HEARING tales from the past never grows old for Brendan Rodgers. Brought up in Northern Ireland among fervent Celtic supporters, Rodgers’ childhood resounded to recollections of the Lisbon Lions and their myriad achievements.

It took until becoming Celtic manager before he finally met Billy McNeil, the first Brit to lift the European Cup, but he knew plenty about him before that moment arrived. News this week of McNeill’s struggles with dementia made that recent encounter all the more poignant.

Rodgers seems too much of a pragmatist to get caught up in star-struck fan worship but he insists there are times when he almost has to pinch himself that he is sharing a cup of tea with John Clark or chatting to Danny McGrain, legends who provide a bridge to the club’s past and sprinkle “little bits of gold dust” about the place.

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Rodgers believes that is important, even in the modern era. He and this Celtic team are intent on making their own history but first they must appreciate what the club’s pioneers did before them.

“The younger players can still be inspired by these guys because the legend will never fade away,” he said. “When I was a young guy growing up I was fed the stories of 1967 and I was then old enough to remember the 1980s and beyond. These figures are prevalent in your upbringing. And then you get the chance to meet them. It’s like me seeing Danny McGrain here every day. I can’t believe I’m talking to him and thinking, “what would my dad think?”

“When I met Billy McNeill I just thought of my uncles and all my family and I went into a dream. It’s the same with Bobby Lennox, Stevie Chalmers and the rest, and that never ever goes away. So for the younger players – this is the reason they are here. That’s why when I first came in here I asked them to defend the culture of the club because these are the guys who created it.

“It was the same when I was at Liverpool. I was never frightened of the past as it was one of the big reasons I went to Liverpool - the great history of that club. I wanted to create new history. Coming to Celtic I knew in a lot more depth the history of the club being a supporter. That aspect is still very strong in my thinking.

“I have to make sure we measure up to the standards these guys created. And that’s in terms of humility as much as the playing side. When I sit with John Clark and have a cup of tea after training or meet some of the other guys, you only have to spend a short bit of time with them and they give you little bits of gold dust. And not many people can give you that. These were guys who weren’t playing for the money. They were playing for the love of football and the love of the club. The game was still the game back then. I always find the time for these guys. We are here because of them. They created the history.”

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Players like Kieran Tierney, a diehard Celtic supporter, continue to deliver that message to the rest of the dressing room, and Rodgers revealed he would aim to preserve a Scottish identity throughout the club for as long as he is in charge.

“It’s important you have that,” he added. “For me in Scotland it’s important I have a core of Scottish players. If I worked in Spain the core would have to be Spanish. It’s important that the players know what it means to play for Celtic. But even the guys we’ve brought in from elsewhere get to understand very quickly the culture of the club. That’s a part of their induction, getting to know the scale of the club.”

Next for this Celtic team is a trip to face Inverness Caledonian Thistle tomorrow night. Their previous visit to the Tulloch Stadium in September was the only time this season they have failed to take maximum points this season, but Rodgers insists that won’t come into their thinking.

“The last game up at Inverness is long gone. We’ve played them twice since. It will be a tough game. They’ve shown a great reaction since losing 6-0 to us. Richie [Foran, the Inverness manager] will be delighted after showing real spirit with the draw at Hearts and a very good victory on Friday night [against Rangers] so that will breed confidence for them coming into the game.

“We need to keep focusing on ourselves. We should have won in Inverness the last time. It’s not like we were really poor in the game and were lucky to get a draw - we should have won the game. That has been the only blot in terms of the domestic record but it’s fine. We’ll go there and look forward to it and look to get the result.”

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They will travel to the Highlands without Efe Ambrose. The defender returned briefly to Celtic training yesterday after his proposed move to Blackburn Rovers fell through due to a problem obtaining a work permit but was last night concluding an emergency loan deal to Hibernian.

“It was unfortunate for him it didn’t come off, his move to Blackburn,” said Rodgers. “He can play in Scotland but it doesn’t seem he could play down there. I have to say I’ve arguably probably met the nicest man in football.”