Rodgers Accused of Sending Message to Celtic Board

Michael Stewart has criticised Brendan Rodgers’ post-match comments following Celtic’s 3–1 defeat to Hearts, accusing the manager of making questionable selection choices to underline flaws in his own squad. Update: Brendan Rodgers resigns, Celtic interim and assistant manager appointed. 

The Scottish football pundit suggested that Rodgers’ reasoning for certain decisions, including his reluctance to move Sebastian Tounekti or Michel-Ange Balikwisha to the right wing, pointed to deeper issues behind the scenes.

Celtic’s loss at Tynecastle left them eight points behind the league leaders after just nine matches, and Rodgers’ explanations in the aftermath did little to ease growing frustration among supporters. His insistence on maintaining a left-right balance in central defence and his team selection came under particular scrutiny.

Stewart questioned whether Rodgers was prioritising a wider message over the team’s immediate needs, implying that his post-match defence sounded more like justification than analysis. The former midfielder argued that, given the importance of the game, Rodgers should have been more flexible with his approach.

He said: (Premier Sports), “But then, when you listen to the press conference afterwards, the concern for Celtic is some of the things that were already mentioned about his reasons why he didn’t look to put Tounekti over on the right or Balikwisha on the right and keep the two of them on.

“I get a certain sense of, not that he’s cutting his nose off to spite his face, but that he’s making decisions here to almost highlight the deficiencies that are in the squad.

“He says Auston Trusty’s left-footed, and he wants a balance of right and left. Well, I’ll tell you what, he wasn’t thinking that when they went away to Atalanta in the Champions League last year, and it was Trusty right centre-half and Scales left centre-half. They put in a great defensive display.

“So now, it really feels like he’s trying to make a point with a lot of these things, and it’s not helping.”

Stewart’s comments will strike a chord with many Celtic fans who feel Rodgers’ selections at Tynecastle were overly cautious and out of sync with the urgency of the moment. The decision to start defender Dane Murray ahead of the more experienced Auston Trusty has become a particular talking point.

By questioning whether Rodgers is using selection choices to send a message to the board, Stewart touched on one of the key tensions surrounding Celtic this season, the ongoing debate over recruitment and control behind the scenes.

Rodgers has repeatedly voiced frustration with squad limitations since the summer, but public disagreements or tactical stubbornness only risk widening the disconnect between management, players, and supporters.

As Celtic prepare for a vital run of fixtures, including the Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Rangers, Rodgers must find a way to silence the noise. Whether Stewart’s claims hold weight or not, results, not explanations, will determine how long the current scrutiny lasts.