"Felt let down": 86-goal Celtic hero shares verdict on Brendan Rodgers 'breakdown' amid Ange Postecoglou claim
Brendan Rodgers tendered his Celtic resignation on Monday evening.
Brendan Rodgers' decision to walk out on Celtic mid-season has been labelled as ’the best thing’ for the club, according to a former Parkhead hero.
The 52-year-old head coach made the shock decision to resign from Celtic on Monday evening with his side eight points behind Hearts in the race for the Scottish Premiership title, leaving club majority shareholder Dermot Desmond to slam the Northern Irish boss as ‘divisive’, ‘self-serving’, and ‘misleading’ in an explosive statement following his departure.
Former title-winning boss Martin O’Neill has been installed as manager on an interim basis, with Shaun Maloney named as his assistant, as the club begins its search for a head coach that they hope can turn around their stuttering campaign.
A key member of O'Neill's squad during his first spell in Glasgow, Chris Sutton, believes Rodgers’ departure was as unexpected as it seems, with signs of a fracture between the head coach and board evident for a number of weeks.
"I don't think it's a complete shock," Sutton told Sky Sports News. "There's clearly been a breakdown in his relationship with the club hierarchy. It all stems from before the start of the season, when Brendan went public and was critical about the lack of quality coming into the club. I think he felt let down by that. Celtic then get knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers, it's been a really slow start to the season, and they've lost quality players in the recent past and haven't replaced them. I think he felt he wasn't backed."
“Reading the Dermot Desmond statement, it is very critical of Brendan. In many ways, when there's a relationship breakdown, which there clearly has been between Brendan and the club hierarchy, then it's inevitable that something would have to give, and Brendan has ended up walking away. It will be really interesting to see if Brendan responds to Dermot Desmond's statement. It's pretty damaging, and Brendan's obviously got his right of reply. It hasn't ended well.”
Sutton also opened up on his thoughts over a Celtic return for Ange Postecoglou, who has been installed as the bookies’ early favourite to be named the club’s next manager. The Australian head coach enjoyed two trophy-laden seasons with Celtic between 2021 and 2023, before leaving for Tottenham Hotspur, where he won the Europa League last season.
Surprisingly sacked by Spurs in the summer, Postecoglou took up the reins at Nottingham Forest earlier this season, but lasted just 39 days in the role, and was sacked after failing to win any of his first eight games in charge. Currently out of work following his departure from the City Ground, former hitman Sutton thinks it would make perfect sense to bring him back to the club if a deal can be reached.
"I think Ange Postecoglou would be a really smart appointment,” said Sutton. “He was loved the first time round. His brand of football went down well in Glasgow. He's out of work. I think that would be a pretty obvious choice, a good choice, and bring a lot of positivity back to Celtic, which they need right now.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.