THERE is nothing manufactured when it comes to Brendan Rodgers' disdain for artificial surfaces.
While the Celtic manager understands the financial imperatives which lie behind Ladbrokes Premiership clubs like Hamilton Accies and Kilmarnock tearing up their grass pitches to lay astroturf instead, quite frankly he feels that the Scottish football supporter has been short-changed by the practice for years.
He is almost certain to leave Jozo Simunovic out of his starting line-up when he visits the Lanarkshire side's 4G surface tomorrow, in order to prevent any aggravation of a nagging groin issue, but that is only part of the story.
Celtic's first assignment once they step off the plane from their winter break in Dubai is to expose their treble aspirations to another trial by turf, a Scottish Cup tie against Albion Rovers on the artificial surface of the Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie.
As soon as the decision was taken to move the tie from the ramshackle confines of 1,500-capacity Cliftonhill, SFA regulations which insist on the tie being played at the "nearest suitable" available stadium made it inevitable that these two sides would meet on an artificial pitch, even though both play on grass.
“We play the game because we have to," said Rodgers, ahead of the festive trip to Hamilton. "We are professional. But there are two elements for me and the biggest one is for the supporters. Do they get a proper game of football? I don’t think they do.
"I have never, ever seen a good game on a plastic pitch," he added. "I have been involved in them, watched them, and analysed them. People now pay good money to watch their football team, they want to see their team play well, and there is such an unpredictability with the plastic pitch.
“I respect Hamilton as a club and some other teams don’t have the revenue and luxuries some of us others do. I know some of the people there and they do a brilliant job in creating talent and then selling them on. So there is no complaint there. They have to survive and fair play to them for that. The only one I would consider not playing on the pitch is Simunovic. Apart from that, all the others will be fine. But I am talking globally from football perspective. There won’t be too many players who would choose to play on it.
"I also find it unbelievable that we get to play a Scottish Cup tie on an astroturf pitch when both teams play on grass. Did I have any input on that? None whatsoever. Again, it’s supporters, it’s they who suffer. Players, managers and coaches get on with it. We know the ball flies off at unpredictable angles, it gets sticky, and mistakes get made which naturally wouldn’t happen."
Rodgers is not blind to the benefits of the surface for youth and recreational football across the land - he has worked too long as a youth coach for that - but quite simply he doesn't feel that top flight senior football should be played on it. For the record, Simunovic is likely to be joined on the sidelines by Greg Docherty, the Hamilton midfielder who is sidelined for two months with a broken foot.
"Whether it was an injury caused by the surface of not, there are instances where players pick up injuries they wouldn’t normally pick up on grass," he said. "I remember going to watch a team who play on an astroturf pitch and sitting in the stand beside me were four players, from the home team, all on crutches."
While the packed festive fixture calendar isn't too everyone's tastes, Rodgers is simply delighted to be back in the thick of it again, in the midst of an unbeaten domestic run which could be 24 matches by the time he sits down at the bells.
While some extra down time last Christmas was one of the benefits of being relieved of his position with Liverpool last November, the hectic Christmas period chimes with the Northern Irishman's traditionalist streak. Even better this year is the fact it is immediately followed by the winter break in Dubai which will allow his players to recharge their batteries.
"It was nice to have that breather [last year]," said Rodgers. "I probably felt what it was like for my counterparts around Europe. Some of them have three to four weeks off, even a month. For me it was a little bit strange. But listen, I don’t think we should lose the festive period of games. I’m very much a traditionalist and games you remember can come at this time of year. But what’s great this year is that we have the chance to recover after that.
"For supporters to see the best level of football they can, this break coming up is absolutely brilliant," he added. "We recharge and then go again. We’re on the down slope now with three games to go and we’ve enjoyed the challenge of it from a coaching and management perspective."
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