We can all admit it now, forcing Brendan Rodgers out of Celtic was a big, big mistake by the Celtic Board…
Brendan Rodgers, photo Al Qadsiah Saudi Club @AlQadsiahEN
Former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has been making headlines thanks to his major input in the turnaround in fortunes of Saudi pro league side AI Quadsiah.
Under the Irishman, and assistant John Kennedy, AI Quadsiah have risen to the top end of the table just four points off leaders, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, with the recent comeback win over a star studded AI-Ahli side further highlighting his influence and credentials as a manager.
Never See an Ad Again – Subscribe Now and get 7 Days for Free!
Go ad-free on The Celtic Star, get a FREE trial period to try it out. Also download our new App – available for both Apple and Android – and get the best Celtic content on your phone quickly and without any hassle getting to the Celtic stories you want to read.
He is unbeaten in 17 games 13 wins 4 draws
AI Quadsiah are unbeaten under Rodgers, having won 13, drawn four and lost none in his 17 games in charge of the Saudi Pro-League title challengers.
Brendan Rodgers, photo Al Qadsiah Saudi Club @AlQadsiahEN
I was one of the Brendan’s biggest critics during his final weeks in charge, and was in favour of change, but I’m big enough to admit now that I was wrong, and that if he had stayed around, then we would in a much healthier position in the league than we find ourselves presently.
Things certainly had gone a bit stale, but Brendan is a man who has been over the course and distance so many times, and I’ve no doubt that he would have rallied the troops so to speak. Celtic would have been in a much better position than we are just now, that’s for sure.
We would also have been exempt from witnessing the turbulent and disastrous Wilfried Nancy era, and anyone connected to the club would do anything to re-write that chapter in our history, that’s a given. Yes we got Martin O’Neill – twice – and he’s been truly wonderful on both occasions.
Brendan Rodgers, photo Al Qadsiah Saudi Club @AlQadsiahEN
Derek McInnes is currently still top of the league with points total at this stage of the season not any better that he was averaging at Aberdeen when Brendan was in charge at Celtic first time around. The difference is that Celtic decided to ‘exit’ the manager for answering awkward questions being asked by the Celtic fan media (also exited) about the board’s failings in the transfer market. The outcome of that was Wilfried Nancy a dozen dropped points.
We were still overdue a change of direction in the dugout, as this would have certainly been Brendan’s last spell at the club, but if we was still in charge we would most likely be sitting with a comfortable cushion at the top of the table.
Brendan Rodgers, new manager at Saudi Pro League side Al Qadsiah. Photo Al Qadsiah FC
I mean, would we have lost at home to Hearts or the Rangers? Or Dundee United? Even the cup final to St Mirren or the other damaging results in the league and Europe would most likely have been avoided, meaning we would be in a much more happier position on and off the park.
Change was and still is required in the dugout, just as it is in the boardroom, but had Brendan not decided enough was enough, the storm clouds currently surrounding Celtic Park would be that bit lighter. Make no mistake the board wanted Rodgers gone and in those final two games at Dundee and Hearts six points were lost because of the behind the scenes problems at the club.
Al Shabab v Al Qadsiah: Saudi Pro League RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 31: Brendan Rodgers team Manager of Al-Qadsiah FC during the Saudi Pro League match between Al Shabab FC and Al Qadsiah at Prince Faisal bin Fahad Stadium on December 31, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Riyadh Prince Faisal bin Fahad Stadium Saudi Arabia: Photo: Abdullah Ahmed
Meanwhile Brendan Rodgers and John Kennedy are doing well in Saudi Arabia and it’s great to see. If Martin O’Neill does win the league and maybe even the Scottish Cup then he deserves tremendous recognition and gratitude for saving our skins this season. All of the problems Martin’s had to deal with have been self-inflicted.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
Celtic in the Thirties by Matt Corr. Click on image to order
Brendan seems to have a 3rd season problem; he did at Celtic both times, Liverpool, and Leicester. Not to say he’s a poor manager, the quality of his work is apparent, but when it comes to a change of squad in the 3rd season as happens with most teams those he brings in aren’t on the same page, it disrupts, and consistency drops. The main aspect of any Brendan team is the consistency of performance, this leads to improvement and players playing beyond their normal capabilities. We were sliding badly under Brendan, everything was off, and yes there was poor recruitment but MON would have seen us past Kairat.
