Brendan Rodgers has admitted his frustration at an off-field issue happening at Celtic currently, claiming the situation is a “disappointing” one.
Celtic cruise into another cup final
The Hoops faced Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup semi-finals on Saturday, in a game that looked exciting on paper, as it pitted the two teams level on points at the top of the Scottish Premiership currently against each other.
Instead, Celtic ran riot at Hampden Park, beating their rivals 6-0 and scoring three goals in either half, booking a place in the final against Rangers next month.
It was a scintillating performance by the Hoops, who once again showed why they are the most prominent team in Scotland, even though Aberdeen have impressed in their own right so far this season. While the result at Hampden was a memorable one, there was still something irking Rodgers after the game that needs to be addressed at Celtic moving forward.
Rodgers disappointed by Celtic team leaks
Speaking to reporters [via RTE], Rodgers admitted his displeasure at his Celtic starting lineups constantly being leaked before games, saying the individual doing it cannot call themselves a Hoops supporter.
“It’s obviously clearly disappointing. It’s something that we’ve seen before, and it’s not ideal, however it comes out. In the modern game, there’s no real secrets in football. That’s the reality of it. But it’s not nice when it gets out there. And especially if it’s out from Celtic supporters.
“It might feel great for someone’s ego to put it out and pass it on to other people. But I can tell you as a manager that I’ve had that before with other teams.
“And when I’ve got to know about it, it has really, really helped me in my preparation. So whoever is putting it out, if it’s someone from Celtic, you’re not a Celtic supporter. You’re not a Celtic supporter because you’re not helping Celtic. It’s as simple as that. If you’re not a Celtic supporter, we will do everything we can to find out.”
It is good to see Rodgers speak out about this problem, and as he rightly points out, the modern game is full of antics like this, with people wanting to gain notoriety, even without necessarily revealing themselves.
Supporters drink in so much content these days, with their impatience meaning they need to hear news as soon as possible, meaning even waiting until an hour before kick off to see starting lineups feels like a struggle.
If the person leaking the Celtic team supports the Hoops, they would be wise to listen to Rodgers and stop risking giving opponents an early advantage, in terms of allowing the opposition manager to know exactly what team their side will be facing.
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Thankfully, these leaks don’t appear to be having much impact on Celtic’s season currently, but the boss has spoken, and his demands need to be listened to.