Brendan Rodgers Stands By ‘Honda Civic’ Comments
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has doubled down on comparing the Celtic squad with a Honda Civic in his comments that came after a surprise 2-0 defeat to Dundee on Sunday. The Northern Irishman’s comments were in reference to the star-power he has not had adequately replaced in talisman Kyogo Furuhashi, German winger Nicolas Kühn, and Irishman Adam Idah, who left in January and July respectively for a reported combined fee of £36m. Rodgers said that “there’s no way you’ll go into a race and be given the keys to a Honda Civic and say, ‘I want you to drive it like a Ferrari, it’s not going to happen” following Sunday’s defeat which seen him turn to the likes of Johnny Kenny and James Forrest to save try the game from the bench. But the Celtic gaffer has no regrets and stands by what he said. “It [Honda Civic comment] was based around the speed in our team. Clearly, it’s not the same as what we had last season.” Rodgers told the media. “I’m pretty sure both of those cars go at a different speed, so that was the reference to that. It’s something that I said at the time, and I said it because I felt it, so I’ve got no regrets, no. “I’m not really worried [about offending the players], to be honest. You can’t please everyone and nobody’s trying to do that now. The players know that I’m with them, I’ve always been with them.” Celtic defender Liam Scales says that he hadn’t even caught wind of the comments, and dismissed the possibility of them upsetting the Hoops dressing room. “Look, I didn’t even really know about those comments. I don’t look at football outside of the team, and I didn’t know about them until I was told they might be brought up in this press conference. “So that’s how much it was thought about by me, at least. I don’t know about others in the dressing room, but for me, it’s not going to affect me, and it wasn’t a talking point among the players. “We know it was a disappointing result, and if that’s a way to motivate people to do better, then that’s the only way I could really look at it.” Celtic host Austrian side Sturm Graz tomorrow night in Europa League action, who defeated a Russell Martin Rangers side 2-1 on match day two, before travelling to Tynecastle this Sunday to take on high-flying Hearts.
Hibs Gearing up for “Tough Test” against Aberdeen – David Gray
Hibs travel to Pittodrie on Sunday, looking to build on their dominant 4-0 victory over Livingston, which David Gray says was “almost a complete performance.” Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Gray said, “I think it’s been coming, because I do think the level of performance has been good. “And it is now about building on that. I think I said that going into the international break, having to use it as a bit of a reset and making sure that there are no excuses.” “Now we need to move forward. We need to make sure that we start putting wins on the board. So it was really good to start with three points at home, and then now it’s all geared up towards a real tough test on Sunday,” Gray referenced that Aberdeen will pose a “difficult” test after picking up their second straight league victory against St Mirren last weekend. “They’ve developed a really strong squad, a lot of quality in the team, starting to click a little bit now as well.” “They’ll take a lot of confidence from the result and performance. Winning at St Mirren, a really difficult place to go and win.” “And then these are the games (Aberdeen face AEK Athens in the Conference League on Thursday). The rewards for winning the Cup last season give them the opportunity to play in Europe. We’ve experienced that this year.” “It will be a difficult game, but as I’ve demonstrated and we’ve already demonstrated at times this season, we know we’re a good side, take the confidence from the weekend and go up there and try and come back with three points.” “It’s about making sure that we’ve got a game plan ready to deal with that, knowing what we’re going to expect, or at least preparing the players as best you can. But we’re going there to try and win the game, that’s for sure.” Gray referenced the emphatic 4-0 win over Livingston, mentioned Chris Cadden’s involvement in the final two goals “every player’s confidence levels go up when you score goals.” “I think even just Chris Cadden, know, his delivery at the weekend was fantastic. He’s worked really hard on training, doing extra training to make sure the quality is always there, and he’s always had it, just to make sure that comes out. And I think he gets his rewards for that the weekend” Victory for Hibs would help them consolidate third place in the Scottish Premiership, and may help bridge the gap to Hearts and Celtic, depending on their result at Tynecastle
Partick Thistle Level on Points With League Leaders
Partick Thistle continued their terrific start to this year’s Championship campaign as they came from behind to defeat Ayr United 2-1 at Firhill. Ethan Walker put Scott Brown’s side in front in added time of the first half, before a five minute double after the interval from Tsoanelo Letsosa and Ben Stanway gave Mark Wilson one over his former teammate. The result moves the Jags behind leaders St. Johnstone only on goal difference, with the Perth side inflicting Thistle’s only league league defeat this season on the opening day. It is the first time Ayr have tasted defeat since Thistle dumped them out the Premier Sports Cup in August. The away side were under pressure for large parts of the first half, but Thistle failed to make their advantage count. Jamie Murphy sent Walker through, and the right winger made converted The Honest Men’s only attempt on target of the half in first half injury time. Whatever Mark Wilson said to his players certainly had a lasting impact. One minute into the second period, Logan Chalmers whipped a cross in from the left flank, and Letsosa turned the ball home to bring the scores level. Then on the 50th minute, Stanway pickpocketed Kyle Ure inside the Ayr penalty box, and his finish sailed to the top right corner with the aid of a deflection to complete the five minute salvo. Ayr’s goalscorer Walker picked up his second caution of the match with 18 minutes to play, making Thistle’s job of protecting their slender advantage all the easier. Partick Thistle are now level on points with St. Johnstone, and travel to another one of Wilson’s former teammates in Barry Robson this Saturday to take on Raith Rovers, who have lost their last three games. Ayr are back in Glasgow on Saturday to face Queen’s Park, hoping to keep 5th place Dunfermline from leapfrogging them into the playoffs before facing them in the Friday night fixture on Halloween.
