Explained: Brendan Rodgers’s “divisive, misleading, and self-serving” actions led to bombshell Celtic resignation

Celtic's majority shareholder Dermot Desmond has launched a scathing attack on Brendan Rodgers in a strongly-worded statement to the club’s supporters after the manager’s resignation was confirmed.

Rodgers returned for a second spell at Parkhead in the summer of 2023, winning back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles to go with his top-flight triumphs from 2017 and 2018.

The 52-year-old repeatedly stressed on his return that he would honour his three-year contract, mindful of the ill-feeling that his abrupt exit to Leicester City in February 2019 had stirred.

However, a club statement from Celtic on Monday night revealed that Rodgers offered his resignation, which was accepted with immediate effect.

The Northern Irishman departs following back-to-back Premiership defeats, including Celtic’s 3-1 defeat at Hearts on Sunday, leaving the Hoops eight points behind the Jam Tarts at the top of the table after nine matches this season.

Irish billionaire Desmond, who holds a majority 34% stake in Celtic, has since hit out at Rodgers, accusing him of contributing to a "toxic atmosphere" at Parkhead before insisting that “Celtic is greater than any one person”.

Dermot Desmond’s scathing statement on Brendan Rodgers in full

“I want to acknowledge Brendan’s contribution across his two spells as manager, during which he helped deliver success that forms part of the club’s modern history. However, I must also express my deep disappointment at the way the past several months have unfolded.

“When we brought Brendan back to Celtic two years ago, it was done with complete trust and belief in his ability to lead the club into a new era of sustained success. Unfortunately, his conduct and communication in recent months have not reflected that trust.

“In June, both Michael Nicholson and I expressed to Brendan that we were keen to offer him a contract extension, to reaffirm the club’s full backing and long-term commitment to him. He said he would need to think about it and revert. Yet in subsequent press conferences, Brendan implied that the club had made no commitment to offer him a contract. That was simply untrue.

“We met with Brendan regularly, including in December last year and at the start of the summer, with regular dialogue in between, to discuss and agree our collective strategy, priorities, and approach. 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.

“His later public statements about transfers and club operations came entirely out of the blue. At no point prior to those remarks had he raised any such concerns with me, Michael, or any member of the Board or executive team. In reality, he was given final say over all football matters and was consistently backed in the recruitment process - including record investment in players he personally identified and approved.

“When his comments were made publicly, I sought to address them directly. Brendan and I met for over three hours at his home in Scotland to discuss the issue. 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.

"What has failed recently was not due to our structure or model, but to one individual’s desire for self-preservation at the expense of others"

“Regrettably, his words and actions since then have been divisive, misleading, and self-serving. They have contributed to a toxic atmosphere around the club and fuelled hostility towards members of the executive team and the Board. Some of the abuse directed at them, and at their families, has been entirely unwarranted and unacceptable.

“Every member of the Board and executive team is deeply passionate about Celtic and acts at all times with professionalism, integrity, and a shared desire for success. What has failed recently was not due to our structure or model, but to one individual’s desire for self-preservation at the expense of others.

“Celtic’s structure - where the manager oversees football, the Chief Executive manages operations, and the Board provides oversight - has served the club with great success for more than two decades. We all share the same ambition: to ensure Celtic’s continued success domestically and to achieve further progress in Europe. Every pound generated by the club is reinvested towards those goals and the continuous improvement of Celtic Football Club.

“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.”

O’Neill, Maloney take temporary charge of Celtic after Rodgers resignation

Desmond’s strongly-worded statement makes it clear that relations between Rodgers and Celtic’s hierarchy had completely collapsed, and his decision to go public in this manner represents one of the boldest boardroom interventions in the modern era at Parkhead.

Celtic have moved swiftly to replace Rodgers, as they have confirmed the return of experienced manager Martin O’Neill, who will take charge of first-team duties on an interim basis alongside former player Shaun Maloney.

O'Neill, 73, won three Scottish Premier League titles, three Scottish Cups and one Scottish League Cup across five years in charge of Celtic between 2000 and 2005, before going onto manage Aston Villa, Sunderland, Republic of Ireland and, most recently, Nottingham Forest in 2019.

Maloney, 42, enjoyed two spells as a player with Celtic, making over 200 appearances and winning eight major trophies, before experiencing managerial roles with Hibernian and Wigan Athletic.

O’Neill and Maloney will take charge of their first Celtic game together on Wednesday night when the Hoops welcome Falkirk to Glasgow in the Premiership.