Brendan Rodgers quizzed on Celtic Fans Collective campaign ‘Not Another Penny’

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Brendan Rodgers has been quizzed on the latest escalation in protests against the Celtic board.

Celtic Fans Collective (CFC) are a new organisation made up of a number of prominent Celtic fan groups and supporter associations.

They were the masterminds behind the protest at Rugby Park in September and the three-match silent protest which was postponed after the draw with Hibs.

Now, after a meeting with the Celtic hierarchy that did not end satisfactorily and without meaningful progress, protests have ramped up.

CFC on Friday morning launched ‘Not Another Penny’ – a campaign that will see fans buy nothing from the club other than match tickets.

• READ MORE: Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers delivers Daizen Maeda and Alistair Johnston fitness verdicts

Rodgers ‘has not seen’ Celtic Fans Collective’s latest protest

So what does Rodgers think of it? Quizzed on the matter, he said: “Well, one, I haven’t seen that. Two, I would say, listen, the Celtic supporters are at the heart of this club.

“That is what Celtic is synonymous with, and hopefully going forward, we can find that balance that allows that great support to spill onto the field and obviously, we have that harmony throughout the club.

“But until then, I’m sure both parties will continue discussing. In the meantime, it’s really about affecting what we can, and that’s on the pitch.

Asked if the off-pitch unrest could impact the team, he replied: “Well, we have to control that or try and influence that as much as we possibly can.

“I think on a day-to-day basis up here on the training field, of course, it doesn’t. Our focus is very much on training, developing, preparing the team and then obviously bringing that out onto the matchday.

“Then from that, we get the great support, and they can hopefully push the team and that’s all you can hope for.”

Rodgers was then quizzed on whether he finds himself stuck on the fence between the fans on one side and the board on the other.

He responded: “No, I just think that I can really only affect going forward and affect the future of the team and influence as best I can.

“You can’t control everything in terms of as a manager, but you can certainly influence. The biggest influence is for the players and the training and the team and that’s what we have to focus on.”