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By HUGH MACDONALD Published: 13: 00 AEDT, 29 October 2025 | Updated: 13: 00 AEDT, 29 October 2025 View comments The departure of Brendan Rodgers from Celtic provides another battlefield for the war that has been circling the club, most of the firing being done from entrenched positions. There is a schism between some fans and the board where nuance is a regular victim. Yet surely the unassailable truth is that Rodgers had to go. Even the Northern Irishman seemed to agree with that, submitting his resignation instead of waiting for the inevitable bullet. Football, thankfully, is a repository of differing opinions, ranging from the frankly bonkers to the purely rational. All this is on view today but, when the smell of cordite dissipates, surely the departure of Rodgers will be deemed as necessary, ultimately beneficial, even among his most faithful adherents. It is important in making this assertion that one considers the matter at hand. There are many byways that draw observers away from the central issue. It is this: how is the team playing and how was the manager behaving? The first part of this equation is that there were grounds to sack Rodgers on performances stretching back to the beginning of the year. He was offered indulgence when a series of poor results — against Rangers, twice, against Almaty, twice, a cup final against Aberdeen, and then against Dundee and Hearts —could and perhaps should have merited at least a yellow card. His excellent record in lifting trophies offered him protection from critical scrutiny. This is understandable. But Rodgers was underperforming given the tools at his disposal. Brendan Rodgers was underperforming as Celtic manager given the tools at his disposal Celtic's major shareholder Dermot Desmond described Rodgers as 'self-serving' in a coruscating statement This brings the discussion to the matter of recruitment. There was a regular gung-ho approach ‘of give me the tools and I will finish the job’ message from Rodgers. Again, every manager in the world plays this line. But to do so after failing miserably against Almaty was, frankly, insulting to many of the support. The ‘Honda Civic’ comment after the defeat at Dens Park raised guffaws around Scottish football. It was observed widely that the gulf between Celtic’s Honda and Dundee’s bike with a rickety wheel was considerable. The transfer market, too, proved troublesome for Rodgers. Anyone who has read How to Win the Premier League by Ian Graham, Liverpool’s then statistician and analyst, will recognise that Rodgers is not an adherent to the collegiate approach that now marks modern football’s process in signing players. His tenure at Liverpool was branded on a strategy of ‘death by football’, that is, controlling possession would inevitably lead to victory. He came close to the title, but no cigar. Leicester City started brightly but ended in failure. Crucially, though, he did not seem aligned to the benchmarks set in place for recruitment at Anfield. This trait was conspicuous at Celtic. The transfer strategy was the victim. One can have reservations on Celtic’s policy pre-Rodgers, but there was a plan. It involved certain rough criteria: buy players under 25, who have played for their country at some level, are willing to be paid £10, 000-14, 000 a year, and have scope for development. It worked. Celtic achieved an unprecedented level of domestic dominance and made huge profits on players. This is irrefutable. It can be checked in the record books and in financial statements. The area of public uncertainty was this, what was Rodgers’ input at Celtic and what was the strategy? The manager regularly professed his impotence, citing ‘club signings’. Aside from the observation that all signings are surely club signings, what did he mean? Was the club recruiting players he did not want? Dermot Desmond addressed this in his coruscating statement on Monday night. Martin O'Neill has made a sensational return to Celtic Park as interim manager following Brendan Rodgers' resignation on Monday Last Sunday's 3-1 defeat to Premiership leaders Hearts turned out to be Rodgers' last match in charge ‘Every player signed and every player sold during his tenure was done so with Brendan’s full knowledge, approval and endorsement, ’ he said. Was the club short-changing the manager? ‘Despite ample opportunity, he (Rodgers) was unable to identify a single instance where the club had obstructed or failed to support him, ’ continued Desmond. Those Celtic supporters clamouring for transparency have it now. There is no wiggle room or obfuscation in any of the above. And Desmond, as the youngsters like to say, will have the receipts. The tension between manager and board over signings is an integral part of football and, indeed, a healthy one. Discussion, dissension and rows are part of the business. But Celtic’s recruitment moved into areas of the deeply bizarre. The Japanese full-back, Hayato Inamura, was a gaudy example of this. Rodgers said he would go out on loan as he was not at the required level. He then played him, seeming to be impressed. He then banished him. The disposal of players was a cause for concern. This is an opinion business in many ways, but Oh Hyeon-gyu was sold to Genk and later attracted a £28million bid from Stuttgart. Gustaf Lagerbielke, the Swedish international, was shown the door and is now a defensive stalwart for Braga, who sit joint top of the Europa League with no goals conceded in the competition. Rodgers preferred Auston Trusty, signed for £6m, but who can’t play alongside another left-footed centre-back, according to Rodgers’ football beliefs. Rodgers simply had to leave Celtic after his behaviour became intolerable for the board Rodgers gives his last briefing to the press as Celtic boss after the Tynecastle defeat All this, and much more, can be discussed interminably, but it was the behaviour of Rodgers that became intolerable. He was speaking out when the board were in the line of fire. This would not be tolerated in any other industry. If you doubt that, go public today about what you perceive to be the failings of those above you and around you in the workplace. Then watch what happens. But it goes beyond that. It enters into the area of ‘self-serving’ that was brought up by Desmond in the statement. Who benefits from the team being likened to a Honda Civic? Who is inspired by advice ‘not to fall asleep at the wheel’? Surely, any disagreements should be discussed in private with the board, and resolutions found. Yet Desmond stated: ‘His (Rodgers) later public statements about transfers and club operations came entirely out of the blue. At no point prior to these remarks had he raised any such concerns with me, Michael (Nicholson, chief executive), or any of the board or executive team. ’ This, again, is unambiguously explicit. The fault lines were deep. There were obvious business concerns about failing performances and judgment in targets and tactics. But it went beyond this stuff of football. The unfolding, unending comments by the manager caused frustration and then anger. It all played out in a tempestuous meeting on Monday. There is the unmistakable belief that the ire expressed within the club is not only about the failings of a manager but that of a man. Rodgers could not continue. He fell on his sword but was subsequently clobbered by Desmond. The case for the prosecution has been made. Celtic must now renew the defence of the title.

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