By Matthew Elder

Copyright scotsman

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has defended Rangers head coach Russell Martin against what he views as unfair criticism dished out by his Ibrox predecessors. Rangers fans are set to protest for Martin to be sacked ahead of their Premier Sports Cup quarter-final against Hibs this weekend amid the club’s worst start to a league campaign in 47 years. Martin has also been vilified in some quarters for taking his players on a team bonding trip to Loch Lomond this week for wild swimming and a hill climb in a bid to galvanise his squad. Rodgers revealed that the Celtic squad also arranged a get-together away from the training ground this week involving the player’s partners as he questioned some of the comments aimed at his Old Firm rival. He said: ”Being a manager in this modern game and especially at the high end clubs and the big pressure clubs, it’s a big challenge. Because all the eyes are on you. It can be a lonely place. The voices of safety are even less. There’s hardly any time to breathe. But you have to find a way. “I see some of the stuff from during the week when the team went on a team-building exercise. Every team does that. It’s like anything in life, it’s timing. In another time, if Russell does that and they won a few games, everyone would be saying, ‘What a great idea!’ “You look as a manager for blocks in your time when you can. So we had a team building exercise during the week with the players, the partners, wives and girlfriends – and it was really nice. Thankfully you guys didn’t get to hear about it. But, it happens. “I see the scrutiny that’s on Russell and whatever happens for him, he will be better for it. I have some issues around the moral aspect when I see people commenting on how he’s doing and not that long ago they were stood in his shoes or sat on the bench. So, I don’t like that. “When I see a manager being pulled up on certain parts of the game, certain tactics of the game, that not so long ago other people couldn’t work that out either. So for him, everything is on him. He will be stronger for it. He’s got a bit of experience behind him. “At 39, I was 39 when I managed Liverpool, so I know exactly what it’s like. You go into the big arenas and everything else, but this will make him stronger. You’ve just got to have that inherent belief in what you’re doing, believe in it, and hopefully then you get the opportunity to come through that.” A number of former Rangers players and coaching staff now work in the media and Rodgers feels that such individuals – some of whom failed to make a success of their own time at Ibrox – should show more respect towards Martin. He added: ”I have over 800 games now as a manager. So, I’m always aware and I look to see what other managers will be saying – or people who have been in that position – who should know better. “Some will say, ‘Well, I’ve got to comment…’ “But you’ve walked in the shoes. Unless you’ve been in the shoes of a manager or a coach, do you really, really understand what that person’s going through. And if you have been in that position, then you should respect more. You know how tough it is. You know how challenging it is. You know certain things you can’t change, that you can’t bring out into the open. “So, for me, I’ve always found that interesting when managers that are currently in a job, they’re taking a bit of stick from people who weren’t that long ago in the job and found it challenging.” Rodgers revealed that he had a sit-down with Martin after the recent derby at Ibrox and had words of praise for the 29-times capped former Scotland defender. “He’s a good guy – a good man,” the Celtic boss stressed. “He was a really good servant for Scotland when he played. He had a fantastic career built around will and desire and had a really good career. “He’s stepped into management, has done well with the clubs that he’s been at and has now taken on an opportunity up here to try and transform Rangers. “So, give him room to breathe. Of course, there’s always a demand. There always will be at Celtic and Rangers, of course. But it’s other people out within that, that I struggle to see how they can say the things that they say against a young manager who is trying to bed his way in.” Rodgers takes his side to Firhill on Sunday for a Premier Sports Cup quarter-final against Partick Thistle on the back of a 2-1 win over Kilmarnock last weekend where Celtic fans staged a late entry protest against the board. While there is a clear rift between the club and the supporter base over performance in the transfer market, Rodgers insisted that that there is there is no such crisis on the field with his team sitting top of the Premiership after five matches. “There is this noise that Celtic is in crisis. It absolutely is not. The team is coming together again,” Rodgers stressed. “Domestically, if you look at how we started the season, we’re not at our best, of course, we’re not. Everything that is happening right now is all natural with the changes that we’ve had, with players adapting and coming in late into our structure. “Whilst that is happening, our duty and our idea is to still win games, and the players are doing that. You see the togetherness, and ultimately, you want that within every sector of the club. I think that’s what the supporters won’t forget – they’re there to support the team and give that encouragement to the team. Our duty is to make sure we still win games and the players are doing that.”