Desmond calls Rodgers ‘misleading and self-serving’
Manager resigns with club eight points behind Hearts
The scale of recent disharmony inside Celtic has come to light with the resignation of Brendan Rodgers. By way of immediate response the club’s main – and typically publicity-shy – shareholder, Dermot Desmond, has remarkably unleashed on what he branded “self-serving” behaviour by Rodgers. In a further dramatic twist and two decades after leaving the club, Martin O’Neill will return to take charge of Celtic on an interim basis.
Celtic confirmed Rodgers had left his position shortly before 10pm on Monday. O’Neill, assisted by Shaun Maloney, will preside over Wednesday’s visit of Falkirk to Celtic Park and most likely the League Cup semi-final against Rangers on Sunday. Celtic are likely to at least assess the situation of Ange Postecoglou, another of their former managers who left Nottingham Forest earlier this month.
It will, however, take considerable time for dust to settle on the circumstances behind Rodgers’s exit. His final match was Sunday’s 3-1 defeat against Hearts at Tynecastle, which leaves Celtic eight points from the summit of Scotland’s top flight. Rodgers had made plain his disquiet over a lack of summer transfer activity, sentiment his paymasters clearly believe fuelled supporter protests aimed at the board.
