Managers in the Scottish Premiership and their obsession with automotive metaphors is truly the gift that keeps on giving.
Just when we thought the ghost of Brendan Rodgers’ infamous ‘Honda Civic’ had been securely locked away in the Celtic garage, Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou has decided to take it for a joyride.
Ahead of Motherwell’s daunting trip to face Celtic this weekend, Askou was asked if their defeat to Dundee on Saturday had put a dent in his team’s unlikely title hopes.
Instead of reaching for the standard, cautious managerial playbook, Askou delivered a Top Gear-worthy monologue to Sky Sports. Here is a brief snippet.
“We haven’t addressed the title hopes, or driving in a very nice, undented car all the way up there,” said Askou.
“We will gladly take some dents here and there to make sure that we develop and build the car that will drive the fastest in the long run.”
How many points will Celtic end the season with?
Will it be enough to win the league? 😅
Jens Berthel Askou is looking to crash Celtic’s title hopes
Back in October, Celtic were beaten at Dundee, and Rodgers likened the squad he had to driving a ‘Honda Civic.’
The now-departed Celtic boss stated, at the time: “There’s no way you’ll go into a race and be given the keys to a Honda Civic and say, ‘I want you to drive it like a Ferrari’.”
Ironically enough, Askou has gone down the same road after losing to the very same opponents in a surprise manner, 24 hours before Celtic beat Rangers in the Scottish Cup.
At the absolute peak of this motoring madness, Askou was quizzed on exactly what kind of machine he’d need to beat the champions on their own turf.
The Danish boss deadpanned that he’d be heading to the ‘dealership’ this week to find a motor capable of staying on the track.
All in all, it has perfectly set the stage for a brilliantly absurd, high-speed showdown.
Sky reporter: “A title challenge was always going to be unlikely for a club the size of Motherwell. But how much of a dent is a result like this put in your title hopes?”
Askou: “We haven’t addressed the title hopes, or driving in a very nice, undented car all the way up there. We will gladly take some dents here and there to make sure that we develop and build the car that will drive the fastest in the long run.
“We need to have a few crashes here and there to learn how to drive even better. It has helped us along the way. I still think there are a lot of points to play for, so I don’t think anything has been decided in this league, where we are going to end, or the teams around us are going to end.”
Sky reporter: “What sort of car are you going to need then to beat Celtic, at the home of the champions?”
Askou: “Well, at least the car that stays on track when the opportunity is there to take over the car we are racing against, and not take a detour somewhere.
“We will have to go to the dealership and see if we can find that during the week.”
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