“It just wasn’t for me,” Charlie Mulgrew on his managerial nightmare

Charlie Mulgrew admitted that he spent five years dreaming about one day becoming a manager but it took just eleven games to convince him that that job is just not for him…

The 38 year-old former Celtic defender was appointed as manager at League One Kelty Hearts back in January but last week left the Fife club by mutual consent after holding up his hands and admitting that football management just wasn’t for him.

Kelty Hearts announced his departure, releasing the following short statement on 8 April 2025.

Club Statement: Kelty Hearts FC can confirm that Manager, Charlie Mulgrew, has today tendered his resignation from the post, which has been accepted by the club Board. We can also confirm that Assistant Manager, Mark Kerr, will leave the club by mutual agreement. Although only with the club for a short period, the Board would like to place on record their recognition and thanks for the hard work Charlie and Mark have done on the club’s behalf during their tenure. Everyone at New Central Park would like to wish Charlie and Mark the very best of fortune for their future ventures.

Speaking on Open Goal, Mulgrew opened up on the factors that led him to the decision to pack in his dream for good rather than do a job that he just didn’t enjoy.

A 6-0 home defeat to already relegated Dumbarton was the final straw for Mulgrew who says that it is a weight off his mind coming out the other side realising that football management is not for him.

“It’s been a weight off my shoulders. A good feeling to get it done. It’s weird because you spend the last five years, seven years of your football career, starting to plan, think what you want to do.

“I’ve constantly said I have a passion for management and how I see the game and I want to go and do it”

“On this show, I’ve constantly said I have a passion for management and how I see the game and I want to go and do it. Until you’re actually in it and doing it, you don’t know what you’re getting yourself in for.

“The truth is, I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t enjoy all of it. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some times where, there were a couple of games where there were great performances. The boys were brilliant and it was great to watch for that time, watching the other team try and work out what you’re trying to do.

“I said to the boys after the game ‘you must’ve enjoyed that, it was brilliant to see’ and they did. You could tell from the reaction, they loved it and I enjoyed watching it. But that’s so short lived. Then you go back into preparing for the next one.

“All the work that goes into it, the sleepless nights, it’s not like me at all, I sleep like a baby but I’m up during the night thinking about what I’m going to do and it’s not just the tactics, it’s who you need to speak to and who you need make sure is alright and the boys you’ve not played, manage all that situation and organise training.

“I couldn’t think of anything worse now than becoming a full-time manager”

“It was only part-time, so I think to myself, you go into a career and you want to get to the best, you want to go as high as you can. So I think if I’d gone full-time, how would I feel? I couldn’t think of anything worse now than becoming a full-time manager.

Club Statement

Kelty Hearts FC can confirm that Manager, Charlie Mulgrew, has today tendered his resignation from the post, which has been accepted by the club Board.

We can also confirm that Assistant Manager, Mark Kerr, will leave the club by mutual agreement.

Although… pic.twitter.com/3a7WHj1r68

— Kelty Hearts Football Club 🇱🇻 (@KeltyHeartsFC) April 8, 2025

“That’s mad to say that, because it took a lot for me to admit that as someone who’s sat for years saying ‘I want to be a manager.’ Anybody who knows me knows how passionate I was about that side of the game but I actually didn’t know anything about what it entailed until I was in it.

“The honest feeling was that I didn’t enjoy it”

“The honest feeling was that I didn’t enjoy it and see to admit that to people close to you and to yourself, it’s hard because you’re almost embarrassed to go ‘I’ve spoken about this’.

“I wish I had during my career had got a taste of it somewhere and then I could’ve gone back and probably enjoyed the last five years of my career, not that I didn’t enjoy them, but I could’ve had that gone ‘do you know what, I’m not going to go into that side of it so I’m just going to really focus on this.’

“Just one of those things. Listen, the club were brilliant behind the scenes, the boys were brilliant, can’t ask for any more from them and the club. It’s me. I could sit here and blame and make excuses and all that. It just wasn’t for me.

“I didn’t do well enough at it, that’s the facts”

“I didn’t do well enough at it, that’s the facts. If I sit here and try and blame other things, ultimately I was in charge, I was the manager. What I did, I could make the choices, the board gave me permission to get on with my job, they were brilliant, but ultimately I never did it.

“No matter what I say and who I could blame, it falls on me and I could fully hold my hands up to that and admit that. It just wasn’t for me.”

A career in punditry seems the most likely alternative

A career in punditry seems the most likely alternative for the charismatic former Celt, and with so many of the regular pundits now employed over at Ibrox, you would imagine that there should be one or two vacancies for him to look at.

Help raise funds for Celtic Youth Academy by playing the Celtic Pools Weekly Lottery and you could win up to £25,000. The lottery is £1 per week. Click on image above to join.