Ahead of the crucial Scottish Premiership encounter against St Mirren at Celtic Park on Saturday afternoon, the Celtic Star questioned Adam Idah and Brendan Rodgers three times apiece at the Lennoxtown media conference on Friday afternoon.
You may read the answers to our query to Ireland international Adam Idah HERE.
We will now focus on the three inquiries directed at Brendan Rodgers. We questioned the Celtic manager about the amazing farewell he gave his team at Celtic Park last Saturday. We also obtained his message to the supporters of the title run, Brendan’s predictions for Celtic’s performance in English football, and an update on his feelings regarding Mikey Johnston.
The Star of Celtic:Brendan, how did you feel about the crowd that showed up to Celtic Park on Saturday afternoon? How did it affect the players?
Brendan Rodgers: “It had a significant effect.” It was truly astounding. They informed me that a few hundred fans will be present to welcome us to the stadium. As I approached the stadium, I received a call informing me that they had made an error in calculation, and there were even more!
It was such a great lift as I turned in and saw everyone and the lights. Was I surprised by it? No. The club’s support is amazing, and they went that route even though they couldn’t attend the stadium of giving us a great send-off. I know – especially a lot of the new guys – were taken aback by that, as was I, because it gave us that real lift driving away.”
The Celtic Star: What message would you like to send to the fans for the rest of the season?
Brendan Rodgers: “Just maintain your faith and never stop providing us with such amazing support—it truly does make a difference.” There will undoubtedly be some tense times over the six games and the cup match, but all you have to do is stick with the team, have faith, and give it your all—we’ll give it back to you on the field.
The Star of Celtic:The Championship Player of the Month award has just gone to Mikey Johnston. I asked Adam to compare the two divisions and to project Celtic’s performance in the Championship. What do you think?
Brendan Rodgers: “I would concur with those ideas. We’ve demonstrated our abilities. We played them close, especially in the home game, when we faced Atletico Madrid in the Champions League Quarterfinal the other night. You could always compete successfully in the Premier League with a club the size of this one. With all the money and resources at your disposal, you might compete at the highest level in the league.
Moving on to Mikey, I’m ecstatic for him as a young player who I’ve always said I thought was incredibly skilled. He has faced difficulties in the last several years due to injuries and needing to play on loan.
“Just prove that you’re fit and have the fitness level to sustain and train every day and be able to be available for games,” I told him throughout the first half of his stay here. To be fair, he accomplished it, and by the end, he was helping us.
“At the age of 24, he was in desperate need of games and the opportunity to play outside. It is not surprising what he has shown and proved. He’s among the top prospects to come out of the academy, as I’ve said before. He can score goals and is direct and speedy.
It speaks much about his performance that he went there and accepted the prize in the presence of some truly exceptional players from the Championship. Hopefully, he can keep up that and return to us in the summer feeling fully rejuvenated, confident, and prepared to make an impression.
Halfway through Brendan’s press conference, the Celtic Star started asking questions.
