Copyright GIVEMESPORT
Celtic chief Dermot Desmond recently called out Brendan Rodgers for creating a toxic environment at the club, and GIVEMESPORT have now taken a look at some of the times their former manager has made some subtle digs at the board during his time at the club. Celtic confirmed that Rodgers had resigned from his position as manager on Monday evening, with the Glasgow club sitting in second position in the Scottish Premiership table. The Bhoys are currently eight points behind leaders Hearts, who increased their advantage at the top of the table with a win over Celtic at the weekend. GIVEMESPORT sources confirmed on Monday that the resignation of Rodgers came as a surprise to the Celtic board, despite there being tension behind the scenes over a lack of investment in the side. Brendan Rodgers Calls Out Celtic Board Celtic chief Desmond recently called out Rodgers for comments he made in the media. The former Celtic boss is alleged, by Desmond, to have implied the club had made no commitment to offer a new contract, had created a toxic environment at the club, and insinuated that he had no knowledge of potential transfers. It's fair to say Rodgers has previously made comments on the board in a negative manner, and the club in general, even if some of the remarks were slightly subtle. Rodgers recently hinted that his squad was like a 'Honda Civic', but he was asked to drive it like a Ferrari, perhaps suggesting that he was being asked of too much from a poor squad. “The challenge from the summer, now leading into here, where we lost a lot of firepower, a lot of goals out on the team. And there’s no way you’ll go into a race and be given the keys to a Honda Civic and say, I want you to drive it like a Ferrari.” Rodgers also spoke out back at the beginning of October, suggesting that the board and the fans need to sit down and make peace after protests, perhaps shirking the pressure and responsibility away from himself. “I suppose my message for the long term is that hopefully both parties can sit down, respect their differences and find a solution so that we can all pull together again. Because that is always key for Celtic and until that happens I need to manage the team to maximise what we can get out of the team and knowing that the team will be very focused on getting the results that the club wants.” After reports emerged that an insider at Celtic previously claimed that Rodgers was trying to engineer an exit, and he hit back suggesting that whoever leaked that piece of information, which he claimed to be false, should resign. "My honest take is I thought it was a cowardly action by whoever it is. It's not something you'd want. Certainly my relationships with the guys, I am close with here within the board, I would struggle to understand why. All I've tried to do is drive the club forward. Was I surprised by it? Not really." When asked if the person who was speaking against him should resign, he added: "I don't think there's any doubt." Rodgers had also previously stated that the summer transfer window had made him feel 'empty', hinting that he hadn't been backed enough in the market. It's safe to say that Desmond's comments on Rodgers' media handling certainly had some substance, as he's not been afraid to speak his mind publicly.