Danny Lennon Axed By Airdrieonians After 56 Days In Charge
Danny Lennon has become the latest managerial casualty as Airdrieonians have pulled the trigger on him after only 56 days following a 4-0 home defeat at the hands of Dunfermline. Danny Lennon, a seasoned manager, returned to the game in August after a 3-year hiatus, returning to Airdrieonians where he had previously spent a short interim spell in charge in 2016. However, the former League Cup-winning manager will now be on the lookout for a new job as the Airdrie club has decided to sack him after he remained winless in his 8 games in charge, with 6 defeats and 2 draws. It’s not been a good return to management for Lennon, who has failed to turn around the club’s fortunes as they remain rooted to the bottom of the Championship table, 4 points off Ross County in 9th and winless in the league this season. In his time in charge of the club, he has watched helplessly from the sidelines as his team shipped 15 goals during his tenure, only managing to score 5 goals themselves as the bad results piled up. It has been a rough time for the past season for the Airdrieonians, despite reaching the play-offs in their first season in the championship. Last season saw them needing a relegation play-off victory against Cove Rangers to secure survival. Airdrie will now be on the lookout for their third manager of the season following the highly rated Rhys McCabe’s departure earlier this season, and now Danny Lennon is being shown the exit door. Whoever comes in at the Albert Bartlett Stadium has a big task on their hands to turn the club’s fortunes around. The key things that the new man will have to sort out are the defensive frailties of the squad as well as finding the goalscoring touch as Airdrie look to retain their Championship status.
Hearts in “Good Place” ahead of Celtic Visit – McInnes
Hearts host Celtic at Tynecastle this weekend, seeking to extend their lead at the summit of the Scottish Premiership to eight points. Talking to the media on Wednesday, McInnes said his team “are facing the toughest challenge”. “Celtic always provide the toughest challenge, certainly in recent seasons, and it’s another test for us, but it’s a test that we are looking forward to.” “I think we are going into it in a good place, I think we feel ready, I think the supporters feel ready for it, Tynecastle will be ready for it.” Saturday’s three-nil victory over Kilmarnock was Hearts’ fifth straight league victory, and they are now unbeaten in 12 of 13 games since McInnes took over. “Regardless of what we have done previously in previous games, there are good references and some good performances up until now, but it doesn’t guarantee anything, The expectation around the Tynecastle side continues to grow, but for McInnes, “the expectation is on ourselves” “The season is still only eight games in, it’s very early, whether you’re in good form or in poorer form for any team, there’s still so much of the season ahead.” “The time to just judge the team is at the end of the season, not after eight games, but I do think people can see there is plenty of encouragement being given by what the players are giving, and it’s important we just keep trying to tap into that.” McInnes and Rodgers will meet in the dugout for the 23rd time; past meetings have included Scottish and League Cup finals. The Hearts manager was full of praise for his opposite number, “I’ve played against Brendan’s teams often enough, and he is such a top manager, a top operator, and Celtic are littered with top players, They spend the money on the squad they’ve got because and the demand, and they are such a good high-level of player, so we’ve got our work cut out on Sunday to get a result.” “I’m focusing on us trying to be the toughest opponent for them, and making sure our performance gives us a chance”
‘I think everything is still to play for’ – Andrew Cavenagh backs Gers for title challenge
Andrew Cavenagh believes Rangers can still get back into the Scottish Premiership title race, despite being 13 points behind leaders Hearts. The Ibrox club unveiled their new Head Coach Danny Rohl yesterday after a lengthy managerial search. It’s not been the start the 49ers were hoping for as the Light blues currently sit sixth in the table with one league win in eight games. The Gers sacked Russell Martin after 123 days in charge of the club as the Englishman only managed to win five out of 17 games in all competitions. CEO Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell have felt the wrath of the Rangers faithful with a chunk of the blame going towards the pair for the dismal start to the season. However, the Ibrox chairman backs Thelwell and Stewart and believes the club as a whole need to stick together. He told Sky Sports News: “They do have our full backing. They’ve made mistakes just like Paraag (Marathe) and I have. “When you make a mistake, you need to own it, you need to rectify it, you need to improve, and that goes for the two of them. “It goes for Paraag, it goes for me, and it goes for everybody in the club, and moving forward, that same group, meaning everybody in the club, including the four that I just named, are also accountable.” In terms of the title race, Cavenagh added that there is still time for the Govan club to salvage their league campaign: “I think everything is still to play for. “We have dug ourselves a hole in the league without a doubt, eight behind across town and further behind top of the table, but we can still do everything in the league. “We can still do everything for both cups, and again, we have a little bit of a hole in Europe with two losses out of two matches, but six to go, so I think everything is still in front of us.” Rohl’s first game in charge is in the Europa League against Brann then back to domestic action against Kilmarnock in the league this Sunday at Ibrox.
