Neither West Ham nor Wolves will rise to the occasion to install Brendan Rodgers as their new manager, despite an extraordinary statement from Celtic’s majority shareholder on Monday night exposing the lies the former Liverpool and Leicester manager told in press conferences and interviews behind his resignation.
“Celtic Football Club can confirm that Football Manager Brendan Rodgers has today tendered his resignation. This has been accepted by the club and Brendan will be leaving his post with immediate effect,” a club statement read, also confirming that Martin O’Neill will return as interim manager of the club.
Nuno Espirito Santo is already under pressure at West Ham, who have picked up just one point in his four games in charge, while Vitor Pereira, who was leading the sack race after a 3-2 defeat at promoted side Burnley, then yelled at a fan for demanding his head.
Read more: Nuno’s sacking and West Ham relegation will make double history with ‘fucking stupid’ decisions
His success with Liverpool and Leicester in the Premier League, combined with the lack of compensation that would have to be paid to secure Rodgers as their new manager, makes him an attractive replacement should either club decide to sack them, but both owners should note that Dermot Desmond slammed the 52-year-old in an open letter to the club’s website.
“I would like to thank Brendan for his contribution over two spells as manager, during which he was instrumental in the successes that form part of the club’s modern history.”However, I must also express my deep disappointment with the way the last few months have unfolded.
“When we brought Brendan back to Celtic two years ago, it was with complete trust and belief in his ability to lead the club into a new era of sustained success. Unfortunately, his actions and communications in recent months have not reflected that faith.
“In June, Michael Nicholson and I told Brendan that we wanted to offer him a contract extension to reaffirm the club’s full support and long-term commitment to him. He said he needed to think about it and get back on track. However, in a subsequent press conference, Brendan implied that the club had no commitment to offer him a contract, which was completely untrue.
“We have met with Brendan regularly, including in December last year and at the beginning of the summer, to discuss and agree our overall strategy, priorities and approach. All players signed and all players sold during his tenure were done with Brendan’s full knowledge, approval and support. Any suggestion otherwise is completely false.
“His subsequent public statements regarding transfers and the management of the club were completely out of the blue. Until these statements, he had never raised any such concerns with me, Michael, or any member of the board or management team. In fact, he is given final say in all matters relating to football and was consistently supported in the recruitment process, including record investments in players that he personally identified and approved.
“When his comments became public, I sought to address them directly. Brendan and I met for more than three hours at his home in Scotland to discuss the matter. I could not identify a single instance where the club interfered or failed to support me, despite having ample opportunity. The facts did not match his public story.
“Unfortunately, his words and actions since then have been divisive, misleading and self-serving. They have created a toxic atmosphere around the club and incited hostility towards management and members of the board. Some of the abuse directed at them and their families is completely unwarranted and unacceptable.
“Everyone on the board and management team has a deep passion for Celtic and will always act with professionalism, integrity and a shared desire for success. “Our recent failures have not been due to our structure or model, but to one individual’s desire for self-preservation at the expense of others.
“Celtic’s structure, with the manager overseeing the football, the chief executive managing operations and the board overseeing, has brought great success to the club for over 20 years.”We all share the same ambition. It’s about Celtic’s continued success domestically and further progress in Europe. Every pound the club generates is reinvested towards those goals and the continued improvement of Celtic Football Club.
“Celtic is bigger than anyone else. Our focus now is to restore harmony, strengthen the squad and continue to build a club worthy of its values, traditions and supporters.
“Dermot Desmond”
