Why Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is in 'no rush' to leave

Brendan, it was AGM day. How did you find it all?

Like everyone, it's always great to listen in to the support base and hear what they have to ask and comment on. So, yeah, it was a nice morning.

Did Michael Nicholson love the Al Capone, Al Pacino reference in the joke at the end?

Aye, there was a wee bit of that. I was the hitman; I think he said! But it was very good. There's always some comedy value in it, but also some seriousness in there as well. It's always great for us to be able to listen to some of the points that come out of the AGM and gives us always the opportunity to improve. I think maybe a central focus was how well the club are structurally and obviously financially, as well.

For you, when you see that laid bare of just the strength of the club at the moment, how exciting a prospect is that for you as the manager?

It's very much so. I think that what I see over this last year or so having been in here and I then really see it grow and develop has been the unity. And the unity is the strength of Celtic. You look at the greatest moments in this club's history as normally being together and that's what Celtic is. And for me, that continuation of that will allow us to grow and develop even more. So that unification of the supporters, the players, the board, everyone, makes us a real, real strong group and strong club. And I'm only interested in Celtic, so I want us to be as strong as we possibly can be. So going forward, the infrastructure, the playing side, the performance side, everything, we're in a really, really good place but we have to keep improving.

On that improvement, when you came in there was a real focus on striving in Europe and reaching that next level. Now as you sit here making strides in that, do you realign or readjust your focus and your aims for the short and long term as manager as the club continues to grow and strengthen?

Not really, no. It's still exactly the same thing because we haven't done anything. There's always a nice little, I suppose, reflection after the Leipzig game and for me that was probably 12, 14 months in the making. When I said when I came in that I want us to be a really competitive team in Europe and hopefully this Champions League campaign gives Celtic supporters that feeling of what we all want, which is to be a team that's dominant domestically but can go in and really show our power as a club in Europe. That's what we've been able to do but it's sustaining that, that's what's key and that's the constant progression that we need as a club. It's not about realigning anything, the targets and objectives here are simple. Dominate Scotland and be really strong in Europe and that's something that we work very hard to do every single day.

In terms of Alistair Johnson signing him to a new long-term deal, for you I imagine a really exciting prospect to continue to work with Ali.

Yes, really pleased. I think the club are really good on that side and in the main getting players committed long-term to the club and of course it doesn't always mean that they will be there but at least it protects the asset, but all the players do sign with the intention of being here for the longer period and none more so than Ali because he absolutely loves being a Celtic player. I've really enjoyed my time working with him. I can see his development, I can see him growing. He's got so many attributes on and off the pitch that really help this team and this club. So, yes, delighted that he's re-signed.

Brendan, just on those long-term contracts you've now got a lot of your top players on, how reassuring is that for you as a manager knowing that either they're going to be here for a very, very long time or someone's going to have to come in and pay top dollar to take them away?

I think it's great from a playing perspective and a club perspective. It means the players are happy at this moment in time where they are with their development, with the feeling that they have to improve, and they know the size of the club they're playing for. Clearly, for the club, our job is to protect assets and these players that we have here that are growing and developing and they will create a lot of attention around them which may well lead to them moving one day and at least if they're protected then you get the value for them. But for me from a coaching perspective, it's my main focus to have the best players that we have available to continue to work and develop them and make them the best possible players and people that they can be.

When we spoke to you last month we asked you about Alistair Johnson's potential contract that's come now. Is there anything close with Greg Taylor?

I don't think there's anything close but I repeat it's definitely something that I really want to do but I have to respect both sides on that from Greg's side, from the club's side but from a managerial side I really want him to stay here and I really hope that we can do everything we can to keep him. But I also respect Greg's position and there's no drop off with him because he's such a great trainer, he has a great mentality. If he didn't renew, I know till the very last day here he would give absolutely everything but I'm very hopeful that we can sign him because he's been developed here, his skill set suits how he works on the pitch, he's a brilliant passer to the ball his view of the game is so good he plays that inverted role really well for us. Off the pitch, he's a real pillar of the group and we want to continue with that we don't want to be moving players like that we want to keep those players if they want to stay. So hopefully over time, we can get that done also.

In terms of Alistair, you spoke about him being an asset but he's also got leadership skills that you looked for I suppose more than football, some people might say there are not as many characters of that ilk these days - is that something you'd like to see more of?

I think there definitely is, but they're just different. They're not those guys from 15, 20 years ago even 10 years ago you would say I just think generationally people change and what's required changes. I'm lucky here where we have quite a few leaders in our squad he's definitely one of them, and he's a voice on and off the pitch. His mentality, his training mentality every single day is to be better, to improve he thinks about the game, he talks about the game like a coach he understands the game well, loves the detail and then he goes and performs with the personality that you need to play a big club. There have been lots of good players that can play for a club like Celtic but you might just not have the personality to deal with the expectations the demand from the support base but he has that and I think we've seen that from his first game, you come in here, you're only in the door and you're playing away at Ibrox you play like he did - it tells you everything about his personality.

