Brendan Rodgers in sensational Celtic exit as Martin O'Neill comes in as caretaker
Defending champions turn to former manager to hold fort
Brendan Rodgers has resigned from his position as the manager of Celtic.
In a dramatic 24 hours in the wake of losing 3-1 to Hearts and falling eight points behind the Tynecastle outfit in the Premiership title race, Rodgers and Celtic have parted company - with the the 52-year-old resigning from his post.
With the relationship between Rodgers and the board already tense following an underwhelming summer recruitment policy, the Northern Irishman and the club have gone their separate ways now before the expiry of his three-year contract next summer.
Celtic have already put contingency plans in place for such an eventuality and former Celtic manager Martin O’Neill, who took charge of them between 2000 and 2005, has come in as caretaker manager.
The 73-year-old won seven trophies in a decorated spell in charge of the club and will be assisted by Shaun Maloney, starting on Wednesday night against Falkirk in the club’s next league match.
A club statement read: “Celtic Football Club can confirm that football manager Brendan Rodgers has today tendered his resignation. It has been accepted by the Club and Brendan will leave his role with immediate effect.
“The Club appreciates Brendan’s contribution to Celtic during his two very successful periods at the Club. Brendan leaves Celtic with our thanks for the role he has played during a period of continued success for the Club and we wish him further success in the future.
“The process to appoint a new permanent manager is under way and the Club will update supporters further on this as soon as possible. We are pleased that during this interim period former Celtic manager, Martin O’Neill and former Celtic player, Shaun Maloney have agreed to take charge of Celtic first-team matters. Further details will be confirmed shortly.”
Desmond Celtic statement
Rodgers departed Celtic amid dramatic accusations from principal shareholder Dermot Desmond that he had stoked division.
The former Liverpool manager had consistently insisted he would only leave before his three-year contract expired if he was “emptied”, and his departure has opened the lid on the extent of internal strife.
Desmond delivered a withering statement in which he accused Rodgers of being “misleading, divisive and self-serving”.
The Irishman said: “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.”
Desmond claimed Rodgers was told in June the club were keen to offer him a new contract. “Yet in subsequent press conferences, Brendan implied that the club had made no commitment to offer him a contract,” he added. “That was simply untrue.”
Desmond insisted that every player who was bought and sold during Rodgers’ tenure was “done so with Brendan’s full knowledge, approval, and endorsement” and claimed “his later public statements about transfers and club operations came entirely out of the blue”.
Desmond added: “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.
“Regrettably, his words and actions since then have been divisive, misleading, and self-serving.
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