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By MIKE KEEGAN, CHIEF SPORTS REPORTER Published: 09: 30 AEDT, 29 October 2025 | Updated: 11: 51 AEDT, 29 October 2025 4 View comments During his time as Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers delivered an impressive presentation to a select number of journalists on what he described as his CORE principles. The aim was to deliver an off-the-record insight into what made the Northern Irishman tick – how he built his teams, how he extracted peak performance from his players and, in general, what made him one of the game's elite managers. With the assistance of a whiteboard in his office at Melwood, he passionately detailed the philosophy, explaining that it was based around key themes of Commitment, Ownership, Responsibilities and Excellence. A short time later, after the resulting pieces had been published, a person who worked in another sport quietly got in touch to explain that the CORE principles were actually the work of Professor Steve Peters, not Rodgers, and were prominent in his bestselling self-help book The Chimp Paradox, which had been published three years earlier. Going back further in Rodgers' time at Anfield, there was the infamous envelope trick, which involved the former Chelsea coach taking three envelopes into one of his first pre-match meetings, holding them up to his squad and telling them the names he had written inside would let him down during the season. The scene formed part of Channel 5's Being: Liverpool, a documentary that, at times, felt more like an episode of The Office. Brendan Rodgers resigned as Celtic boss on Monday - it appears he jumped before he could be pushed Rodgers presents his squad with the infamous envelope trick, captured in the Channel 5 documentary Being: Liverpool In a later interview with the Liverpool Echo, former number two goalkeeper Brad Jones explained: 'I think it was Glen Johnson who said he'd actually seen it before, I think it was (former Chelsea manager Jose) Mourinho who had done it. ' As they have now experienced for a second time at Parkhead, with Rodgers, all is often not what it seems. In his explosive farewell statement, owner Dermot Desmond described him as 'divisive' and 'self-serving' among a myriad other pleasantries, and that his words had 'contributed to a toxic atmosphere around the club and fuelled hostility'. There are many who would agree. This is a man whose substantial opinion of himself appeared to lead him to think he could take on Desmond and win.   This, do not forget, is Desmond - who was called upon to intervene in Sir Alex Ferguson's public dispute with would-be Manchester United owners JP Mc Manus and John Magnier and who ensured that the Scot quickly wound his neck in. In his devastating takedown of his manager, Desmond said he had personally told Rodgers a contract extension was on the table, but 'Brendan implied that the club had made no commitment to offer him a contract. That was simply untrue. ' Of the suggestion that the board did not back their manager in the transfer market, the billionaire Irishman said: 'Every player signed and every player sold during his tenure was done so with Brendan's full knowledge, approval, and endorsement. Any insinuation otherwise is absolutely false. ' And on Rodgers' general dissatisfaction, Desmond delivered the killer line: 'Brendan and I met for over three hours at his home in Scotland . .. despite ample opportunity, he was unable to identify a single instance where the club had obstructed or failed to support him. The facts did not match his public narrative. ' And he made it clear that Celtic were glad to see the back of their manager: 'Celtic is greater than any one person. Our focus now is on restoring harmony, strengthening the squad, and continuing to build a club worthy of its values, traditions, and supporters. ' Dermot Desmond released an astonishing statement on Rodgers, accusing him of being 'divisive, misleading and self-serving' A man of his word? In August, as Celtic's admittedly shambolic transfer window lurched to a disappointing close, Rodgers was asked if he would consider leaving. 'No chance, absolutely no chance, ' he said. 'We've done that one before. It didn't go down well. I said from the first day, and there's no hidden messages, I'd be here for three years. I'm here for three years. ' And yet here we are. Two months later and Rodgers is gone. According to Celtic he resigned, but Desmond's blistering missive suggests that he jumped before he was pushed. The writing appeared to be on the wall for some time. Regardless of a perceived lack of backing in that now infamous transfer window, which was a valid complaint, failure to qualify for the Champions League this summer was unforgivable. Celtic had two legs to see off Kazakhstan minnows Kairat Almaty and Rodgers should have had more than enough in the ranks to do so.   That they could not was, quite simply, pathetic. It was also deeply damaging given the impact on finances. From then on, some believed that Rodgers was attempting to engineer his own exit.   When you compare your team, players you have to look in the eye and demand that they give their best, to a 'Honda Civic' the suggestion is that things may be approaching the end game.   It is certainly a difficult one to reverse from. Back-to-back Premiership defeats at Dundee and Hearts suggested that the comment, unsurprisingly, may not have gone down well. And yet, this is not all on Rodgers. There are no winners here, and nobody emerges without blame. This has been a highly avoidable episode for Glasgow's East Enders. With Rangers in disarray, this season should have provided an opportunity for Rodgers and Celtic to move even further ahead, to extend the gap to almost insurmountable levels. Some believed that Rodgers was attempting to engineer his own exit after a humiliating defeat in Champions League qualifying  Rodgers is a good manager, despite all the spin and spiel. His record talks for itself. In his first stint at Parkhead he won seven domestic trophies in a row and his side went 69 games unbeaten.  While his exit for the bright lights of Leicester City left a bitter taste, champagne quickly flowed following his return.   While the ongoing omnishambles at Ibrox was a contributing factor, Rodgers departs as a Celtic manager who won the title in every single full season he was in charge of the team. Just stop and think about that. Indeed, it was only in February that his side pushed Bayern Munich all the way on what felt like a breakthrough night in the Champions League. But since then he, and the fanbase, have been badly let down by those in the boardroom.   The lack of successful activity in the window was a reckless juggling act. The balls are now on the floor and there is now a mess to clean up.   Desmond's statement accused Rodgers of creating 'a toxic atmosphere' but the reality is that the man in the mirror – and his boardroom lieutenants – were more responsible for that.   An outlay of £13m in the summer was never going to be anywhere near enough, especially against £26m worth of departures – a figure that does not include the £10m picked up in January when Kyogo Furuhashi was sold to Rennes and not replaced. At a time in the club's history when investment was needed, the reverse is what transpired, leaving Rodgers without anywhere near the level of firepower or squad depth he will have desired.   Celtic fans are not fools, and the early reaction to Desmond's statement suggests there has been no pulling of the wool over their eyes. That said, there will be few tears shed over Rodgers' departure, not least in the boardroom.   But, as they have seen across the city, things can fall apart very quickly in Glasgow, and a resurgent Hearts will further complicate things for whoever Martin O'Neill hands the baton across to. Rodgers' favourite Celtic song was club anthem You'll Never Walk Alone.   In those final days he may well have questioned that message. Even now, as he turns his mind to his future, there is a question over which club would take him on after this devastating departure.   The 'Honda Civic' line may well follow him – and lead prospective employers to question what they would be letting themselves in for should they decide to hand him the keys. As for Rodgers' cherished CORE values, he has clearly and dramatically failed on commitment, ownership and responsibilities. While there has been excellence, the 'e' may as well stand for exit strategy. He will need a better one next time.

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