Why Celtic's 'Box Office Brendan' is a must-see event

From narratives being written about his team to the Celtic players penning their own stories this season. Rodgers has certainly come into his own big-time over the past few months. The Northern Irishman brazenly sat in the Rangers press room after a thrilling 3-3 draw at Ibrox, stared everybody down and told them all that Celtic were a better football team than their title rivals. He then proceeded to tell everybody that this was the business end of the campaign and Celtic was ready to turn up.

Fast forward to the pre-match press conference to preview the Dundee game and a bullish Rodgers was in fighting talk mode again. He said: "This is the period where you’ve got to get your trophy head on, and you get your focus on what it takes to become a champion. The players here are well-versed in that. They understand the mindset, and they understand the psychological traits that are needed at this stage."

The 51-year-old was at it again at the weekend after Celtic had clinically disposed of Hearts by three goals to nil. As he looked ahead to this Saturday's Glasgow derby Rodgers opined: "Now you start to see a bit more of what a Celtic team of mine should look like and still with a lot of work to do to get it to that point but it’s certainly heading in the right direction.

"80 per cent of it now is mental. Physically they are in a really good place. This stage is all about mentality. You can see mentally we are in a really good place. Take nothing for granted, keep our composure, we have a lot of work to do in the week, get our plan ready and then next Saturday we can have a bit of fun.”

READ MORE: Rodgers in Celtic 'have a bit of fun' Rangers remark

Rodgers also insisted Celtic Park would be 'on fire' for the derby encounter. He's not wrong. Celtic can take a significant stride to retaining their Scottish Premiership crown with a win over the Light Blues.

However, it's the use of the word 'fun' which appears to have gone viral and nuclear down Govan way. Despite Rodgers not naming Rangers by name - he allowed it it be inferred - he stated that his side where in a good place mentally and jokingly threw in the 'bit of fun’ comment ahead of the pressures normally associated with a potential derby title decider. It provoked a bizarre response from Clement who said these words in two different media interviews said: "I heard yesterday they are going to have fun. We are going to have fun also.”

"That it is something that I would never say about an opponent. But, okay, we will see. It’s not really respectful towards my team. That is what I think, so I will never say things like that about an opponent."

There is no war of words here despite Rodgers lobbing in his verbal grenade. He has played a blinder. He has thrown out the bait and Clement has fallen for it hook, line and sinker and had a nibble. In essence, Rodgers is adept at taking all the pressure on his shoulders and off the Celtic players. Clement isn't. The Belgian has allowed Rodgers to enter his head and live rent-free and all for such a throwaway comment.

Clement would have been best advised to keep his counsel and side-step the question. The fact that he didn't leaves him open to all sorts of scrutiny by his own fans who may feel that by focusing on Celtic and not Rangers he is not concentrating on the job at hand which is to stop his rivals from claiming a third successive title. Even Rodgers will probably be surprised at Clement's overreaction and fragile state of mind with regard to his utterances. This has worked too well on so many levels. It's Rodgers' forte. This is when the elite-level managers earn their corn.

As Rodgers stated before the Jambos clash when he was asked about the pressure that comes with a tight title race: "I have really enjoyed it. The game - as we all know - has a bit of pressure all at different levels - [it's] how you deal with that and how you take that and for me I am comfortable in this environment and this pressure situation.

"For me, my job is to decrease the pressure on the players. It's something that I have always done especially at the biggest clubs because there is so much pressure on these guys, from a variety of places. I don't want to add to that. My job is to regulate the pressure for them to let them feel confident in how they play as well as manage their mood and make sure that it's always positive and ready to go and play as best they possibly can."

READ MORE: Celtic's Rodgers is looking for a title race knockout blow

Rodgers' 'fun' comment shows an outward display of calmness, coolness and serenity. He is not rattled. Unlike his opposite number on the other side of the city. Yet Rodgers is now being branded over-confident and arrogant in the aftermath. It is manna from heaven for the Celtic support. It's exactly how they want their manager to represent them and speak for them in a week when a derby victory will all but secure another title.

You could say in this instant that there is a method in Rodgers 'Fun-Bhoys-Three' routine. Elite-level management it's called. Rodgers knows exactly what he's doing. Just as Sir Alex Ferguson did in 1996 when Kevin Keegan had arguably football's biggest-ever blow-up and rant as Newcastle lost the title to Manchester United. Ferguson cast out his fishing line by saying the Leeds players had been "cheating" their manager by raising their game against the league leaders, as they sat in the bottom half of the Premier League table before he said 'you wait and see the difference' when they play Newcastle United.

Keegan blew up live on SKY TV and proceeded to have his infamous rant: "No, no... when you do that with footballers like he said about Leeds, and when you do things like that about a man like Stuart Pearce, I've kept really quiet, but I'll tell you something, he went down in my estimation when he said that," declared Keegan, with a sense of righteousness.

"We have not resorted to that, but I'll tell you, you can tell him now if you're watching it, we're still fighting for this title, and he's got to go to Middlesbrough and get something, and... and... I'll tell you, honestly, I will love it if we beat them, love it!"

It was a psychological and mental masterstroke by Ferguson. It's akin to what Rodgers is doing here to Clement. The Rangers manager is falling into the trap and has publically imploded days before the challenger's biggest game of the season. The optics don't look good for Clement anyway.

It was Lisbon Lion, Bertie Auld, who once famously said of Jock Stein's Celtic: "We train all week long and then on Saturday we get the day off to play football." In the aftermath of the Hearts result, Rodgers' comments were exactly the same. Saturdays are the fun part for him and his players. Yet many people seem to have missed or deliberately chosen to omit the fact Rodgers also specifically said: "We have a lot of work to do in the week". Funny that, isn't it?

READ MORE: Why the 'Jungle' could become Celtic's 'Paradise City'

To be fair, this is a manager who has been spelling it out and signposting this kind of stuff ever since arrived back in Glasgow's east end. Back in June, when he was unveiled as the new Celtic boss for a second time. Rodgers unashamedly said this: "For those that have been with me and always with me, let’s enjoy the journey. For those I need to convince – I’ll see you here in May." We've reached May. Celtic stand 90 minutes and one victory away from all but wrapping green and white ribbons around the Scottish Premiership silverware.

Rodgers also knows how to beat Rangers in real games as well as mind games. In 16 fixtures against his rivals thus far his record reads: 12 wins, three draws and one loss. It's an astonishing win rate of 75 per cent. The mood music emanating from both camps could not be more stark heading into the weekend. Can Rodgers and his Celtic team make it an 'unlucky' 13 wins in 17 Glasgow derby matches?

The manager appears to have rediscovered his managerial mojo. The Celtic players appear to have rediscovered their form at a critical juncture of the campaign. The Celtic support has rediscovered their singing voices, especially at Celtic Park. Whilst Clement is busy stumbling and mumbling around doing his best Kevin Keegan impression: 'I would love it if we beat them' ahead of Saturday, it is Rodgers and his Celtic players who appear to be laser-focused.

This weekend, Rodgers has a chance to finally convince the doubters. He and his players have got their business and trophy heads on. Remember 80 per cent of it at this stage is mental. If Rodgers' side triumphs at the weekend then Celtic Park will go as 'Mental as Anything'. The Celtic fans might even 'Live It Up' in the process and raise a glass to toast their manager.

Rodgers would be perfectly entitled to do the mic drop after that. That's how elite-level management works, isn't it?