Brendan Rodgers makes one Celtic transfer shout clear as Greg Taylor afflicted by 'Callum McGregor syndrome'
A left-back is one area of the pitch fans are calling for Rodgers to make quality upgrades.
Brendan Rodgers reckons it’s the James Forrest Complex. Or maybe the Callum McGregor Syndrome.
Whatever level you put on it, the Celtic boss thinks his Scottish players don’t quite always get the adulation they deserve from the stands like some of the foreign imports. And he is convinced Greg Taylor is the latest to be hit with a mild case of the affliction, given the constant calls from the punters for a left back. Rodgers wants another one too – but only as backup for the main man.
The Hoops gaffer is a paid up member of the Taylor fan club and he revealed he was an admirer from back long before he even returned to Parkhead. Rodgers can recall clocking the Scotland full back busting a gut in a Dubai gym – and right away he knew the kid was the real deal. And nothing he’s seen since coming back has convinced him otherwise.
When asked if Taylor suffers from some of the same grumbles from the stands as other Scots like Forrest, Rodgers said: “It is a bit like that, probably like the Callum McGregor syndrome up until a couple of years ago.
“It’s just the nature of it sometimes, the Scottish boys might not get the same level of affinity as some of the others. When I was last here I saw Greg as a young player at Kilmarnock. We had Kieran Tierney here, who was brilliant for me.
“But I went away and I watched him over these last few years. He’s done great. I love working with him. I see him every day, he’s a top professional who looks after himself.
“I remember seeing him in Dubai during one of the breaks a few years back, when I was at Leicester. I bumped into him in the gym and said hello.
“But I watched him and from the minute he started working he never lost focus on what he needed to do. I remember coming away from that and thinking this was a young professional who is doing everything he can to look after himself and doing everything right.
“That’s what I’ve seen since coming back here. He’s a great guy who doesn’t get the credit he deserves. He’s been brilliant and while Champions League is a challenge for a lot of players, I really enjoy working with him.”
Rodgers would still love to bring in some help for Taylor. Alexandro Bernabei is clearly not going to cut it and it’s a lot for the first choice to play every single week.
The boss said: “My job is to bring competition to the squad in a number of areas. I’ve got to say, Greg has been brilliant for me. Clearly there is a loading issue there we need to be mindful of if we don’t bring in support there. I know I’ve got Liam Scales who can play there, in a worst case scenario.
“But Greg has been great for me. Like some of the players, he probably took some time to adapt to what we’ve been asking them to do. But now with everyone in sync, you can see how much he’s improved from a defensive perspective and the football side of his game is very good.
“I really, really like him. You always need those personalities. Greg is a real voice on the pitch. He’s very respectful of everything and you need players with that spirit and mentality. Being at a big club is about competition and it’s my job to make the squad as good as it can be.”
Rodgers won’t be tinkering too much with his squad tomorrow when they return to action from the break in the Scottish Cup clash with Buckie Thistle. The Irishman is taking nothing for granted – and insisted he’s treating the Highland League outfit like Bayern Munich.
Celtic haven’t cut corners with their homework. Scout Peter Houston has been on spying missions and they’ve watched Buckie games going all the way back to pre-season.
Rodgers knows it’s the Highlanders big day. He lapped up their celebrations when the draw was made, and laughed off reminders of the last time a team cheered landing Celts in the draw, when he famously told Rangers players to be careful what they wished for after dishing out Scottish Cup spanking in his first spell.
Rodgers said: “It was great to see the guys, to see the journey them guys have been on. It’s great for the club and great for their history. For us the story behind it is great but the focus is on getting into the next round.
“This is the first game of the second half of the season and we want to perform well and win well. We’ve had these circumstances before, if you approach it differently then of course you can be susceptible to a result but whether it’s Buckie Thistle or Bayern Munich, we prepare the same.
“Peter Houston and his staff have done a great job in getting as much information as we could on Buckie in terms of seeing games. That goes as far back as their pre-season game against Aberdeen B team.
“We do all our work in being covered in terms of how they play, then we focus on ourselves and bringing our own game to the team.
“It’s going to be brilliant in terms of being back playing again, playing at Celtic Park and hopefully getting off to a good start for this part of the season."