Dermot Desmond, a major shareholder of Celtic, has caused outrage with his statement. He ran the risk of publicly humiliating the club’s then-manager Brendan Rodgers. This news came just a few days after the announcement that Rodgers himself was leaving the club. Desmond’s remarks have raised concerns about the club’s ability to attract high-profile managerial candidates amid ongoing uncertainty about its leadership.
Desmond was in attendance at Parkhead that day, watching on as Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney were sparking a transformation. His unique decision to go public on the issue, indeed a first for him, speaks volumes of his thorough engagement in the Celtic’s affairs. Desmond explicitly charged Rodgers with fostering a “toxic culture” inside the club. He outlined mismanagement that he felt was a big factor in the team’s struggles.
Chris Sutton, the former Celtic player and now pundit, was appalled by the timing and nature of Desmond’s comments. He told me that a blistering critique like that might scare away other candidates from even applying for the Celtic job.
“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 Brendan Rodgers, and think twice about maybe coming to Celtic and their reputations being damaged if there’s a fallout.” – Chris Sutton
Further complicating matters is the fact that the agency has been in a search for a new permanent manager. Names like Kieran McKenna, Ange Postecoglou and Craig Bellamy have all been touted as future replacement options for Rodgers. Despite the encouraging words around the effort, Sutton acknowledged that Desmond’s very public critique could loom over the recruiting effort.
Kris Boyd, another pundit, emphasized the need for Celtic to appoint a strong leader capable of extracting the best performance from players. Without disparaging what Rodgers had achieved during his time in charge, McKay suggested that the club needed to see a new direction in the future.
“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,” – Kris Boyd
Celtic’s almost unparalleled dominance in Scottish football over the last 10 years only adds to the challenges in shopping for prospective top-tier managerial talent. Desmond’s recent statement has further underscored questions regarding the club’s future direction and its capacity to lure high-profile managers.
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