Jamie Carragher has spoken about the fallout from Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic exit, with the former Liverpool defender surprised at how it was handled in public. The reaction at the time drew attention beyond Scotland, mainly because of the comments that came from inside the club after Rodgers left.
It’s not something you see often. A club speaking that openly about a departing manager, especially one who had success, stood out. Carragher made it clear that was the part that caught his eye.
Carragher said: (The Overlap Fan Debate), “That took me aback, I never saw an owner (principal shareholder), speak about a manager like that before.”
That moment led into a run of quick changes. Martin O’Neill came in to steady things, but he wasn’t there long before the club moved again and brought in Wilfried Nancy permanently.
Former Celtic goalkeeper Shay Given questioned that decision. For him, it wasn’t about Nancy, it was about the timing and what O’Neill still had ahead of him.
He said: “They should have given Martin seven more days. You had Hearts at home, Roma in the Europa League and St Mirren in the Cup Final.
“I thought it would have been a nice way to finish, Martin picking up the trophy, and going ‘thank you, Martin’. Then Nancy comes in, it didn’t make any sense at all.”
O’Neill had a clear run of games coming up. A league match, a European tie, and a cup final. That’s the kind of spell where keeping things the same can help players.
The defeat to St Mirren only added to the questions around that decision. Looking back, it’s the timing that still stands out.
Would O’Neill have won all three games against Hearts, Roma and St Mirren? You’d back him to get more out of that run than what followed. His teams are built for those moments, and with that group of fixtures, you’d expect a stronger return than what Celtic ended up with.
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