Brendan Rodgers has been accused of creating a ‘toxic’ environment at Celtic after ‘divisive, misleading, and self-serving actions’ in an astonishing club statement after dramatically resigning on Monday night.
The Northern Irishman walked out on the Scottish champions for the second time on Monday night with the club eight points adrift of shock league leaders Hearts.
Celtic’s major shareholder Dermot Desmond tore into Rodgers in a statement on the club’s official website, writing: ‘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.’
His resignation comes amid a season of turmoil with regular fan protests against club chiefs after a summer of limited spending and failure to qualify for the Champions League league phase.
His final game was a 3-1 defeat by Hearts at Tynecastle Park on Sunday. Former Celtic boss Martin O’Neill and legendary Hoops midfielder Shaun Maloney have taken interim charge.
Brendan Rodgers has quit Celtic and been blamed for a ‘toxic’ environment by a club chief
The Scottish champions are eight points adrift of surprise league leaders Hearts
Major shareholder Dermot Desmond branded Rodgers ‘divisive, misleading, and self-serving’ after he had sympathised with fans’ frustrations
Rodgers rejoined Celtic for his second stint in 2023 and won them another couple of Premiership titles, as well as the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup.
Upon returning, he stressed that this time he wanted to honour his contract. He said in September that their limited spend didn’t make him think of walking away but had left him feeling ’empty’ and said that everybody was left ‘frustrated’.
His exit is the latest drama to come out of Glasgow’s footballing world, with Rangers boss Russell Martin sacked earlier this month after a dire start to the season.
‘The club appreciates Brendan’s contribution to Celtic during his two very successful periods at the club,’ read Celtic’s formal statement.
‘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.’
Once again, Celtic have dominated Scottish football under Rodgers’ tutelage and they even made inroads in the Champions League last season, reaching the knockout play-off phase, where they lost to Bayern Munich 3-2 on aggregate after a 94th-minute goal from Alphonso Davies.
But things have unravelled this campaign.
Over the summer, they spent £13.3million on signings – only around half of what they accrued from selling important players. With that in mind, there were questions over whether he would stick around in the summer.
Celtic fans threw balls and oranges onto the pitch at Dundee to protest against their owners
Fans are angry after a lack of money spent in the summer, plus a failure to reach the Champions League league phase
Rodgers has taken a sympathetic view of fans’ protests and admitted his own frustrations
After a solid start to the season, their domestic form has nosedived in recent weeks. They have lost their last two games to Hearts and Dundee and only taken four points from their last four games, leaving them with an uphill battle.
Rodgers has sympathised with fans’ frustrations and the atmosphere has become increasingly toxic with calls for senior figures to resign.
Against Dundee earlier this month, the match was delayed as supporters hurled tennis balls and oranges onto the pitch.
A banner in the Bob Shankly Stand read: ‘Your incompetence is clear. Resign.’ Another simply said: ‘Sack the board.’
One had the faces of chairman Peter Lawwell, CEO Michael Nicholson, Desmond, and CFO Chris McKay plastered across it, crossed out.
Recently, the Celtic Fans Collective encouraged supporters to boycott buying, merchandise food, or drinks at Parkhead.
In September, supporters staged a late entry to their match away at Kilmarnock.
Rodgers said at the time: ‘You can’t tell anyone how to feel.
‘If you’re bringing your kids and you want them to be in the stands for the start of the game, then supporters are within their rights.
‘We’re keen to make the football united and the spirit of the team. The fans and the board and the situation, I fully understand it and the frustration.’
At least in these circumstances, Rodgers is unlikely to face the animosity he felt upon leaving for the first time in February 2019.
The Northern Irishman walked out on Celtic to join Leicester City, a decision which was received with acrimony.
‘Never a Celt, always a fraud,’ read one banner at the first match after he left- coincidentally against Hearts. ‘You traded immortality for mediocrity,’ said another.
Rodgers insists he had not received an offer for a new deal this summer, despite Desmond’s affirmation that they were ‘keen to offer him a contract extension’ beyond the end of the season.
