simunovic will be in because we’re playing on grass. Rogic and Roberts have re-joined training but they’re still a bit away.

BR: "I don’t think Boyata will be ready for Thursday. The medical team said it would be around a couple of weeks. We’re assessing the rest of the players day by day. It’s an unfortunate situation that we’re in but we get on with it."

 

That stare he gives McLaughlin at the end of the question

 

Brendan Rodgers has told “obsessed” Craig Levein that he will find himself in bother with the SFA following his remarks about Celtic skipper Scott Brown yesterday.

The Hoops skipper had suggested in Monday’s SportTimes that Levein’s remarks last week that “everyone in Scottish football needed protection from Scott Brown” made him a marked man, with referee Kevin Clancy booking him at Rugby Park on Saturday for his first foul.

That prompted Levein to open the argument up again with an accusation that Brown got himself booked deliberately in order to ensure he would be fit for the next game against Rangers on Match 10th.

Brown’s one-game suspension will kick in for the league meeting with St Johnstone game next weekend and Rodgers was incredulous that Levein had gone to such lengths as to work out Celtic’s forthcoming schedule.

“He is obviously fairly obsessed by our captain,” said Rodgers. “It is a credit to Scott that you’ve got another manager, who is not even playing against him, talking about him. I don’t think you need to say any more.

“If that is what has been said – and I haven’t seen it yet so I have to see it – then he might have something to answer on that.”

Asked about Levein’s study of Celtic’s schedule of games, Rodgers shrugged and said: “Well, he is obsessed then. Christ.”

Meanwhile, Celtic’s defensive injuries have been boosted with the return of Kristoffer Ajer for this weekend.

The defender injured his achilles last weekend but would appear to be fine for the William Hill Scottish Cup tie against Partick Thistle on Saturday. Dedyrck Boyata, however, is in a race against time to be fit for Celtic’s second leg against Zenit St Petersburg in the Europa League after injuring his groin.

“Kris will hopefully be okay for the weekend,” said Rodgers. Dedryck Boyata will probably be a couple of weeks.

“But Patrick Roberts returned to training today so that’s good news for us. And then Mikael Lustig has returned over the last couple of days but we still have a few out.

“Dedryck was just unfortunate that he stretched and then there was his reaction to the surface last week he nipped his adductor and groin so he’s probably going to be a few weeks. He has obviously been for me, in the main, very very good when he’s been fit in my time here so it is unfortunate.

“It would be touch and go, I think [for return trip to Russia]. Touch and go. I think the medical team is saying a round about a couple of weeks so that would be tight.

“It’s just unfortunate. Kris hurt his achilles last week which was the same injury Nir Bitton had earlier on in the season on that surface, where you can land awkwardly and it just disrupts your achilles a little bit.

“I think the squad is starting to piece itself back together even though we still have some injuries. We have players starting to return and hopefully that will make us really strong for the last part of the season.”

 

Part 10 next week

 

Asked about Levein’s study of Celtic’s schedule of games, Rodgers shrugged and said: “Well, he is obsessed then. Christ.”

 

* class

 

Levein is a *, Brendan will kick his * in.

 

If looks could kill.

 

Needs to sort them out for Thursday massive performance needed..

He also needs Compper on the park domestically.

 

BR: "We got through which was important. But if we want to win the cup again we certainly need to defend better and play better from behind.

BR: "We started very well, our positioning was good, we got into a great lead and pressed the game well. At 2-0 up, we should have got a real good foothold in the game. We make a poor mistake which gives them a bit of oxygen."


BR: "When you make a mistake like that it gives a little bit of impetus to the other team, and it did that for the rest of the half."


BR: "He receives the ball so well and you can see how his game has come on this year again. He is a really effective player."


BR: "He has that ability and is technically very good, one of the best receivers of a ball I have ever worked with."

BR: "He has that hunger to score goals and all three of his goals were absolutely outstanding. He was the class player on the pitch and thoroughly deserves his match-ball.”






BR: “It was a really sad moment last night when we got the message through in the hotel about Liam. So young -36 years of age.


BR: "The dream of lots of Irish boys is to come across and play for Celtic, and he did that and had a fantastic career."