TOM ROGIC is adamant Brendan Rodgers would never lose the plot the way Pedro Caixinha did in Celtic’s 2-0 win at Ibrox.
The Sevco Rangers boss was embroiled in a crazy incident at half-time with Hoops skipper Scott Brown.
The potty Portuguese coach later explained the confrontation came as a result of the Parkhead midfielder’s alleged attempt to elbow Alfredo Morelos.
Referee Craig Thomson took no action and Brown and Caixinha went head to head as the players made their way down the tunnel and Rogic – who scored the vital opener – reckons it was a sign of the pressure their rivals are under.
The 24-year-old Aussie ace said: “You certainly wouldn’t see our manager getting involved in anything like that. That maybe says a little bit about their situation and where they are.
“Scott Brown has been an exceptional player for a number of years now. He will be one that, when he stops playing, people will look back and see him as a real legend of the club.
“I don’t know what the Rangers (sic) manager saw. That’s not really my place to comment. But Scott’s a good leader.
“Scott is massive for us. When you have your captain leading by example in almost all of our matches – you saw it in the Cup-tie at Dundee, as well. He seems to win every 50-50 he goes into.
“He puts himself about for tackles and when the ball comes to him, he is calm and composed. He gets us set up on the right foot. He is crucial for us.
“He’s been at this club for years now, he is a leader who leads by example.
“We are fortunate to have a captain like him to play under. It makes our job easier.
“He’s been at the club since day one for me. He’s one of the few who are still here since I joined. He doesn’t always have to say something to you, he just leads by example. It rubs off on his team-mates.”
Rogic insists Celtic were never troubled in a comfortable win – their sixth in the last seven games against the Govan outfit.
His blistering finish five minutes into the second-half broke the deadlock before Leigh Griffiths made sure the gap between the two sides would be extended to eight points.
He added: “Our performance was good and from start to finish we felt pretty comfortable in the match.
“We possibly could have had a few more goals. We feel like we are going to win every game we go into. We have that mindset. We are not too focused on their thinking going into the game.
“It is important just to focus on ourselves. That is what we did. That is what gives us the confidence to keep going game after game and keep winning.
“There was a bit of good fortune involved in my goal. The ball just fell to me and I had to be alive to it.
“I tried to get a good quality strike on target and, thankfully, it went in.
“We started the game really brightly. In the first five or 10 minutes we were on top. We were unfortunate not to capitalise at the start.
“The gap between the sides is for other people to judge. We just focus on ourselves. That is pretty evident. It speaks for itself.”
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Enjoy the new podcast…
The CQN Podcast: A Celtic State of Mind (EP13) The Quality Street Gang Part 1
This week, ‘A Celtic State of Mind’ pays tribute to The Quality Street Gang.
In the first of a two-part series, Paul John Dykes interviews Billy Murdoch, Bobby Wraith, HughMcKellar and Lou Macari to discuss one of the finest crops of youngsters ever to emerge from Celtic Park.
Connect with A Celtic State of Mind @PaulDykes and @CQNMagazine.