Have you homed in on his attacking game? You look at a year ago compared to now concerning output...

I just think it's that as the players start to understand a little bit more of how I would work then there's that natural side, so rather than having two inverted full-backs coming in I tend to normally work with one, which allows that one has been normally the left side and Greg and then allows the one on the other side to march that a little bit more, so for him that means he's getting in the box he's up there. I think once you get that sense of the goal then you want more of it, but if you look throughout the team it's also what I demand not just the striker. I think when I came in here my first time Griffiths had scored 40 goals, and I said ‘well that's no good if no one else has scored’. It's great for the striker getting 40 odd goals but it's no good of you not getting the goals from elsewhere so that's always been my mantra - they have to contribute whether it's the full-backs, the eights the centre-halfs at times from corners and the front players. For him he's been absolutely brilliant first and foremost as a defender - strong, aggressive, positioning is good and then obviously the confidence with our play and our game sees him up there arriving a lot of the time. He's done great.

How’s the squad looking after the international break?

We've had our last group of players back in this morning so I'll come back absolutely fine Cameron Carter-Vickers is obviously back and fit. We managed him in that last game, so now we're all geared up and excited for the games ahead.

Is this ‘ultramarathon’ going to be as much a psychological test as a physical one?

Yeah, but we're in a really good place from a physical and a mental place. The team is playing well, playing at a really high level and we have a squad where I can change it about and freshen it up when we need to so we're in a really good place. Obviously, there's no winter break this time, but we're excited by that challenge of game after game we have to play, we just have to recover. From a managing and coaching perspective, you're then looking to make sure you get the balance right in the teams to ensure we have the energy in the games, but what is key is you just look at the next game and it's the mantra of any coaching manager. I can't think too far ahead you know we can only think of Hearts and make sure we're ready physically and mentally for that one and get ready for the next one.

What are you probably expecting from tomorrow night – Tynecastle under the lights on Saturday night?

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I think the last time I was there I was Liverpool's manager at night I think we played Hearts in a in a Europa League game, I think it was. Every other game has obviously been a 12 o'clock kick-off or whatever, but my experience there whether it's night or day it's always an intense game. I think that Hearts in terms of the position that they're in it doesn't quite probably align with some of the performances they've had I think they've performed fairly well from what I've seen but not quite got the results I think with Neil coming in he's come in, he's an excellent coach who will look to organise them, get them working hard and playing good football so like every game we're there we expect a tough game.

You mentioned Carter-Vickers being left out at Kilmarnock. Are you confident now that he’s ready to play every week, every three days if required? Obviously, you can rotate it as well.

Yeah I don't need them to play every single game and they probably won't play every single game but it's having the availability there so I think we'll have to we'll have to manage the whole squad over this coming period. He just had a couple of wee niggles. We obviously gotten through the Dundee, Aberdeen and Leipzig games - it was just too much of a push we felt to risk the injury for the Kilmarnock game but the guys got through that really well. He's had time to work and now he's ready and fit for the next run of games.

Can I ask you about Alexandro Bernabei, he's been getting all of his plaudits. He's obviously maybe been out of people's minds a wee bit but he's going to come back into contention here soon is there a chance of maybe cutting it a second time around, perhaps?

I think it's great that he's gone away and done well and sometimes you just find that. I think he'd been here for a period of time it hadn't worked out as probably what he or the club would have wanted and sometimes that happens you go away, you go back into a different culture or a different life and back into obviously South America for him and the reports that I hear is that he's done well, but there's nothing more to add than that. He'll finish his spell there and then we'll look at that and see where that's at come January.

Another question I can ask about from the academy is Dan Cummings, he's been scoring quite a lot of goals from the B Team. How do you view him and his first-team prospects potentially in the future?

There's so much involved in a young player getting an opportunity to play, and I would like to think that I've been a coach that all my career I've put in young players, so if you trace my career back as a manager before my 15 years as a youth development coach, I've played players at 16 years of age, 17, 18. So it's not just about scoring goals or performing, it's your mentality, it's your professionalism all these things alongside ability that is what gets you the opportunity so that's always something I'll assess. I think in terms of Daniel's output his goals and his games he's done very well, but like I say, there's lots of things that when I bring in a young player that I consider. Young players will always get a chance here, and there's always a number of factors of why they can and can't get a chance, but the first one is normally ability that I will look at - if they're good enough, they’ll get a chance so you'll hear all these things around Celtic and the pathway and there's not a pathway here and they don't get a chance… If you're good enough you get a chance. Good enough in terms of your game and good enough in your attitude - do that and if you have a little bit of patience you can become a Celtic player like Callum McGregor, like Kieran Tierney, like James Forrest like Tony Ralston, like Stephen Welsh, like Dane Murray who's played some games. You’ll get a chance, but you've got to have the right traits in order to be a Celtic player.

