Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic cut up is the newest explosive chapter in a profession suffering from the dramatic, controversial and infrequently cringeworthy.
The 52-year-old, eviscerated by main shareholder Dermot Desmond in a unprecedented 556-word assertion branding the supervisor ‘poisonous’, ‘divisive’ and ‘self-serving’, isn’t any stranger to the type of storm at present swirling round him.
Rodgers jumped earlier than he could possibly be sacked throughout a disastrous marketing campaign however Desmond nonetheless landed heavy public blows to the Northern Irishman’s fame.
It’s one which has already taken a pounding at instances throughout his vibrant 17-year administration journey – throughout which he has been within the limelight for his private life on quite a few events.
Rodgers’ very public romantic proposal to the membership’s former journey coordinator Charlotte Searle in 2016 got here simply 68 days after his divorce was finalised.
The dissolution of the wedding to his spouse of 14 years, Susan, was official in December 2015 and within the following February Rodgers was seen on one knee in New York’s Occasions Sq..
Brendan Rodgers (above) has left Celtic in a very explosive departure
Rodgers, seen proposing to now spouse Charlotte Searle in 2016 in Occasions Sq., New York
The previous Liverpool supervisor was married to ex-wife Susan (pictured) for 14 years
Vacationers have been shocked after they recognized Rodgers as the person crouched in entrance of his then 33-year-old girlfriend after he had handed the mother-of-one her a bouquet of roses.
The couple have been seen stopping off in a Mercedes and he popped the query in entrance of a photographer earlier than leaving once more.
Miss Searle was Liverpool’s journey coordinator when she first met Rodgers – who was paid £5million-a-year because the membership’s supervisor – in 2013.
She is claimed to have been ‘befriended’ by the previous Swansea and Studying boss whereas within the strategy of divorcing her husband, Steven Hind.
Neighbours informed how they might typically see Rodgers parking his Porsche close to the rented house she shared along with her then-15-month-old daughter.
Searle was within the strategy of divorcing her husband of 17 months, who was given a restraining order in opposition to Searle in August 2014 after sending her a string of pernicious texts about Rodgers and the breakdown of their marriage.
In addition to being stepfather to Searle’s daughter Lola, Rodgers shares two youngsters with ex-wife Susan – a daughter Mischa and son Anton.
Rodgers and his former partner had been collectively for 20 years, and married for 14, when information broke of their intention to half methods. Slightly than settle proceedings with amicable haste, Might 2015 noticed Susan take her soon-to-be ex-husband to court docket, looking for to say 50 per cent of his future earnings, in addition to half of an sudden – however vital – supply of wealth.
Searle (left) was Liverpool journey coordinator and married Rodgers in 2017
The ex-Celtic supervisor proposed to Searle (far proper) 68 days after his divorce got here by
Rodgers is pictured kissing Searle after Celtic have been offered with the league trophy in 2017
The dispute shone a lightweight on the supervisor’s 102-house property empire, which he established with Susan and his enterprise associate Judith O’Hagan.
The multi-million-pound buy-to-let portfolio was mentioned to be so beneficial that an impartial evaluation of its price price the couple £32,000.
However operating the properties didn’t come with out pitfalls, with Rodgers and O’Hagan discovered responsible in 2013 of ignoring an enchancment discover on one of many homes in Accrington.
The companions later had their conviction overturned a yr later having initially been ordered to pay £400 and £375 prices, with a £40 surcharge at Blackburn magistrates’ court docket for leaving a £69,950 terrace home with damaged home windows and doorways and garbage strewn throughout the backyard.
The Northern Irishman and his enterprise associate have been discovered responsible of ignoring an enchancment discover issued by Hyndburn Council.
The pair had been ordered to repair the home windows, doorways and roof, and to take away the garbage, however the home was left to rot.
Each Rodgers and O’Hagan, who purchased the property in August 2007, have been absent when discovered responsible at Blackburn magistrates’ court docket.
An enchancment discover, as served to Rodgers and O’Hagan, requires a landlord to hold out work to cope with a hazard related to a property.
If the owner doesn’t do the work, or ‘affordable progress’ just isn’t made, the native authority can perform work itself and declare the prices again from the owner.
They have been convicted in December 2013 of failing to adjust to an enforcement discover below Part 79 of the Constructing Act 1984 earlier than it was overturned the following yr.
The properties owned by Rodgers have been dotted throughout England, from South Shields in Tyne and Put on, to Studying in Berkshire, however it isn’t recognized what the ultimate settlement reached in December 2015 between the 2 events entailed.
Each former spouses appeared eager to maneuver past the ruling, with Susan thought to have relocated to Marbella over the summer time of 2015.
Additionally throughout Rodgers’ time at Anfield, there was an interesting perception to his character with behind-the-scenes documentary ‘Being Liverpool’.
He confirmed the cameras round his home the place there was an enormous portrait of himself hanging up, resulting in loads of ribbing from followers.
Regardless of some accusations that the image was a sign of a large ego and lack of humility, Rodgers obtained the picture from a incapacity charity in Swansea as a present.
The massive portrait of Rodgers hanging in his home in Liverpool was seen within the ‘Being Liverpool’ six-part documentary throughout his time in cost
One other startling second within the six-part documentary in 2012 was the broadly panned ‘envelope trick’.
The stunt concerned telling gamers that he had written names in three envelopes belonging to these he felt would ‘let the crew down’ by the tip of the season, in a bid to drive up motivation and aggressive spirit.
The consequence was slightly totally different in observe, with Glen Johnson later sharing that he remembered he was ‘trying round like, “is he f***ing critical?”.
