BRENDAN Rodgers has revealed that one of his first Old Firm heroes was Rangers legend Davie Cooper.
While the Northern Irishman revered Celtic as he grew up in Ballymena during the 1980s, as a teenage left back he gravitated towards the cultured left-sided wing play of Cooper as much as the qualities of Celtic midfielders like Paul McStay, Tommy Burns and Billy Stark.
It was quite a confession to make as he prepares for his first-ever derby match against Rangers at Parkhead this lunchtime.
"Going back, I remember watching the likes of Billy Stark and Tommy in midfield," said Rodgers. "I loved Paul McStay ... but I also admired Davie Cooper because I was a left-footer. I always watched the lefties and I thought Davie Cooper was a brilliant player. He again was a class footballer who sadly passed away very young. These are recollections although I wouldn’t identify dates or anything. But it [my first recollections of the Old Firm match] would be in the Peter Grant, ‘80's era with big Roy Aitken and Mark [McGhee] playing."
Rodgers and Neil Lennon both moved away from Northern Ireland as teenagers, but while someone like Lennon is steeped in this fixture, Rodgers has never even attended one - in any capacity. He has picked quite a seat to take it all in for the first time.
But then there isn't be a free seat to be had for today's showpiece. Rod Stewart will be there, perhaps even Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond, as well as the lion's share of a capacity 60,000 crowd, all expectant of a home win and a generous measure of revenge for April's Scottish Cup semi-final setback. Not to mention the club's global diaspora of supporters, tuning into events at all hours of the night.
There were a few old faces from his past life at his pre-match press conference too but if Rodgers is feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders then he is doing a good job of hiding it. But then, many would be mildly freaked out just by the thought of placating the 13,000 who turned up at Parkhead just to see him sign a bit of paper and hold up a scarf, let alone shouldering the burden of attempting to return Liverpool to their former glories in his last job.
From day one - with perhaps the one exceptional night in Gibraltar - this manager and this club have fitted each other like a glove. However long it lasts - and if he continues at this rate he may have no shortage of suitors - the Rodgers era at Celtic really would take lift off if he could come up with a signature performance and result against his city rivals like the 6-2 win which Martin O'Neill's side produced in August 2000. He doesn't hide from that aspiration, speaking openly about putting a "marker" down.
"At Melwood with Liverpool you used to walk in every morning and the European Cup was sat there," said Rodgers. "You walked past it and thought, ‘s*** I’d better be good today'. And there were another four of them in the museum. Then you walk in here, see the European Cup in their trophy cabinet as well, and you say, ‘right, I’d better be good here too'.
"But, of course, they have invested so much into me here, the supporters," he added. "I think they probably see me as one of their own. And all I am here to do is service them. This is a club for the people, for the supporters.
"People travel from all round the world. They go on mini-buses, fly on planes from all round the world. My job is to inspire them. And in my time I am hoping I can do that. People talk about a legacy on the outside. The legacy I hope I can leave here is a feeling inside. That’s important."
That is where matches like today's come in, if not some of the more humdrum encounters against the Hamilton Academicals and Inverness Caledonian Thistles of this world. Scottish football might not be the centre of the footballing universe anymore - the clash in kick-offs with the Manchester derby for one thing is unfortunate - but for four days at least it will feel like it.
“I came here because of Celtic, it wouldn’t have mattered what anyone said," Rodgers said. "Yes, the Scottish league isn’t the Premier League, but the Italian league isn’t the Premier League and the Spanish league is not the Premier League, you know? I came here to Celtic, to one of the biggest clubs in the world. You’ll see that on Saturday, you see it in European games, we’ve seen it over history.
“If I worked at Barcelona I’d have won a trophy by now, no question about that," he added. "But in the English Premier League, where the British managers are being judged and measured, it’s very, very tough. What you’ll have this year are some really, really good managers, who have good CVs abroad, who won’t win a trophy."
No trophies will be handed out today whatever the score, but part of being at a successful club is having support from the boardroom, and the Celtic manager last night paid tribute to the support he has received from Desmond and chief executive Peter Lawwell ever since they first met this summer in London. "He [Desmond] is travelling the world – but we have regular contact. When I looked in his eye I could see he had that passion for the club – as did Peter."
It isn't just Celtic fans who are happy that Rodgers is here. "I have had a lot of Rangers fans coming up to me and thanking me for coming – and showing me their tattoo – then walking on and smiling. Hopefully they'll still do that after this game."
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