Celtic are growing increasingly concerned that Brendan Rodgers may not see out the full term of his three-year contract, amid rising tensions following a chaotic summer transfer window.
According to a report in The Scottish Sun, which appears to have been strongly briefed by club insiders, a major split has developed between Rodgers and senior figures within the club hierarchy. His repeated public criticisms of the club’s recruitment are said to have “torn the club apart”, with one source claiming that there is a belief within the boardroom that the manager is “engineering his exit.”
Rodgers’ comments about the club needing to “show ambition” and his acknowledgement that he’s not doing a good enough job “convincing” the board have reportedly not gone down well. The club believes he knew the strategy before signing on two summer’s ago and that his complaints now are creating unnecessary division.
While the board insist “tens of millions” have been spent, the quality of additions has come under intense scrutiny. A failure to secure key attacking targets, the botched handling of outgoing players, and the absence of clarity on the club’s long-term footballing plan have led many fans to sympathise with Rodgers’ frustrations.
A source told The Sun: “Senior figures inside the club believe Rodgers is engineering his exit.
“What he’s said in public has torn the club apart. On and off the record discussions are creating division throughout the club.
“He’s the only manager in the club’s history who has repeatedly questioned things.
“When Brendan came back, he agreed to the club’s strategy.
“There are now people inside the club who are deeply unhappy with his words.
“To make matters worse, these issues appear to be seeping into the performance of the team. It’s like Groundhog Day again.”
Rodgers had pledged to see out his three-year deal, aiming to rebuild the club and restore European pride. But after a disastrous exit from the Champions League and a Europa League campaign that looks bleak, fans wouldn’t blame him if he walked.
This all follows the bombshell revelation from Daizen Maeda, who claimed Celtic blocked a move he had agreed to, further evidence of internal dysfunction.
But none of the people at Celtic have had the courage to put their name to it.
It’s a cowardly move. And it’s an insult to supporters who have stuck with the club through thick and thin. These are the same supporters who pay into the Home Cup Ticket Scheme, fork out for European packages, and sell out domestic away ends week after week.
Rodgers, for all his faults, has fronted up in interviews. He’s admitted Celtic aren’t good enough, that the recruitment hasn’t been strong enough, and that he’s struggling to convince those above him to do more. It’s hard to argue with any of it.
Only people tearing the club apart is the amateurs in our boardroom. Since when was our clubs strategy to sell as many first team players as possible without replacing them? Is our club strategy to go backwards and try not to progress? Is it the clubs strategy to go into every CL qualifier underprepared with a weaker squad than before? BR, AP and NL have all called them out. These board apologists would see us go down the tubes if that’s where they were taking us.
Ahhh the Titz ( I mean tha hun) a paper I widdnae even wipe ma dugs arse oawn.
Auld newz travels slow, tha cun7z like tae stir tha pot and like.
Never believe any auld shi7e they print, as it only fits fur tha tray of ma parrots cage.
Corporate greed and asset stripping that’s the agenda and Brendan is the obstacle that has to be removed stop giving them your money
That’s the fly guys on the Board trying to put the blame for the shambles on Brendan Rodgers to use him as the scapegoat. The Board are entirely to blame for the mess the club is in. Brendan Rodgers was only doing what any serious manager would in the circumstances, which was to try sending them some carefully-worded warnings through his media interviews. If I were Bredan, I would walk. The fans know full well who’s to blame for the mess and it ain’t him. The journalist who wrote the article strongly suggesting that it was his fault obviously isn’t very good at his job. Any manager who sat back silently while the Board asset-stripped his squad wouldn’t be a manager of any kind of quality, he’d be a yes man. Sack the Board!
Did any club really make a offer for madea of £21 million if true celtic would have sold him regardless of fans fury” he does a lot of chasing and can score goals but some of his football and finishing is terrible” his football up to now has been really poor he was tapped up during close season and his head has gone thinking about the extra cash he would be getting if this report was true. Regarding Rodgers he also wants out but will bind his time the football is pretty average at present but we are still top of the shit spl .
Ah, so the dirty tricks department has kick-started the blame game – either this is scummy media nonsense or the Board are continuing what appears to be a concerted campaign against Rodgers, now that he has highlighted their incompetence in not replacing players sold with the quality of players needed
I wouldn’t put anything past control freak Lawwell, of course, since it was obvious how he undermined Rodgers last time which I believe played a large part in Rodgers jumping ship at that time. I imagine Lawwell must have been irked when Desmond went out of his way to get Rodgers to come back and all this debacle could conceivably be down to him.
After all, the thaveless Nicholson was put in place by Lawwell and would seem to be nothing more than his puppet as he and Tisdale have failed miserably in their apparent jobs of finding suitable players to bring in.
If it is Lawwell pulling the strings and leaking this ‘story’, he’s fooling no-one. The fans know exactly who is to blame for weakening the team and it’s most certainly not Brendan Rodgers. Trying to deflect from the Board’s incompetence just won’t work, no matter who is behind the rubbish claimed in this supposed ‘leak’
If he wanted out,all he needs to do is say by by. He does not need the Boards approval.
This is EXACTLY what Rodgers is doing!
On day one he said he would be here three years and wouldn’t walk away!
Then three or four times, if people had cared to pay attention, he repeated, “unless I get fired”!
Rodgers is a very intelligent man. He destroys people with words. He’s a great coach too…..until he isn’t!
When it goes well he takes the plaudits! But when it goes wrong, and it has, he points fingers! Always!
Take a step back! He was determined to buy Idah! £9M, a good deal he said! So we sell him 12 months later for £7M largely because he couldn’t get a regular game! Same with Engels! £11M this time. He said, ignore the label! He’s going to be a great player for us! 12 months later he warms the bench!
Trusty, £6M! He said all sorts of great things about him that he must have read in USA Today or somewhere! Because though the smallest purchase, the biggest waste of money!
All Rodgers buys! He insisted on them all!
But now he asks for more blank cheques, gets angry because the board questions his decisions and now he plays the blame game! He planned this all along, playing them, and playing many fans!
Don’t kid yourselves!