The China Mail - 'Divisive' Brendan Rodgers quits as Celtic manager

Former boss Martin O'Neill, 73, and ex-player Shaun Maloney will take charge until a permanent successor is appointed, the club said Monday.

Rodgers' second spell at Celtic ended after Sunday's 3-1 Scottish Premiership defeat at Hearts left them eight points adrift of the Edinburgh side in second.

"Brendan leaves 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," a statement said.

"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," it said.

The club added that the search for a replacement was already under way, with former manager Ange Postecoglou among the bookmakers' favourites following his recent sacking by Nottingham Forest.

Rodgers, 52, returned for a second spell at Celtic Park in 2023, winning successive titles, to add to his league triumphs from 2017 and 2018.

But clouds have gathered over the club this season with Celtic knocked out of the Champions League by Kazakhstan minnows Kairat Almaty.

Rodgers had appeared at odds with his employers over their summer transfer policy.

After Celtic's first defeat at Dundee in 37 years this month, he said the team had "lost a lot of firepower, a lot of goals".

"And there's no way you'll go into a race and be given the keys to a Honda Civic and say, 'I want you to drive it like a Ferrari'. It's not going to happen."

In a separate statement on Monday, Celtic's main shareholder Dermot Desmond hit back, saying Rodgers' criticism had come "entirely out of the blue".

"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," he said.

"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."

Rodgers previously managed Swansea, Liverpool and Leicester, and arrived at Celtic for the second time in June 2023 to succeed Postecoglou.

The Northern Irishman had been at Celtic between May 2016 and February 2019, completing successive league and cup trebles.

His first season in charge saw Celtic finish with a record 106 points and become the first Scottish side to complete a top-flight season undefeated since 1899.

Rodgers continued Celtic's domestic supremacy by winning league titles in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, and also lifted the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup.

N.Lo--ThChM