GLASGOW – A bombshell has hit the Scottish Premiership. Brendan Rodgers has stepped down as Celtic manager with immediate effect, only nine league matches into a campaign that began with title talk and has since unravelled.
The 52-year-old, who returned to Parkhead in 2023 to widespread acclaim, cited frustration over the club’s transfer spend and what he called a toxic environment as reasons for his exit. Within minutes, Celtic’s rarely seen billionaire shareholder Dermot Desmond issued a fierce public response, accusing Brendan Rodgers of being divisive, misleading, and self-serving, a statement that laid bare serious fractures at the top of the club.
The news arrived in a short club release at 9:48 pm on Monday, 27 October, just hours after a 3-1 defeat at Hearts. The loss at Tynecastle left Celtic eight points off the pace.
It proved the final straw in a season already marred by a Champions League qualifying exit to Kairat Almaty and patchy league form. Those close to Rodgers say his anger over the summer window had long been clear. He had been scathing about recruitment, telling confidants the club wanted Ferrari results while handing him the keys to a Honda Civic.
Brendan Rodgers’ deal was due to run out next summer, and he had dropped hints of unease in recent media briefings. He believed the board had cooled on a promised long-term extension.
He told those around him that he had given everything, but that proper backing was needed to compete at the top level. The board’s response arrived with force. Desmond, whose investment has supported Celtic’s modern era, moved quickly to counter his version of events.
Desmond’s Fury: A Rare Outburst
Within 15 minutes of the resignation, a hard-hitting statement appeared on the club’s site. Desmond, more familiar with the boardroom than the spotlight, accused Rodgers of falling short on trust and unity in recent months.
He wrote that Brendan Rodgers had been divisive, misleading, and self-serving, and that his behaviour had fostered a toxic atmosphere that damaged the club’s togetherness.
Desmond also rejected the idea that the manager had been undermined on transfers. He insisted every incoming and outgoing deal happened with Rodgers’ knowledge, approval, and backing. He addressed the contract row as well.
In June, he and chief executive Michael Nicholson had told Rodgers they wanted to extend his deal, reaffirming full support. Rodgers asked for time to consider it, yet later suggested in press conferences that no commitment had been made. Desmond called that untrue.
The broadside shocked supporters and former insiders alike. One ex-staffer described it as a grenade thrown into the dressing room. Desmond, who rarely speaks, said he was defending the club’s integrity.
He credited Brendan Rodgers for his haul of trophies, including two trebles, but said any suggestion of being undermined on transfers was false. Fans split online, some thankful for the silverware, others appalled by the public row. One supporter summed it up as ego clashing with empire.
O’Neill and Maloney Take Charge of Celtic
Celtic acted fast to stabilize the situation, naming club legend Martin O’Neill and former player Shaun Maloney as interim co-managers. O’Neill, who led Celtic to an unbeaten domestic treble in 2000-01 and the 2003 UEFA Cup final, said he was shocked by Desmond’s call but felt there was no decision to make.
This is Celtic, you do not turn it down. He and Maloney, a former Celtic midfielder and coach, will lead the side against St Mirren on Saturday. Their task is to halt a slide that puts the club’s domestic hold under threat.
Attention now turns to the permanent appointment. Bookmakers have already priced up the race. Neil Lennon sits as the early favourite, with Kasper Hjulmand and Giovanni van Bronckhorst also in the frame.
The new boss inherits a squad in transition. Key exits, including Matt O’Riley to Brighton, have left gaps, and the January window looks decisive. Desmond ended his statement with a call for unity, saying supporters deserve better than infighting.
With Hearts flying under new management and Rangers close behind, Celtic’s pursuit of sustained dominance looks fragile.
Brendan Rodgers’ Journey and a Stormy Exit
Brendan Rodgers’ story adds weight to the fallout. Born in Carnlough in 1973, his playing career ended early due to injury, pushing him into coaching. He rose through roles at Watford and Reading, then made his name at Swansea City with bold, possession-based football and Premier League survival.
Liverpool followed in 2013. He turned a mid-table side into title challengers and came within a whisker of winning the league in 2013-14, built on high press and adventurous passing. In 2018, he took charge at Leicester City, lifting the FA Cup in 2021 and pushing for the top four while developing talents like James Maddison.
Celtic remains his defining chapter. He arrived in 2016 after Ronny Deila and delivered two invincible trebles, a period of relentless domestic success. His mid-season move to Leicester in 2019 hurt many supporters, yet his 2023 return after Ange Postecoglou reignited the trophy run with league titles in 2024 and 2025 and more cups. Across two spells, he collected five Premiership crowns, building an aura that had seemed unshakeable.
His critics point to recurring European struggles. They argue his teams often fail to translate domestic form onto the continental stage. Now, at 52, he is back on the market, with whispers of Premier League interest already in circulation. His Celtic legacy sits in the balance. The record is glittering, the ending anything but.
As the stands ring with You’ll Never Walk Alone, one truth stands out. Celtic must close ranks, steady results, and choose the next manager wisely. Time, and O’Neill’s experienced hand, will show whether this split becomes a turning point or a lasting wound.
