BRENDAN Rodgers has made a thinly-veiled attack on the Rangers hierarchy and claimed the “background noise” Graeme Murty had to contend with in the build-up to successive Celtic games was detrimental to his chances of success.

Murty’s slim hopes of being retained as manager at the Ibrox club beyond the summer ended at Parkhead on Sunday when his team – who had lost the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final to their city rivals 4-0 at Hampden a fortnight earlier – were thrashed 5-0.

It was the heaviest league defeat the Govan club have suffered at the hands of their age old adversaries in 127 years and ensured their rampant hosts secured a seventh consecutive Scottish title in front of over 50,000 of their jubilant fans.

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The former Scotland internationalist, who took over from Pedro Caixinha back in October has been savaged by irate Rangers supporters for his players’ woeful displays in successive Glasgow derby matches.

However, Rodgers feels his counterpart’s preparations for both of last month’s games were disrupted by his own club and criticised the conditions he has had to work under since moving from his role as lead development squad coach last year.

Dave King, the chairman and major shareholder, released a statement before the semi-final which said that whoever was appointed manager had to be able to deliver “immediate success”. It also emerged last week that Rangers had held talks with Liverpool under-18 coach Steven Gerrard about the manager’s position.

“I have real empathy for Graeme Murty,” said Rodgers from Tenerife where the newly-crowned Scottish champions’ have gone for a warm-weather training break. “What that guy has had to go through in the build-up to big games! I have really felt for him.

“There has been talk about his role and his position. But this is a guy who, at this time last year, was heralded as a very good coach for young players and I’m sure with first-team players as well. He was really wanting to go into sessions because he really enjoyed his work.

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“He goes into the role and does a real good job in stabilising it. He then gets asked to come in and do it again. But what seems to be happening here is he gets thrown in below the bus. This is a guy who has done everything he possibly can, I’m sure.

“He’ll finish off his season and see where he ends up, but I have real empathy for him. Now because of a couple of defeats and it hasn’t quite worked out, he’s just been thrown to the garbage really and I think it’s very discourteous.

“As you build for big games, your focus should be on the field and on performance and I’m disappointed for him that it wasn’t the case. There is always pressure and expectancy on these games. But it does help if a lot of the background noise isn’t there. You can just focus on the game.”

Murty, whose captain Lee Wallace and vice-captain Kenny Miller were suspended following an alleged bust-up in the aftermath of the semi-final loss, has been adamant the King statement and revelations about the Gerrard discussions haven’t undermined him.

Rodgers, though, suggested his opposite number’s standing in the dressing room has been damaged by uncertainty over his future and constant speculation he would not be in the position beyond the end of the 2017/18 campaign. “From a manager’s perspective, you have greater stability and greater authority if you are in position, of course,” he said.

The Northern Irishman, who will make Scottish football history later this month and become the first manager to oversee back-to-back domestic trebles if his side overcome Motherwell in the William Hill Scottish Cup final at Hampden, is hoping more Old Firm title deciders are scheduled in future following the game on Sunday.

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The SPFL and Police Scotland were believed to be uneasy about handing Celtic the chance to sew up the league against Rangers and they were drawn to play Hibernian away at Easter Road in the first post-split fixture.

“This is a wonderful country,” said Rodgers. “There is great football here. Football is shown on television from all over the world and it is highlighting all these great games in Spain, or wherever. But Sunday at Celtic Park was as good as it gets in terms of spectacle, intensity and everything else.

“If they want to make the game after the split, do it, trust it. It can be like Sunday. That’s important and people have to learn to live with it and deal with it. I’m sure they will.”

Meanwhile, Rodgers has admitted that he is hopeful the trip to Tenerife this week will help to energise his players at the end of a long and wearying season.

“It’s part of the preparation,” he said. “The players have been back since June 18 and it’s been a long winter. We now have an extra week with the cup final, which we want, but it was always planned. There is a chance to train at a beautiful training camp in Tenerife. I’ve been here with Swansea and Liverpool. You get some good training and sunshine.”