RODGERS’ WARNING FOR GERRARD

BRENDAN RODGERS has told his former Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard it will be “fun”  when the rookie Ibrox boss attempts to take on his Celtic double-treble winners.

And the Hoops gaffer warned his Govan counterpart to expect a massive change when he steps into management.

Rodgers said: “When you go into management at whatever level then, no matter what you have done or achieved as a player, once you close that door behind you as a player, then you are entering a different sport.

“As a player, you are always looking after yourself and making sure that everything was okay. As a manager, you have to look after everything.

“But Stevie has got experience in terms of leadership and leading the team, so that will stand him in good stead, like you’ve seen with other captains who have gone into management positions.

“Wherever you go as a first time manager, it is always a test. A club like Liverpool can train you for that a bit. I know that because I was the manager there and Steven has played there.

“It is when you have been in and around that pressure, in that environment, then it certainly helps when you go into another pressure situation. That is what can prepare you.

“And, of course, if it’s your first job, then it adds a little bit more to it. But that is why you make the steps into management. You have to take a step somewhere and he has decided to make that step at Rangers.

“Plus, he’s got his staff around him he knows well, so he’ll be looking to do well.

“I haven’t really thought about it so much. I’ve come up against guys I’ve known well before and I’ve come up against top-class players before, so there is nothing new in it.

“But, of course, Steven is someone I know well and he has decided to take his first steps into management at Rangers. I’m sure he’ll enjoy the challenge and the test of it all. So it will be fun.

“I always gear myself up for a competitive season and I don’t see this one being any different. With the number of games we have to play, it is always a real challenge for us.

“It looks a really exciting league and it’s another season that I am excited about.”

DON’T miss ‘Celtic: The History Bhoys’, the celebration of Brendan Rodgers’ two treble-winning seasons at the club – PLUS the clean sweep years of Jock Stein, 1966/67 and 1968/69, and Martin O’Neill, 2000/01. Buy last season’s production and get a 16-page update on the Hoops’ second successive unforgettable campaign absolutely FREE! That’s a 116-page glorious souvenir of the club’s most unforgettable seasons. Written by ALEX GORDON and crammed with over 150 photographs and all the statistics of all five of the most spectacular years in Celtic’s proud heritage. Priced at only £6.95 plus £3.95 postage and packing, you can order your copy at:

http://www.langsyneshop.co.uk/celtic-the-history-bhoys?filter_name=History%20bhoys