Articles by Jamie Braidwood

Celtic chief claims Brendan Rodgers ‘contributed to a toxic atmosphere’ in parting shot

Brendan Rodgers resigned as Celtic manager, leading to a scathing statement from principal shareholder Dermot Desmond. Desmond accused Rodgers of "divisive, misleading, and self-serving" behaviour, claiming he contributed to a "toxic atmosphere" at the club. The shareholder stated Rodgers made "false" public claims about transfer business and contract offers, despite being fully involved in all transfer decisions and offered an extension. Rodgers had publicly expressed frustration over Celtic's transfer activity, notably comparing the squad to a "Honda Civic" after a defeat. His resignation followed Celtic's poor start to the Premiership season, trailing leaders Hearts by eight points, and a Champions League play-off defeat.

1 days ago

Technology

What Martin O’Neill said about Rangers and Hearts on same day as returning to Celtic

Martin O’Neill said Hearts winning the Scottish Premiership would be “amazing” for Scottish football and that the time is right for a shock title challenge on the same say as returning to Celtic as interim manager in the wake of Brendan Rodgers’ resignation. O’Neill has made a stunning return to Parkhead, taking his first managerial position in six years and two decades on from previously leaving Celtic in 2005. His appointment on an interim basis was announced late on Monday night, along with the news that Rodgers had left the club following Sunday’s defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle. Hearts are in pole position to shock the Old Firm this season, having opened up an eight-point lead at the top and with both Celtic and Rangers in disarray. And O’Neill gave his verdict on Monday morning while appearing on TalkSport, saying that the time is right for a team outside of the Old Firm to win the title for the first time in 40 years and admitting that Celtic are in a bit of “trouble”. “It was always going to be a difficult game for Celtic,” O’Neill said on TalkSport. “Hearts are on the rise at the moment. I know last year Aberdeen had won a host of games early on and you knew that wasn’t sustainable, but Hearts are different. They are strong, they’ve got a bit of backing, they are physically strong. That’s been a concern of mine for some time about Celtic. “Brendan is right in the sense that there are 29 games to go and Celtic have been there before. They need to settle down and they have lost their way a little bit, Hearts are riding high. There’s a long way to go.” When asked if now was the season for a “disruptor” in Scottish football to win the first league title outside of the Old Firm, O’Neill said: “Without a doubt, this is it. Celtic can actually lose games whereas before they looked invincible in matches. Rangers are no threat whatsoever although the new manager coming in, I think he could do something in time. But they are so far adrift it’s untrue. “But this is the moment, this is the time for Hearts. They have gone eight points clear. That is a decent enough lead, really. Their confidence has grown, and it will grow from that victory as well. Those things are happening now for Hearts and it’s great, whereas Celtic are in a wee bit of trouble. But I agree this is the best time for any side outside the Old Firm to go and win.” Rangers have turned to former Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl following Russell Martin’s disastrous short reign in charge, while Ange Postecoglou has been installed as the favourite to make his own return to Celtic and take over on a permanent basis following his dismissal at Nottingham Forest. And with so much upheaval around Celtic and Rangers, O’Neill said Hearts have “momentum” behind them under Derek McInnes. The Jambos have won eight and drawn one of their opening nine games of the season. “Hearts are, historically, a very, very fine football club. In fact, outside of Ibrox, I felt that they were the most intimidating crowd to go to, because the crowd are right on top of you,” O’Neill added. “They have got a bit of money behind them. [Shareholder] Tony Bloom was up there watching it. They have momentum going, which is a big thing, at this minute. “With Celtic struggling a little bit, and Rangers nowhere to be seen, this is an opportunity. But it is, as we talked about with Arsenal [in the Premier League], a long, long way to go, and there is a long way to go, but momentum is gathering at Tynecastle. “The excitement at Tynecaslte, going into the unknown, there was a feeling among the Hearts fans that they could get something against Celtic, which wasn’t the case for a long, long time. To sustain that is going to be difficult but you might as well dream. “I think Ally [McCoist] summed it up well. For Scottish football, on one level, for Hearts to win it would be amazing. Paradoxically, for Celtic and Rangers to not win it, you’re thinking where is Scottish football going. It’s interesting. For the game itself, it would reinvigorate the Premiership.”

1 days ago

Technology

‘Divisive’ and ‘toxic’ Brendan Rodgers slammed by Celtic chief after resigning

Brendan Rodgers was accused of “divisive, misleading, and self-serving” behaviour after resigning as Celtic manager in an astonishing departing statement from the club’s principal shareholder Dermot Desmond. Celtic said Rodgers “tendered his resignation” late on Monday night, a day after the club’s defeat at Premiership leaders Hearts. Former boss Martin O’Neill will take interim charge, 20 years on from his first spell as manager. But a bombshell statement from the major shareholder Desmond dropped 15 minutes after Rodgers’ departure was confirmed, in which Desmond accused him of having “contributed to a toxic atmosphere” around the club. Rodgers had been critical of Celtic’s transfer business over the summer, and there was further discontent among the club’s supporters following their Champions League play-off defeat to Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan. The Scottish champions have also made a dismal start to the Premiership season and trail the league leaders Hearts by eight points following their 3-1 defeat at Tynecastle on Sunday, leading to further anger directed at the club’s board. Desmond, however, looked to offer his side of the events as he wrote: “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.” Desmond claimed that Rodgers was told in July that Celtic were keen to offer him a contract extension. “Yet in subsequent press conferences, Brendan implied that the club had made no commitment to offer him a contract. That was simply untrue,” Desmond said. Desmond also said Rodgers would regularly meet with the board to discuss their transfer plans and that “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,” Desmond said, adding: “His later public statements about transfers and club operations came entirely out of the blue.” The statement continued: “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.” Rodgers voiced his frustration over Celtic’s transfer business in the summer after the club failed to replace star forward Kyogo Furuhashi and then sold Nicolas Kuhn after losing fellow winger Jota to a long-term injury. The only attacking arrival before the Kairat tie was Shin Yamada, who had only scored two goals in 21 J-League games and has not featured for two months. Celtic also sold striker Adam Idah to Swansea before the transfer deadline while adding two left wingers, Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Sebastian Tounekti, as well as free agent striker Kelechi Iheanacho. After a 2-0 defeat to Dundee, Rodgers’ expressed further frustration at his squad when he compared the players at his disposal to a “Honda Civic”. “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,” Rodgers said. Former Liverpool manager Rodgers won seven trophies with Celtic before leaving the club to take charge of Leicester in 2019, a move that upset many supporters. He returned to Glasgow to replace Ange Postecoglou in 2023. Rodgers won two more Scottish Premiership titles, as well as a Scottish Cup and League Cup, in his two full seasons in charge and also reached the Champions League knockout play-offs last season. Celtic lost narrowly to Bayern Munich but their opportunity to make further progress in Europe was lost following their defeat to Kairat on penalties in August. Includes reporting from PA

1 days ago

Sports

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