Consistency is key for manager ahead of trip north

Celtic F.C.

·10. Januar 2025

Consistency is key for manager ahead of trip north

Celtic face a tough trip to the Highlands this weekend, and tough in two respects – facing a Ross County team at a venue where results rarely come easy, and also fighting the harsh wwinter eather that has gripped the country lately, with the north of Scotland being particularly hit hard.

Like Celtic, Don Cowie’s team go into this game on the back of two league wins, and Hoops manager, Brendan Rodgers is well aware of the threat they can pose.

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Speaking today the Celtic manager said: “I love the journey up, the journey is a fantastic drive up, and they are always tough games.

“If you look at Don and his team, they’ve produced some fantastic results of late.

'They are only a few points off the top six, so they’ve gone on a nice little consistent run. They will be hard to beat, and the pitch won’t be perfect.'

“They defend very well, they play a five-diamond-one, so lots of bodies behind the ball and they will make it difficult, so we have to use the speed in our game as a quality to hopefully break through that.”

The weather conditions and the various spin-offs from that could also hinder the Celtic aims in this game, but it’s a hurdle that can be breached.

The manager continued: “In these games at this time of the year, there are no points for style.

"We always want to go and play, and win in the best way we possibly can, that’s always the nature of our game.

“But, ultimately, this will be about resilience, mentality and getting through the tough moments in the game, and looking to be as attack-minded as we can possibly be.”

The Champions go into this Saturday's game with a 15-point lead at the top of the Premiership table, and the lunchtime kick-off means the gap could be widened before another ball is kicked in the SPFL.

And the manager heaped praise on the players for the consistency in making that gap.

He said: “The points’ gap is there because we’ve been so consistent, that’s the reality of it.

'Whatever points another team gets, I can look at ourselves and know that the consistency of this team has been very, very good.'

“And when you have that consistency, then in a competition that can be a big advantage – that resilience, that mentality, that focus in order to get those results that allow you to build that gap."

He added: “We just have to keep churning out the results and the performances. The consistency the players have shown is a great testament to them, because that can get overlooked.

“I can only look at my team - and the club as a whole – the consistency and the level of which you can repetitively perform, and win, and win and win after winning – it’s not an easy thing to do, and there are many examples of that.

“But this group, their mentality and the club as a whole, and consistently how they keep going, it’s really good – and we want to keep doing that.”