Brendan Rodgers has resigned as manager following harsh criticism from Celtic’s majority shareholders, and former manager Martin O’Neill has been temporarily reinstated.
Rodgers’ second departure from Celtic was confirmed in a dramatic series of events on Monday night, following a 3-1 Scottish Premiership defeat to Hearts that left the club eight points behind the Edinburgh side.
Former Hoops manager O’Neill and former Celtic player Sean Maloney have been appointed interim managers at Parkhead, with the club saying the process to appoint a permanent replacement is “ongoing”.
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Celtic lost to Hearts on Sunday in what was Rodgers’ last game as manager.
In a statement released at 9.48pm on Monday, Celtic said Rodgers had tendered his resignation and would do so “with immediate effect”.
It added: “The club would like to thank Brendan for his contribution to Celtic during two highly successful periods at the club. Brendan leaves Celtic grateful for the role he has played during a period of continued success for the club and we wish him continued success.”
Rodgers’ second Celtic record
Desmond slams Rodgers in unusual statement
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The Telegraph’s Sam Dean believes Dermot Desmond’s nasty comments towards Celtic supporters are an attempt to damage Rodgers’ reputation in the long term
But shortly after confirming Rodgers’ departure, Celtic released a longer statement from Dermot Desmond in which the majority shareholder slammed Rodgers and accused him of fostering a “toxic atmosphere”.
Rodgers won league titles in 2024 and 2025, as well as the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup, but rifts began to appear this season after Celtic were eliminated from the Champions League by Kazakh youngster Kairat Almaty and Rodgers questioned his summer signings.
In an unusual message published on the club’s website, Desmond said: “I would like to pay tribute to Brendan’s contribution over two spells as manager, during which he was instrumental in delivering successes that form part of the club’s modern history. At the same time, however, I must express my deep disappointment at the developments over the past few months.”
“When we brought Brendan back to Celtic two years ago, it was with complete trust and belief in his ability to lead the club into a new era of sustained success. Unfortunately, his actions and communications in recent months have not reflected that faith.”
Desmond said Rodgers’ “public statements regarding transfers and management of the club were completely out of the blue” and claimed it was “false” that the club had “not committed to offering him a contract”.
“We have met regularly with Brendan, including in December last year and at the beginning of the summer, to discuss and agree on our overall strategy, priorities and approach. All player contracts and all player sales during his tenure were made with Brendan’s full knowledge, approval and support,” the statement continued.
Desmond claimed to have met with Rodgers to discuss the matter, and later said: “Unfortunately, his words and actions since then have been divisive, misleading and self-serving. They have created a toxic atmosphere around the club and fueled hostility towards management and members of the board.”
He added: “Celtic is bigger than anyone else and our focus now is on restoring harmony, strengthening the team and continuing to build a club worthy of its values, traditions and supporters.”
Rogers’ departure is a ‘huge shock’
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Rodgers steps down as Celtic manager, with O’Neill taking over on an interim basis
Gordon Duncan of Sky Sports News:
“Much has been said about Rodgers’ rift with the club’s board, but even taking all that into consideration, it still feels like a huge shock that this has happened now.
“When Brendan Rodgers returned to Celtic he said he would be here until the end of his three-year contract, but we now know that is not the case.
“For a while it felt like the board was under fire from Celtic fans, but as time went on the focus shifted a little bit to Brendan Rodgers and the team.
“Yeah, it all started with us missing out on the Champions League. It was deadline day and Celtic were going crazy in the market and it was looked like a bit of a disaster.
“But once that window closed, so to speak, it was obviously up to Rodgers and the players to get it done. And they didn’t get it done. If you look at the performance over the weekend, it all came together in a lot of ways.”
Celtic had two shots on target against Hearts.
“You’re looking at Dane Murray scoring goals into his own net. Dane Murray probably wouldn’t normally start a Celtic game. They’ve even had injuries. They played against a Hearts team who have got reinforcements.”
“Everything that could have gone wrong for Celtic this season has gone wrong. But again, even taking all that into consideration, it still feels like an incredibly big shock that Brendan Rodgers is no longer the manager of Celtic.”
“But it feels like this is more than a management problem for Celtic.
“We keep saying this every week, but the fans are protesting, throwing tennis balls onto the pitch and holding banners.
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Celtic fans protest to the club’s board, throwing hundreds of balls onto the pitch and delaying the start of the game against Dundee
“Many of them want change at board level and don’t feel the Celtic organization is working the way it should, so in some ways that remains unfixed by a change of manager.
“There are tough days ahead for Celtic. First of all, we have to get the manager right. If that manager can win everything that’s in front of him right away, then maybe the other factors will disappear a little bit, but they won’t go away completely.”
‘O’Neill could reinvigorate Celtic, but Ange’s return would be wise.’
Chris Sutton of Sky Sports:
“I understand the appointment of Martin O’Neill as he is a very popular manager. He was my first manager at Celtic and is loved by the supporters. “If the club had left that role to Sean Maloney alone, a lot of the supporters would have been unhappy. They have the figurehead and the front.”
O’Neill returns to Celtic on an interim basis
“The biggest question is who will be the next permanent manager of Celtic. Who will be next? The team is in decline, it is weakened by injuries to key players, there is no strength and no depth. It will not be an easy situation. The team and the team will be under a lot of pressure (from now until January).”
“We play Rangers in the League Cup semi-final, which is really big, and all the upcoming games are big.
“In the short term, the job that Martin O’Neill takes over will not be easy.
“He will come in and try to do what he did in the first round, try to reinvigorate the club and try to get the support, club staff and hierarchy all pulling in the same direction.
“Ange Postecoglou was a really smart appointment. He was loved from the beginning.
Ange Postecoglou won five trophies in two seasons at Celtic
“His brand of football didn’t work out in Glasgow. He lost his job. It’s a very obvious choice, a good one and it would bring a lot of positivity to Celtic. They need it right now.”