Including that ‘you may guess your backside greenback all these envelopes have been empty’, his former team-mate Brad Jones confirmed as Rodgers spoke, he held up the envelopes and ‘you may really see straight by them, simply the way in which that the sunshine caught them’.
Johnson mentioned that grasp of the darkish arts – and Rodgers’ former boss – Jose Mourinho had been an originator of the trick, which was additionally used with aplomb by Manchester United icon Sir Alex Ferguson.
‘He is acquired so many mannerisms from him which nearly looks as if generally he is attempting to be Mourinho,’ Johnson added damningly.
‘You realize when somebody’s attempting too arduous? It would not carry the identical punch.’
Rodgers was sacked as Liverpool boss in 2015 earlier than reviving his fame north of the border in his first Celtic stint throughout three trophy-laden years earlier than 5 seasons and an FA Cup win with Leicester Metropolis.
He returned to Celtic in June, 2023 however it was not a mirror of the love-in from his first stint on the membership.
Final yr, Rodgers landed himself in scorching water for saying ‘good lady’ to BBC reporter Jane Lewis throughout a terse trade – after which he was branded a ‘dinosaur’.
Within the video of the trade, launched by the BBC on TikTok on the time, Rodgers appeared to pat Lewis after his ‘good lady’ remark, earlier than strolling off to abruptly finish the interview.
Lewis, 53, had requested Rodgers to clarify himself after he informed her: ‘When it comes to the title race, the story has already been written about this group, however we are going to write our personal story.’ When she requested him to elaborate, he appeared sad with the road of questioning and mentioned: ‘No, no, you understand precisely what I imply.’
Lewis once more pressed Rodgers to clarify, however he appeared to wind up the interview and mentioned: ‘Achieved, good lady, effectively carried out.’
Campaigners at For Girls Scotland referred to as on Rodgers to apologise. A spokeswoman mentioned: ‘It is miserable that informal sexism remains to be embedded in sport. Girls’s achievements are underrated and dismissed, and their skilled standing undermined. Rodgers owes the reporter an apology.’
And legendary broadcaster Jeff Stelling was left aghast on the Celtic supervisor’s ‘good lady’ comment.
Talking on TalkSPORT, he mentioned: ‘Good lady, good lady? Goodness me, Brendan. What does he imply?’
Others performed down the trade, with Eamon Holmes saying on GB Information: ‘He meant good lady. Brendan Rodgers is from Carnock in Northern Eire. We are saying “good lady” on a regular basis. We’re admonished for it on a regular basis as a result of it is not modern.
‘I can truthfully let you know that Northern Irish individuals will say “good lady, good boy, good lad”.’
Rodgers refused to apologise and as an alternative blamed ‘society’ for ‘trying to discover one thing offensive’.
He mentioned: ‘I’ve spoken to Jane and he or she wasn’t offended, we had fun about it. She’ll proceed to ask me awkward questions I am certain, however I see her each week. We have got good relations, like I’ve with most individuals in my life, whether or not that is skilled or social.
‘So I discover it saddening as a lot as something, I am not that sort of particular person, it is not who I’m or how I am constructed. However sadly for society now, persons are simply trying and looking for methods to someway carry you down if they’ll and that is not good.’
The Celtic boss referred to as a feminine reporter ‘good lady’ in feedback that sparked ire final yr
Lewis mentioned: ‘Clearly, the interview has change into a speaking level. I do not consider there was any offence meant by Brendan Rodgers – and personally, there was none taken.’
And now Rodgers has left the membership, burning bridges as he jumps ship with the Scottish giants eight factors behind shock leaders Hearts.
A part of Desmond’s scorching assertion about Rodgers’ exit on Monday learn: ‘His phrases and actions have been divisive, deceptive, and self-serving. They’ve contributed to a poisonous environment across the membership and fuelled hostility in direction of members of the chief crew and the Board.’
So what was Rodgers was accused of?
He had slammed the membership’s lack of funding and what he believed to be strategic failures in recruitment. Rodgers mentioned the board wanted to be ‘braver’.
When a tabloid claimed Rodgers was successfully stage managing his exit forward of his contract expiring subsequent summer time, he raged that the briefing as a ‘cowardly act’ and demanding that the membership launched an investigation – it by no means got here.
On recruitment, Desmond insisted Rodgers couldn’t ‘determine a single occasion the place the membership had obstructed or didn’t help him’, including that ‘the info didn’t match his public narrative’.
He went on to additional distinction Rodgers’ public criticism of the switch technique by saying: ‘In actuality, he (the supervisor) was given remaining say over all soccer issues and was persistently backed within the recruitment course of — together with file funding in gamers he personally recognized and permitted.’
Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond accused Rodgers of being ‘divisive, deceptive and self-serving’ throughout his remaining months in Glasgow
There have been additionally press conferences when Rodgers implied he had not been supplied a contract extension that Desmond says just isn’t the case.
He defined: ‘In June, each Michael Nicholson and I expressed to Brendan that we have been eager to supply him a contract extension, to reaffirm the membership’s full backing and long-term dedication to him. He mentioned he would wish to consider it and revert. But in subsequent press conferences, Brendan implied that the membership had made no dedication to supply him a contract. That was merely unfaithful.’
The Celtic chief’s 556-word onslaught brings a detailed to a different extraordinary flashpoint in Rodgers’ rollercoaster profession.
The place the trip will take him subsequent stays to be seen however on earlier proof, of which there’s now a lot, followers might want to strap themselves in.
