Celtic: Brendan Rodgers' broken relationship with club's board laid bare in Dermot Desmond's stunning statement

Brendan Rodgers' broken relationship with the Celtic board was laid bare after his surprise resignation in an extraordinary statement from major shareholder Dermot Desmond.

Rodgers was accused of misleading fans over his contract talks and the club's transfer business as Desmond claimed the manager's "divisive" actions "fuelled hostility" toward the board and executive team.

Desmond put Celtic's recent struggles down to "one individual's desire for self-preservation" with the Scottish champions already eight points adrift of league leaders Hearts after failing to qualify for the Champions League.

Amid the backdrop of fan protests, which have called for the board to be sacked, Desmond blamed Rodgers for "contributing to a toxic atmosphere" at Celtic.

Here we break down Desmond's stunning statement and why the relationship soured.

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Contract claims 'simply untrue'

Desmond said in his statement that Rodgers had suggested there was no commitment from Celtic over giving him a new deal and claimed that was "simply untrue".

He said: "In June, both Michael Nicholson and I expressed to Brendan that we were keen to offer him a contract extension, to reaffirm the club's full backing and long-term commitment to him.

"He said he would need to think about it and revert. Yet in subsequent press conferences, Brendan implied that the club had made no commitment to offer him a contract. That was simply untrue."

Rodgers was in the final year of his contract at Celtic when he quit unexpectedly on Monday night and had previously said he was yet to receive a formal offer for a new deal.

"I have had informal chats with Desmond and Michael," he said in September. "I haven't had an offer yet to think over and until that comes I am not going to be so arrogant to say I want to be here for another three years.

"The club might not want me here. I have to respect that. Until there's something serious on a piece of paper, I continue to do my job."

Transfer comments 'came out of the blue'

Desmond challenged Rodgers' assertions that he had been let down by the club's transfer business over the summer.

In a reference to Celtic's underwhelming window, Rodgers said: "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'. It's not going to happen."

Celtic chief executive Michael Nicholson admitted in September that the club "did not achieve all of our objectives in the transfer window" after a messy end to their summer business.

But Desmond claims Rodgers' comments "came entirely of the blue" and he had not raised any of his concerns with the club.

"Every player signed and every player sold during his tenure was done so with Brendan's full knowledge, approval and endorsement. Any insinuation otherwise is absolutely false," said Desmond.

"In reality, he was given final say over all football matters and was consistently backed in the recruitment process - including record investment in players he personally identified and approved.

"When his comments were made publicly, I sought to address them directly. Brendan and I met for over three hours at his home in Scotland to discuss the issue. Despite ample opportunity, he was unable to identify a single instance where the club had obstructed or failed to support him. The facts did not match his public narrative."

Celtic ended the summer window weaker than they started it after missing out on the signing of top striker target Kasper Dolberg to Ajax and being rejected by Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana in a disastrous Deadline Day.

Rodgers had been adamant Adam Idah would not be allowed to leave without another striker arriving, despite having undergone a medical with Swansea. His transfer to the Championship club was announced five hours before the window shut without a replacement being signed.

Celtic later signed striker Kelechi Iheanacho after the window had closed on a free transfer after Sevilla terminated his contract.

Rodgers accused of being 'divisive' and 'misleading'

Desmond claimed in his statement that Rodgers' actions have "contributed to a toxic atmosphere" at Celtic and "fuelled hostility towards members of the executive team and board".

He said: "Regrettably, his words and actions since [their meeting over Rodgers' transfer comments] have been divisive, misleading, and self-serving.

"Some of the abuse directed at [the board and executive team], and at their families, has been entirely unwarranted and unacceptable.

"Every member of the Board and executive team is deeply passionate about Celtic and acts at all times with professionalism, integrity, and a shared desire for success."

Three weeks before Desmond's criticism of Rodgers and his resignation, Celtic said in a statement that "the club do not accept that there is a disconnect between the board and the manager".

Who is to blame for Celtic's struggles?

The Scottish champions are already eight points adrift of Hearts in the Scottish Premiership and failed to qualify for the Champions League this season, which is a big blow financially.

Desmond squarely lays the blame for Celtic's recent struggles at Rodgers' door, insisting there is no problem with the club's structure.

"What has failed recently was not due to our structure or model, but to one individual's desire for self-preservation at the expense of others," he added.

"Celtic's structure - where the manager oversees football, the chief executive manages operations, and the Board provides oversight - has served the club with great success for more than two decades

"We all share the same ambition: to ensure Celtic's continued success domestically and to achieve further progress in Europe. Every pound generated by the club is reinvested towards those goals and the continuous improvement of Celtic Football Club."

Sutton: Board not blameless after 'damaging' statement

Sky Sports pundit Chris Sutton says the board are not blameless over his former side's struggles.

"Reading the Dermot Desmond statement, it is very critical of Brendan. In many ways, when there's a relationship breakdown, which there clearly has been between Brendan and the club hierarchy, then it's inevitable that something would have to give, and Brendan has ended up walking away.

"It will be really interesting to see if Brendan responds to Dermot Desmond's statement. It's pretty damaging and Brendan's obviously got his right of reply. It hasn't ended well.

"I think everybody suspected that things weren't right but let's also get it right - the board are not blameless in this whole situation.

"Celtic were in a really strong position when you go back to the earlier part of this year. They played Bayern Munich, nearly knocked them out of the Champions League, and the club was on a bit of a high. I think everybody expected the club, albeit losing quality players, to go quite strong in the summer in terms of player recruitment. That didn't happen.

"The manager was unhappy about that and the start of the season has been really woeful.

"Celtic are in a position where their frontline is a shadow of what it once was in the recent past and eight points behind Hearts now at the top of the league.

"The club's in a bit of a pickle and Brendan's decided to walk and it's probably the best thing for the club if the relationship was that bad."

Analysis: 'Massive days ahead of Celtic'

Sky Sports News' Gordon Duncan:

"When you look at what Celtic have done in recent times, when Brendan Rodgers left the first time, they turned to a familiar face in Neil Lennon, who managed to steady the ship and won some trophies.

"Then when that went downhill, they managed to recruit a certain Ange Postecoglou. That wasn't universally popular, people questioned where he'd come from and his credentials, but he came in and he won almost straight away, and he did it in a style that made people forget about the managerial search. You may even struggle to remember that Eddie Howe was so strongly linked with the job at that time, so I think the key will always just be get someone who comes in and wins.

"If you come in and win quickly, everything else can fall into line, but this feels like more than just managerial issues at Celtic.

"We keep mentioning it every week, the fans are protesting, they're throwing tennis balls onto the pitch, they've got banners up. A large number of them want change at boardroom level, they don't feel that the structure at Celtic is functioning the way that it should, so in some ways that remains unfixed by a change of manager.

"These are massive days ahead for Celtic. First of all, we'll have to get the managerial appointment right. If that manager then wins everything before him straight away, then maybe the other stuff does die down slightly, but it won't go away completely."

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