Celtic’s Turbulent Season – Rodgers and Out
Celtic’s Turbulent Season – Rodgers and Out Brendan Rodgers’ second spell as manager of Celtic, which began in June 2023, had initially produced domestic dominance, but the 2025/26 season quickly became turbulent and ultimately ended in his abrupt resignation in late October 2025… Brendan Rodgers talks to the media after the match. Hearts v Celtic, 26 October 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star) Rodgers entered the 2025/26 campaign on the back of significant success.
Celtic had won consecutive Scottish Premiership titles in 2023/24 and 2024/25, reasserting themselves as Scotland’s leading side. However, despite that domestic strength, warning signs were already evident as the 2025/26 got underway. European performances became a real case for concern when crucially, in August 2025 Celtic failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League after a shock play-off defeat to FC Kairat.
This failure not only had huge financial implications but also increased scrutiny on both Rodgers’ tactics and Celtic’s recruitment strategy led by CEO Michael Nicholson. Michael Nicholson, Celtic CEO and Chris McKay, Celtic CFO, look on from the stands during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD3 match between Celtic FC and SK Sturm Graz at Celtic Park on October 23, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) The early months of the league season compounded these issues after the Board appeared reluctant to unlock the PLC’s multi-millions in reserve, backing Rodgers with a transfer budget that felt like loose change.
For context on just how far that money doesn’t stretch in modern football, even a Nintendo store card on Eneba offers gamers more purchasing power and flexibility than Celtic’s recruitment budget appeared to allow their manager. Celtic struggled to find consistency, and by late October they had slipped to second place in the Scottish Premiership, trailing leaders Hearts by eight points. A decisive moment came with a 3–1 defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle, which turned out to be Rodgers’ final match in charge of the club he supports.
That result left the champions with back-to-back league defeats and mounting pressure from supporters and mainstream media alike. Beyond results, a deeper breakdown in relationships within the club played a crucial role in his departure. Throughout the summer and early autumn, Rodgers had publicly expressed dissatisfaction with Celtic’s transfer activity, suggesting that the squad had not been sufficiently strengthened.
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