'Not handed to us': The Celtic response to Philippe Clement's Rangers finances claim
Rodgers hails Celtic for growing ‘organically’ and not getting big investment
Manager Brendan Rodgers says Celtic’s success has not been “handed to them” as he hailed the club for growing “organically” amid claims from Rangers boss Philippe Clement that they clubs play in different financial playing fields.
Clement said last week that Celtic, who currently lead the Premiership by 11 points and turned a healthy profit in their last account with £77 million in the bank, are out of Rangers’ league financially, with Ibrox side posting a £17.2m loss for the 2022/23 campaign.
The two Glasgow giants do battle in an Old Firm Premier Sports Cup final on Sunday, with Celtic looking to reclaim the trophy after holders Rangers defeated Aberdeen 1-0 last season.
Ahead of the Hampden showdown, Rodgers was quizzed on Clement’s comments on the cash gulf between the two clubs and while the Northern Irishman was keen to dismiss them, he was also at pains to point out that Celtic’s healthy position off the pitch is well-earned.
“Listen, Philippe will have whatever he feels he needs to look at within ourselves,” said Rodgers at his pre-match press conference. “I'm only interested in Celtic, really.
“Where Celtic has come over a number of years, this is a club that's been organically grown. “We haven't been handed money. This isn't something where we have had someone coming in from the Middle East and giving us a load of money. This is something that's been grown.
“The leadership from the very top of this club to the bottom is why we have had the successes that we've had. We've grown that, developed that, and that has allowed us then to win. When you win, that brings more success. For us, that is all I'm interested in - the greater good of this team and the club.
“The club's in a brilliant position, but it's all been earned. It's not been handed to us. Everyone has the possibility, certainly teams up towards the top, will have the possibility to earn the finances. And if they don't, then okay.
“We have to worry about ourselves and that's my only interest, really.”
Rodgers expects to have full squad to choose from despite right-back Alistair Johnston missing one of the Friday training sessions. The Canadian picked up a blow to his hip in Tuesday’s Champions League draw with Dinamo Zagreb, but Rodgers plans to be able to call upon the in-form defender.
“The squad is healthy,” said Rodgers. “We expect Ali to be healthy and he will be out on the pitches this afternoon. Hopefully we have everyone fit and available.
“We just gave him an extra bit of recovery on Friday morning. He has been an outstanding player for us and has been instrumental in our work. Speaking to him today, he was fine. So we expect him to be okay.”
Rodgers is bidding to win his tenth trophy across two spells as Celtic manager, having only tasted defeat once in 19 Old Firm derbies. He maintained that the fixtures remains just as exciting to him as his first one in 2016 - but will only reflect on his achievements once his time in football management is over.
“I look back on that once I'm finished,” Rodgers said of his record. “For me, the success that we've had there [Hampden] has all been about the preparation going into the game, the detail in the game, being super focused, and on what it is that players need to do within that. It's also preparing that it's a final, so you don't expect everything to go your way, and that's always been the case in all the finals.
“There's always something that can go against you, so it's preparing and expecting that. But in the main, I feel that going into these games, it's never so much about who we play, it's about how we play, and that's always been a real focus. So, going in and playing how we want to, and that's always put us in a really good place.”
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