On the eve of a brand new Scottish Premiership season, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers will gather his players around Lennoxtown where he will outline his targets via a PowerPoint presentation - or something of that ilk.

Rodgers will make demands of his players. Significant ones at that. The Celtic supporters demand success. So does Rodgers. It's bred into the very fabric of Celtic's football culture. Tommy Burns was right all along. The Celtic badge on the front represents a community and a cause. Rodgers feels it every day. It doesn't weigh him down. He relishes the challenge. A Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup double were won during Rodgers' first season back in charge for his second Parkhead stint.

The two pieces of domestic silverware yielded a decent return but they can always win three can't they? Although the men in green and white tumbled out of the Champions League at the group stage against Atletico Madrid, Lazio and Feyenoord last season. They must do better on the European scene. Even the manager acknowledges that.

Celtic can always do better. That has been and always will be Rodgers' managerial mantra. Rodgers will set the club four tasks during that players' meeting. Win the three domestic trophies and qualify for the knockout phase in the new Champions League tournament. Can Celtic rise to all four? Despite going in search of their 13th title in the last 14 seasons, Rodgers will never let complacency creep in down Glasgow's east end not when there is still so much left for him and his team to achieve.

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The Irishman said: "Targets are something that we’ll speak about before, that’s part of my presentation tomorrow.

"You come through your pre-season getting fit and then the season starts. At Celtic, a lot of these are self-explanatory. You’ve got three trophies domestically, and four big challenges. To win them is the target, and the Champions League one is to qualify for the play-offs at the end of January. There will be other little targets that I’ll speak with players individually on in terms of their own personal targets and how they can improve.

"Some will say it’s very difficult in the modern game because you win the next game. I think it’s always nice to have a signpost of where you want to go and making the first step is always important. You might not see the very top of the staircase, but as long as you start and start the right way and make the right first steps then you can get to where you want to get to. I think having a signpost to where you want to go is important.

"Complacency is not within our psyche and a manager’s psyche and a player’s psyche. I think it’s natural that others can think that and you can just win, but no chance. We’re measured on our own standard and our own standards are domestically being really strong. I’m always mindful of the fact that complacency doesn’t ever enter my mind because we didn’t win all of our trophies last year. We won two and lost out on one. Domestically, we have got to make up for that, and then in Europe, we have to be better. As simple as that, you can’t beat about the bush. You look at where we’re at, we have to be better.

"To be better you need quality. If you’re going to improve on that then we need to find that. It’s as simple as that. That’s our drive and motivation, and that’s something that the ambition is burning for us to be the best we can be.

"For me, I want us to be able to get into a play-off position and I think that it’s the balance because you’re playing teams that are really high level, but you’ve now got eight games. We are also being realistic as well, the club has only won one game in so many years at home. That should not stop us from pushing, and I think that with the right quality of players at that level that can help us, I believe we can do that. I’ve got every confidence that we can do that.

He continued "We were very close last year, and some were unhappy because we didn’t qualify. However, if you come away and look at the games, we won one game and could have very easily won the other two, and maybe we could have done. The games away from home were close as well, the Atletico Madrid game away was a tough one for us. For me, success will always be to try and come out of the group stages, but I know what we need for that. Otherwise, it will be a challenge for us. We’ll always look to play in the way we want to play.

"When you are at a club like Celtic it is very much a special challenge in every single game. It doesn't lessen just because you have had a successful season. For us, it is much the same idea, we come in and our objective is to win every domestic trophy.

"You can't hide behind anything other than that and we are in an exciting Champions League format and we want to see if we can get to the playoff stage of that. Alongside that, for me, it will be looking at the football performance and the consistency of that."

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(Image: GT)

So far only goalkeepers Kasper Schmeichel, Viljami Sinisalo and Paulo Bernardo have been added to the squad ranks. Rodgers knows what he wants and needs to strengthen his side to make them more competitive on all fronts.

However, there has been increased disgruntlement and disillusionment with the club hierarchy at the lack of transfer activity thus far in the window in terms of incomings but Rodgers is adamant and steadfast in his belief that the business will get done and Celtic will be stronger come August 30.

He remains relaxed and calm about it all which is more than can be said for the rank-and-file Celtic supporters. He said: "We want to improve, yes. Of that, there is no doubt. I am not going to get caught up in negative and toxic energy around signings and everything else. Every club will finish the season and then expects to be stronger in the next season. We are no different.

"Do we want to improve? Yes. Does the board know that? Yes. I would expect us to add to that and be stronger by the time the window closes. We still have just under four weeks to bring the players in that will hopefully be the difference for us. I am quite relaxed about it.

"In my mind, I can put a number on how many players we want to bring in but not openly. If I gave you a number it would be held against me. I know internally what I want in my mind to help us. We can only really assess the window once it is done. Our duty is to the supporters and to give them the best team that we possibly can because they deserve that. The support they give the club and the money they spend at this club, so we as a football club have to give them the best team that we possibly can.

"As long as by August 31, we have improved our team and our squad then we will all be very happy and we can move on."

First up is a visit from Derek McInnes's Kilmarnock on Sunday the same team whom Celtic thrashed 5-0 at Rugby Park back in May to clinch the title in superb style with a performance from the ages.

Rodgers will welcome back Cameron Carter-Vickers and German winger Nicolas Kuhn but Japanese wideman Daizen Maeda is rated touch-and-go with a bruised knee.

Rodgers said: "There is always a challenge with Derek's (McInnes) teams. He's a fantastic coach. I watched the game last night (v Cercle Brugge) and he would be disappointed. It was difficult conditions, very hot. It doesn't take away from the job that he has done. To be sat watching Kilmarnock in a European game is a testament to the work that he and his staff have done.

"I know that every time we play Kilmarnock we have to be at our very best. That's what we aim to be at the weekend. It is a tough start for us but we have to go and make that first step a good step."

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Meanwhile, Lisbon Lion Jim Craig will be handed the honour of unfurling the flag on Sunday. Rodgers said: "Jim Craig is a club legend, and he carries himself like a legend with class and integrity.

"I’ve known Jim around the club for a long time, so it’s really nice for him and the family. It’s a great way to symbolise the achievement of last season and then begin with the defence of this season. There is no better guy to do that."

Let the Scottish Premiership 2024/25 season begin. What would you give to be a fly on the wall when Rodgers gives his PowerPoint presentation to those Celtic players this weekend?