The Swansea City manager will experience his first South Wales derby on Sunday lunchtime at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Leading his side into the game in 3rd place, Rodgers declared the game ‘his kind of game’ and acknowledges supporters’ feelings about the game
โThis is my type of game,โ Rodgers told the Western Mail
โYou canโt deny these games are the same because theyโre not, with all the emotion.
โI never played in any derbies, and, when I was in charge at Watford and Reading, we never had any because our rivals were in different divisions.
โNo doubt thatโs why Iโve got the excitement I have for this one.
โMy uncle lived here when Swansea were moving up through the divisions, I was back in Ireland so I had a feel for the club.
โI was listening to stories about John Toshack as a boy back in Ireland and thatโs when Swansea first came to light for me.
โItโs quite a long way to here, a fair old hike, so from the outside Swansea is a little place tucked away.
โIโm not sure Sky have even been here this season, Wales for them must stop at Cardiff.
โSo until you come here you donโt understand this is a big club.
โThe first day I arrived at Swansea the number of press was incredible.
โYou are going to one of two clubs representing a nation and as you go along you get a feel from the supporters.
โIโve moved here, thrown myself into life here and then you get the feeling from people about their passion for the club.
โWhen this club progresses, and thereโs no doubt it will get to the Premier League, when it does youโll really see the benefits of this wonderful place.
โEvery derby is always special because of the history.
โIt doesnโt matter if itโs Reading and Oxford, Celtic or Rangers or the Milan derby.
โThey are all big games and itโs the supporters that make them. In this part of the world thereโs a real passion for football, a real inherent love of the game, so I donโt need to be told what it means.
โFor Cardiff and Swansea supporters this is the biggest derby in the world.
โI do remind the players they represent the supporters that are there paying their money to watch them, and how fortunate we are โ but they already know that.
โItโs a game with the heart and the passion where weโre representing the supporters, but itโs just as important we keep our head and keep control with the way we play.
โWe both are good teams with great talents, but Iโm also looking at the longer term.
โGreat individuals will win you games, but itโs the best teams that will win you championships.
โItโs a team ethic that we have here and if we move away from that in any game that will be our downfall.โ