Celtic need 'leader' after Brendan Rodgers departure, but will some 'think twice' after Dermont Desmond outburst?
Martin O'Neill and Shaun Maloney are in interim charge at Celtic following Brendan Rodgers' departure; major shareholder Dermot Desmond accused him of creating "toxic" atmosphere in extraordinary statement; the Hoops beat Falkirk 4-0 in their first Premiership game without Rodgers
Thursday 30 October 2025 15:42, UK
Sky Sports pundit Chris Sutton says high-profile managers might think twice about taking over at Celtic after Dermot Desmond's "vicious" attack on Brendan Rodgers.
The shock resignation of Brendan Rodgers on Monday and subsequent fallout compounded what has been an increasingly turbulent campaign for Celtic.
Just minutes after his departure was announced, another club statement saw major shareholder Dermot Desmond accuse the former boss of contributing to a "toxic atmosphere".
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Martin O'Neill and Shaun Maloney are in interim charge, giving the fans some joy with a 4-0 win against Falkirk to cut Hearts' lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
The 73-year-old insists he is only there for the short-term with Maloney, who is already part of the backroom set-up at the club, ruling himself out.
While a return for Ange Postecoglou looks unlikely, Kieran McKenna and Craig Bellamy are among the candidates to replace Rodgers, but can the club attract the calibre of manager the supporters will demand following the Hoops' dominance of Scottish football over the last decade?
Sky Sports' Chris Sutton has questioned Desmond's decision to launch such a blistering attack, believing it could hamper the recruitment process.
"You very rarely hear from Dermot Desmond, but he didn't miss on that occasion. He absolutely butchered Brendan. He filleted him," the former Celtic striker said.
"Some people may like that. My view on that is, you think further down the line, there may be high-profile managers who would look at the treatment of Rodgers and how vicious that attack was on Rodgers, and think twice about maybe coming to Celtic and their reputations being damaged if there's a fallout."
While Sutton fears repercussions from the statement, Sky Sports' Kris Boyd believes they need to appoint a strong leader to get the best from the players.
"When you look at the whole like in terms of Brendan Rodgers being an elite manager, and let's get that, yes, he has shown for a period of time the trophies he's won and what he's able to do get a short period of time, but he's an elite manager," he said.
"But you need to galvanise a group, and you need to get your leader to lead by example and Rodgers is more or less saying, my players are rubbish.
"To compare Honda Civics to Ferraris, that's what he's saying.
"There is no doubt that everything after that game, and that can't help but think, why did they not sack him?
"Time will tell, but I wouldn't be surprised myself that they've got somebody ready for the weekend.
"They might not take charge against Rangers this weekend [in the League Cup semi-final], but I wouldn't be surprised if there is a name there that has been identified that will be their new manager, because they wouldn't want the same scenario as Rangers."
