Rodgers delivers strong rebuttal to Clement’s financial remarks

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The Celtic Star

·14 December 2024

Rodgers delivers strong rebuttal to Clement’s financial remarks

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers delivered a strong rebuttal to Philippe Clement’s financial disparity comments at yesterday’s media conference ahead of Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final between Celtic and theRangers at Hampden Park…

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers during the Scottish Premiership match between Aberdeen and Celtic at Pittodrie Stadium, on 4th December 2024. Photo Mark Runnacles Shutterstock

In the latest financial results between both clubs, Celtic revealed they had a whopping £77.2 million sitting in the bank compared to their rivals miniscule [in football terms]£1.7 million. For our rivals, this is quite clearly as a direct consequence of their own serial mismanagement at boardroom level.

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Post-match to theRangers 3-0 victory over Ross County in Dingwall last Sunday, Philippe Clement insisted their double header against Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League, and then Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup final was ‘financially out of our league,’ which seemed to irk and confuse even his own supporters.

theRangers manager Philippe Clement is seen during the UEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round 2nd Leg match between Rangers and Dynamo Kyiv at Hampden Park on August 13, 2024 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The reasons for the massive financial gulf between both teams are simple – Celtic have continually qualified for the Champions League, now a third consecutive season, and have an excellent player trading model with a boardroom prudent on economic incomings and outgoings – the same cannot be said for our opposition tomorrow.

This was revealed in theRangers recent AGM where it was declared they had received the small sum of £800,000 for Sam Lammers, Scott Wright, Robbie McCrorie, Connor Goldson and Todd Cantwell in the recent summer transfer window. All the while, Celtic sold Mikey Johnston for £3 million to West Brom.

Those are the key differences, and Philippe Clement’s comments reflect theRangers own mismanagement for more than a decade now. That is their issue. Own it.

Speaking to the media yesterday afternoon, Brendan Rodgers was asked what he made of Clement’s assertions, and whether or not it was a fair assessment of where the two clubs were at off the pitch.

Rodgers responded: “Philippe will have whatever he feels he needs to look at within ourselves. I’m only interested in Celtic really, where Celtic have come over the numbers of years. This is a club that has been organically grown; we haven’t been handed money, and we haven’t got 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 the success is that we’ve had. We’ve grown that, developed that, and that has allowed us then to win, and when you win, that brings more success.”

“For us, that is all I’m interested in. The greater good of this team, the club are in a brilliant position. It’s all been earned; it’s not been handed to us. Everyone has the possibility, or certainly, teams up towards the top will have the possibility to earn the finances. If they don’t, then okay, we have to worry about ourselves, and that’s my only interest, really.”

Clearly, Clement is trying to build a siege mentality for his side heading into Sunday’s contest. However, the objective for Celtic remains clear – play to the levels they have reached domestically so far this season. If they do that, there will only be one winner.

Conor Spence

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