No. We can’t ‘all agree’. I believe the Board are a disgrace and Rodgers also is a money grubbing shark with the moral compass of a Wild West bounty hunter. He wanted to go! You’re a starry eyed fool for thinking otherwise. You come up with some bollocks mate in these blogs you really do. Glad to see the back of him as are many fans. It was his plan all along. His press conferences an excruciating embarrassment. Publicly shaming the players as Honda Civics when we needed inspiration. Never his fault. No no. The CL exit disaster was as much on him as the board. An atrocious attitude. He managed the decline to get himself out. Usual 3 season cycle and I’m offski. You’re a mug to be cheerleading for that guy. Murderous Saudi arse licker for millions that he is.
Nonsense 😂🙈🤯
Moral compass?, murderous, as compared too?, our own government who are up to their necks in genocide, or our fascist state allies the USA, both of whom were instrumental in installing their rulers of choice in Saudi, through a campaign of murder. The Saudis have some way to go to match our lot, 38 million deaths estimated over the past 30 years from sanctions alone, the majority women and children, the weakest in society. Try looking beyond our state spun media, you may learn something.
The only problem Brendan had at Celtic was the board selling his best players and not replacing them, totally demoralising him, but even worse demoralising the team/squad, not a one, two, three or 4th season problem, a board problem.
Imagine how that affects a manager and team who think they are on the cusp of something great, but have been lied too, and let down, by lickspittles, who don’t deserve the team, manager or the support.
Add into this that you have supposed allies trashing your reputation in public, working against you, and basically tying one hand behind your back, while breaking the other hand.
No one was to blame here, except our disgrace of a board, and our would be ‘owner’.
Who was it again who was in charge when we crashed out of Europe in the first round? Not our ‘elite’ manager surely! And who was the brains behind the stultifyingly boring football we were having to witness each week? Success in a joke league in the desert doesn’t make him a good manager – just a money grabbing charlatan who was trying to work his exit at Parkhead just as he had before. Good riddance.
You weren’t the only one. A lot of thick anti Rodgers nutters within our support despise him since he left first time around. I didn’t. I didn’t blame him first time either. I had been calling Lawwell out for years with his asset stripping. He has cost Celtic at least a couple of hundred million over the course if the years with his “prudence” as well as some great CL journeys. Who in their right mind would actually want Rodgers out looking at the bigger picture? All the board had to do was back him. Instead they listened to Tisdale. Yes, the guy from Exeter. If you sell a player for 25 million replace him with a guy at 10-13 million and still you are in profit and keep a strong squad. But apparently we wasted money on Engels and Trusty. Yes, Engels. The guy we paid 11 million for and turned down 25 because again, we had nobody lined up as a replacement. I guess that was Rodgers fault as well.
Nail on the head, STEVIE BHOY…especially regarding that pro-Ibrox criminal, Peter Lawwell.
Hail Hail.
Rodgers forced himself out. He was offered a new contract and declined it. This was before the season had started. The only mistake the board made was not sacking Rodgers when he declined the contract. Rodgers wanted out. Rodgers was already in talks with the team in Saudi. Rodgers could have walked away but he is a money grabbing narcissist. He wanted Celtic to sack him so he could collect his couple of million. This is why Rodgers kept playing the same players every week who were not performing. The way Celtic eventually god rid of him without paying him was Desmond threatening to put him on garden leave which would not have allowed him to speak to the club in Saudi. This then made Rodgers walk. Rodgers is a complete rat. He manipulated the fans to turn on the board when all the problems behind the scenes was him. He also apparently got a decent kickback payment for Balikwisha and this is why Rodgers was pushing so hard for that deal. He is RAT and will always be a RAT
Some imagination from the above wank
It’s easy to criticise the board, particularly for the disastrous decision to leave recruitment in the hands of Tisdale. However, let’s look at the three ‘star’ players we let go last year – Kyogo, Kuhn and Idah. How many goals have they notched up for their new clubs between them? It’s in single figures for all three combined. Maybe we did well to get money for them when we did.