Brendan Rodgers resigns as Celtic manager
Former boss Martin O'Neill returns on interim basis - follow his press conference
"I had 10 minutes to make up my mind" says O'Neill
The interim manager also says the breakdown in relations between Rodgers and Dermot Desmond is "sad"
Scottish Premiership champions are eight points behind Hearts after losing 3-1 at Tynecastle on Sunday
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Bring back Ange! The team's been stayed tactically under Brendan Rodgers, too many back & sideways passes. Luke McCowan needs more game time, great off the bench but Reo's been starting when he's been off the boil all season. Martin O'Neill a good call to steady the ship.
John
Image source, Getty ImagesSo how had Celtic been doing under Brendan Rodgers?
Well, the season started badly as the club dropped into the Europa League after failing to make it through the qualifying round in the Champions League.
And things have not improved for the defending Scottish champions.
In their last seven games across all competitions they have won two, drawn two and lost three.
Here are their last seven results:
Paul Lambert
Former Scotland midfielder on the Scottish Football Podcast
Image source, Getty ImagesNothing really surprises me in football. Rodgers leaving. I'm pretty sure he's got his own reasons for it and the club have got their reasons for it.
The statement looks as if there's a wee bit of animosity, but overall Rodgers did a really good job there.
The players have to take some responsibility themselves. They aren't performing for one reason or another.
You don't play for a manager, you play for the club, the fans and your team-mates. You never, ever play for a manager.
The players have to look at themselves a little bit. You can hide behind all this nonsense, but as soon as you step over that white line you perform.
Those lads have not been performing.
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The relationship between manager and board clearly in pieces. But [Dermot] Desmond cannot be serious to suggest that the shambolic summer transfer window was down to Rodgers alone. It's not credible. Toxic self-preservation on both sides.
Spencer
Desmond's words seem incredibly harsh. It feels like a character assassination of Brendan Rodgers. A man who has delivered repeated success to the club. It is an attempted deflection technique from the behaviour of the board.
Paul
Brendan has done the right thing by walking away. Now it's Desmond's turn to leave our club. This Celtic board are like Smaug from the Hobbit hoarding gold. Brendan has walked away from the club for the same reason as he did the first time. The fans will not have the same anger as the last time I suspect.
Peter
Chris Sutton
Former Celtic striker on Football Daily
They lost players, didn’t replace them. It has been an unhappy club at the start of this season and there has been a friction between Rodgers and the club hierarchy.
Last week, he described his team after the defeat at Dundee, he compared them to a Honda Civic. That’s not going to go down well in the dressing room, I think that was another dig at the club.
Watching the club on a daily basis and realising they are miles off it, that’s the way Celtic have been this season, and he has resigned.
Brendan Rodgers voiced his concern in the summer that the club had not moved decisively enough in the transfer market to build on the success of the first two years of his second spell at the club.
After a recent defeat to Dundee, he quipped that you can't hand a manager the keys to a Honda Civic and ask them to drive it like a Ferrari.
The 52-year-old also said in August there had been no formal offer to extend his three-year contract beyond the end of the current campaign.
Celtic's major shareholder Dermot Desmond has now given his side of events, saying the club were keen to keep him beyond the end of this season to "reaffirm the club's full backing and long-term commitment to him".
The Irish businessman went on to say that Rodgers' assertion that no offer had been made was "simply untrue".
Image source, Getty ImagesBrendan Rodgers has won four league titles, the Scottish Cup three times and four Scottish League Cups during his two spells at Celtic.
He first took the role of Celtic boss for the 2016-17 season, after the end of four years at Liverpool, and led them to league triumphs in 2017 and 2018 before leaving in controversial circumstances for Leicester City.
The 52-year-old Northern Irishman was not universally welcomed when he signed a three-year deal to return to Parkhead in 2023, replacing popular boss Ange Postecoglou.
He stressed he would honour the contract, after his departure in February 2019 for Leicester caused so much rancour, and won over many of his doubters with successive league titles.
Celtic also performed well last season in the Champions League, reaching the first knockout phase before losing narrowly to Bayern Munich, 3-2 on aggregate.
Image source, Getty Images
Chris McLaughlin
BBC Scotland Sports News Correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesWe knew that all wasn't well but the resignation of Brendan Rodgers just nine league games into the season is something few saw coming.
He was critical of the board over what he saw as a lack of transfer activity in the summer. Those comments led to some supporters calling for the board to stand down.
So, a breakdown in relations between club and manager, coupled with a poor start to the season, and Rodgers' second spell at Celtic is over in the most dramatic of circumstances.
For now, former manager Martin O'Neill comes in to steady the ship and Celtic start the search, once again, for Rodgers' successor and the stability they hope comes with it.
Desmond statement in full
Brendan Rodgers has today tendered his resignation as manager of Celtic Football Club.
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.
Image source, Getty ImagesHis 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.
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.
Before we publish the full, 551-word statement from Celtic's majority shareholder Dermot Desmond on departing manager Brendan Rodgers, here is a recap of the key quotes:
Celtic's initial statement was short and gave little away, but was followed by a remarkable message from majority shareholder Dermot Desmond, who is normally reticent to speak on the record and rarely gives interviews.
The Irish businessman spoke of his "deep disappointment" at the way events had unfolded over the past few months and went on to dismiss assertions made by Brendan Rodgers about his contract negotiations and the sale of players over the summer.
Desmond said that every player bought and sold were done so with Rodgers full knowledge and approval and went on to describe his comments to the contrary as "divisive, misleading and self-serving"...
Image source, Getty ImagesCeltic confirmed the resignation of Brendan Rodgers on Monday night with a 134-word statement.
It said: "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 underway 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."
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Image source, Getty ImagesGood morning.
One story dominates the British football news agenda this morning - Brendan Rodgers' shock departure from Celtic and the appointment of 73-year-old former manager Martin O'Neill as his replacement.
Rodgers resigned last night to end his second spell in charge of the Scottish champions, a day after Celtic suffered a 3-1 defeat at Hearts to fall eight points behind the Premiership leaders.
The 52-year-old Northern Irishman's departure was followed by an explosive statement from Celtic's major shareholder Dermot Desmond, who described Rodgers as "divisive, misleading, and self-serving".
O'Neill, 73, returns to the club to take interim charge along with former forward Shaun Maloney, with Celtic saying "the process to appoint a new permanent manager is under way".
Join us for the latest reaction to the news as we assess what next for Celtic.