Brendan Rodgers has fired back at Craig Levein after the Hearts boss claimed that players needed protection from Scott Brown.
An injury to child prodigy Harry Cochrane seemed to upset the Hearts boss even though nothing was made of the challenge at the game.
The 16-year-old had to be substituted and sent to hospital where no serious problem was identified.
????? BR on Craig Levein’s comments: “It was my 101st game and it was the least game I had to give my players any motivation for. On the aftermath of the last game we had one or two comments that were pretty clear in terms of questioning our desire to win the game.”
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) February 1, 2018
????? BR on Craig Levein’s comments: “Of course with players and people at the club then that sticks. The motivation for the players was simple and I think they showed that in their performance.”
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) February 1, 2018
Rodgers has generally been highly complimentary to Scottish clubs and managers but it seems that there is no respect returned by the Hearts boss.
Paul Hartley and Lee McCulloch have spent time at Lennoxtown after being sacked by their clubs with Celtic sending players out on loan to Aberdeen, Kilmarnock, Hibs, Dundee and Motherwell.
Celtic will have to wait until after the split before facing Hearts again assuming that the Edinburgh side maintain their place in the top six.
As a player and manager Levein has never won a single major honour, in 1986 he missed out on Hearts’ decisive league match away to Dundee due to a sore tummy. Albert Kidd scored twice as Celtic won the title in the final five minutes of the season.