Behind the blarney there’s a deadly, deadly serious side to Brendan Rodgers.
In seven months in charge of Celtic he has barely said a word out of place but away from his supportive encouragement he’s not afraid to deliver some home truths.
The legacy of losing his own playing career to injury has had a deep impact on the Irishman- one that he intends passing on to every young hopeful at Celtic Park, Lennoxtown and Barrowfield.
Football is the most brutal business for any teenager to be involved in. For every Keiran Tierney there are dozens of hard luck stories of how circumstances conspired to deny a wonder kid the career they felt they were entitled to.
There are some genuine hard luck stories out there but it’s clear that Rodgers has limited time for those that feel they are entitled to a lavish lifestyle from the game.
As a coach the Celtic boss seeks every possible advantage he can muster, an attitude that he tries to pass on to the academy players throughout the club.
“I’ve had one player in here and I hope he sees the light,” Rodgers explains in The Sun. “He’s a big, big talent, a kid with the talent to play Champions League football.
“The agent wanted to know when he was getting a professional contract — but the kid was fat. I’m like: ‘What? You want to know what?’ No, I’ll tell you when.
“This kid had all the tools, all the talent, but was fat. He couldn’t run, couldn’t last a game. Not eating right. Fish and chips all the time. So we organised a plan for him, to sort him out.
“Listen, I don’t worry about it. It doesn’t break my heart, because some other kid with less talent that commits to it will make a player. The boy’s a talent but it is whether he wants to devote his life to it. We’ll see if he is sensible enough to understand because he’s got a huge talent.
“The point is, they want to play for Celtic but before you can play for Celtic you have to be able to train with Celtic.
“If you’re never fit enough to train, how are you going to play? You have to be ready to train and once you’re training, then you have a chance.”
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