Is patience one of the biggest ones as you've seen recently?

I think it's a very complex thing, especially up here where kids will come through and if you think of Celtic, sadly some of the players have left early so some of the top talents that maybe sit in the top bracket of the age group have maybe left at 15, 16. Some have stayed on and then left that bit earlier, but I think what has shown with the guys that are in the system is when they do have that little bit of patience and they show those right attributes then they get a chance. For me I can only talk as a manager of here it's my first look. My first look is always from within because I know that the Celtic player coming through the system will have that extra 1 or 2 per cent more than a guy I bring in from Spain or Portugal or wherever, so my look is always for the young player to come through the system. That's what we have to work on over the coming years - how can we get that transition to bring them into the team, and sometimes that is patience because sometimes they leave before that but that's something we have to try and manage.

On Kuhn, the Germany manager gave him a name check over the break - should that be a realistic target for him to go and work his way into that full national squad?

Why not? He's playing at a massive club, he's performing at the highest level. It's his dream to play for his country and he can't do much more. You're playing against a German team - a team that's recognised as being one of the top teams in terms of infrastructure, organisation and on-pitch play. To play how he did, score two goals, of course, that's going to grab the attention - it will all be about the consistency but there's no reason why he can't, because if you're playing at the top level and playing as well as he is at a massive club then you'll come on the radar for sure.

Brendan, just in the last run of games, it looked like Reo Hatate was finding some really good form. How do you assess that his development in the time that you've had to work with him?

Yeah, I think he's a big talent but it's just consistency. My big thing is about getting him working harder and pressing the game - that's my number one thing with all players, if you press the game well you'll do all the other things well. I think last year was a bit hit-and-miss for him, just purely because he was injured a lot and then when he came in I've seen flashes of his quality. Then, over the course of pre-season, he was fit for pre-season, he got himself fitter and there's no doubt he's playing well now at a consistent level and that's just the challenge he has. In terms of ability, he's got some wonderful ability – his nutmeg, his pass that he had here - what a piece of ability. There's not many people that can do that but it's having the consistency and having the mentality to do that, whether you're playing Kilmarnock, or whether you're playing Leipzig in a Champions League game. I've been really pleased with Reo and now it's just hopefully consistently he can perform consistently.

I heard you reference the generational differences between the squad you had here the first time and the current squad in all your years in management what would you say is the biggest generational difference from when you started to now?

Yeah, there's a big difference now. I think when I started coaching it was a very sort of autocratic way of coaching, it was very much about telling people and that's how we were brought up. I think now the coaches that will succeed - and not really just football coaches or football managers but maybe in general life as well - I think are the empathisers. People who empathise more with people will probably grow and become over this next generation really successful, whether that's in entertainment, art, teaching, coaching or managing. So the ability to empathise with people now is more important because of society and the life that we're in. I've always seen myself as that type, I've always wanted to maximise what I can get out of people. I think from coaching and now all these games later as a manager it has definitely changed and it will continue to evolve, that's our world.

You spoke about Alistair Johnson’s contract, is it possible to talk about you extending your stay here?

I said on my first day what? What did I say on my first day here? Listen, I said I'd be here for three years, at the end of three years I've done nearly six years as Celtic manager, which is a long time for a Celtic manager. But no, I haven't really thought about it. Listen, I think for nearly a year I think there were probably more people wanting me out than in, so I'm not going to be talking about new contracts now! I just need to continue to work well and do my very best for the club and then I'm pretty sure at some point next season or whatever we can see how we're going and then take it from there. At the minute, I love my life here it's an amazing club to work in. Funnily enough, going away and coming back has made it even better for me, because I knew what I missed when I was away so I'm not in a big rush to be leaving it again but it's a great place to be. I love working with the players - they say in life for you, the biggest currency you have is time, and I think when you get to 51 and as you get older you realise that. Time around people you love, around your family, around your workplace and I would have to agree with that. Where I am at the minute, I'm in a brilliant place, so just keep it that way!

Looking at the AGM today at the top table, is it fair to say you're more than just a manager of this football club, in terms of your position your stature and your authority and all the other stuff involved? Is that fair to say, that you're more than just a manager here?

I don't feel that. I think that Celtic is one of the clubs like the big clubs around the world the Liverpools and the City's or whatever else, the manager is like the architect of the club, but you can't do everything on your own of course. You need to have great people around you; I've got a brilliant coaching staff led by John Kennedy, who's an outstanding coach I've got other staff who are absolutely amazing, but certainly, you get the chance to come in here and present your vision and the club will support that in every which way. I've always felt really comfortable here - my driver has always been constant improvement and development of the club and that's the big game again this time and we see that happening and I want it to continue happening for a long time, hopefully.