Celtic have announced Brendan Rodgers has left his role as manager with immediate effect. The 52-year-old has departed Celtic Park following Sunday's 3-1 defeat against Hearts which has left them eight points adrift of the Scottish Premiership leaders. He has been replaced on an interim basis by Martin O’Neill, who returns for a second spell after previously managing the club between 2000 and 2005.
Rodgers departs as Celtic suffer seismic loss at leaders Hearts
Celtic confirmed Rodgers had tended his resignation on Monday evening, in news which has raised eyebrows across Scottish football. After suffering a surprise 2-0 loss at the hands of Dundee on 19 October, the Bhoys were consigned to back-to-back league defeats for the first time since 2023 following the reverse against Hearts on Sunday. An own goal from defender Dane Murray and strikes from Hearts duo Alexandros Kyziridis and Lawrence Shankland helped Derek McInnes’ side record a statement victory at Tynecastle.
Confirming Rodgers’ sudden departure, Celtic said in a statement: "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.”
AdvertisementGetty Images SportFan favourite O'Neill returns to Celtic on an interim basis
Celtic have also announced that O’Neill will now take charge on an interim basis, with former Hoops midfielder Shaun Maloney named as assistant manager. O’Neill, 73, is a favourite among Celtic fans after leading the club to seven major honours during his first spell in charge, winning three league titles. The Glasgow side also reached the 2002-03 UEFA Cup final under O'Neill, losing 3-2 in extra time against Jose Mourinho’s Porto.
Confirming O’Neill’s return to the club, Celtic 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. Further details will be confirmed shortly."
Getty Images SportRodgers savaged in astonishing statement by club shareholder
In an extraordinary statement following Rodgers' departure, principal shareholder Dermot Desmond described the Northern Irishman as "divisive, misleading, and self-serving", telling Celtic's official club website: "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.
"His 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."
Rodgers enjoyed incredible success across two spells as Celtic manager
Rodgers enjoyed remarkable success across two spells in charge of Celtic. In his first term between 2016 and 2019, the former Liverpool manager guided the club to the ‘Double Treble’ of Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup glory. Following a stint with Premier League side Leicester City, which saw him lead the Foxes to the 2021 FA Cup, Rodgers returned to Celtic in 2023, clinching a further four honours including two more league titles.
