Late last night, the news exploded like a bomb. Just an hour before it was revealed that Brendan Rodgers had left Celtic for the second time, he was going about his business as usual, giving no hint of an imminent departure. Mr. Rogers was still exchanging text messages and did not appear to have written a letter of resignation at the same time.
So when Celtic announced his immediate departure and the appointment of his replacement, it felt like a bomb had gone off. The announcement was made all the more shocking by Martin O’Neill’s return to Parkhead as interim manager, 20 years after leaving the club’s dugout in 2005.
This was certainly an unusual situation, made even stranger by Rodgers’ casual behavior despite probably knowing what was about to happen. The days are getting longer for Rodgers, who has lost enthusiasm for his job over the past 10 months.
But despite being disappointed during the transfer window and aware of behind-the-scenes gossip, no one could have predicted how things would turn out. Rodgers, who returned to command for a second stint, had previously left for Leicester and vowed to fans he would never abandon ship again. His resignation sparked a fierce backlash and irreparably damaged relations with supporters.
That’s why he made it clear from the beginning of his three-year contract that he intended to honor the entire term. Therefore, the reason behind this sudden breakup seems completely puzzling.
Of course, his own explanation may come in the next few days, but it will definitely be interesting.
Why now?
Why decide to throw in the towel at a time when Celtic’s season can still be salvaged?
A win against Falkirk on Wednesday night and an elimination of Rangers in the Premier Sports semi-final at Hampden on Sunday could have painted a much more rosy picture than the one against Tynecastle on Sunday that saw Rodgers suffer a second successive league defeat.
So what exactly happened between then and last night?
And was Rodgers fully aware that his time as Celtic manager was coming to an end?
The part that requires serious explanation is whether Mr. Rogers was aware that these plans were in place. If not, he may be forced to break his silence in the coming days and accuse those involved of sabotage and betrayal.
The call definitely would have been made earlier in the day. Perhaps one of them was passed down to O’Neill from Dermot Desmond.
Sean Maloney, who will be in the dugout as O’Neal’s right-hand man, would also need to be consulted.
But all of this was announced at a breakneck pace just before 10pm last night.
Perhaps Rodgers had nothing more to offer. Perhaps he was exhausted by the stress of representing a club facing a crisis in its relations with supporters?
Perhaps he felt his message no longer resonated in his dressing room.
Certainly, there are signs that some of these players are mentally checking out in hopes of being somewhere else by now.
If Rodgers had looked into his last game, he might have concluded he didn’t have enough players on his side.
Indeed, for about 25 minutes of the first half, it looked as if only captain Callum McGregor fully understood the gravity of the situation and was determined to make a big impact.
What’s left?
Were they still excited or sulking at being likened to a Honda Civic?
That remained a distinct possibility following Rodgers’ comments following the Dundee defeat. It was a very risky gamble overall.
But it was Desmond’s scathing observations, delivered late last night, that brought out the nuclear mystery dimension.
Ireland’s leading figures appeared to have attacked Mr Rodgers heavily and tried to hold him directly responsible for the demonstrations that targeted his boardroom, particularly chief executive Michael Nicholson and chairman Peter Lawwell.
Desmond revealed that he traveled to Scotland to have a three- to four-hour face-to-face meeting with Rodgers. During the confrontation, he demanded an explanation from Rodgers about how the club had “hindered him, failed to support him”.
Mr Desmond explained that Mr Rogers could not provide a single example.
