Brendan Rodgers finally did what someone in Scottish football should have done a long time ago and effectively told Dave King to shut up.
The South African based criminal has been given an unchallenged platform over the last two years to spout all sorts of nonsense as the club from Ibrox attempts to destroy the Scottish game in a similar fashion to the original Rangers club.
Nothing has been out of bounds for King and Co as he appeals to the lowest common denominator at Ibrox and as the people of Manchester and elsewhere know that is a particularly low benchmark.
On his rare visits to Glasgow King likes to put the boot into the honest efforts of others in the game with his most recent comments hitting an especially raw nerve.
While the Bank of Scotland and various tax scams produced nine titles in a row at Ibrox Rodgers has picked up the baton at Celtic and is driving the hoops forward in search of ten.
Neil Lennon and Ronny Deila have had to develop and sell some outstanding players to put Celtic in their current position with Rodgers not standing by and allowing four of those titles to be dismissed by a man whose every instinct is to tell lies.
“You look after your own club and you look after yourself,” the Celtic boss told the Daily Mail.
“I say to the players if you want to be a champion you have to walk the walk. To be a champion and be in that gold box you have to walk the walk.
“That is what we had to do but, listen, owners and chair-people sometimes see the game differently. I think people who know football will probably wonder what he is talking about.”
Asked if the tripe from King would provide his side with extra motivation Rodgers added: “I don’t need Dave King to motivate me or the players. Our motivation is for Celtic.
“I only look at our standards. That’s my only focus really. I judge Celtic on the standards we set, no-one else.
“I think people who know football will probably wonder what he is talking about, to be honest.
“I am sure nobody more so than the players themselves and the manager. It’s pretty clear that we tend to try and do our talking on the field. We try to show a respect to every team.
“Lots of things were said. The only thing I would say is it’s not a two-horse race. Aberdeen is a huge club. They’ve been winning trophies over many years.
“You’ve got Hearts, you’ve got Hibs. Look at the job Tommy Wright has done at St Johnstone.
“It’s not just Celtic and Rangers. That’s never been the measure. Aberdeen finished second last season.
“The measure for us is not about Rangers, it’s about Celtic. For us it’s about preparing with respect for the team we play. That is the balance of the club, the values of how we work and it’s how we will always approach it.”
