The former Celtic player has made a major accusation against the board regarding Brendan Rodgers’ exit from the club.
Andy Walker has levelled some blunt accusations against the Celtic board, claiming they were “delighted” with Brendan Rodgers’ exit from the club.
The basis for Walker’s claims regarding the board’s elation stem from the accomplished manager’s ability to consistently hold the board responsible for both the club’s successes and failures, and his insistence on pushing them in the transfer market.
Brendan Rodgers was known to have butted heads with the board on multiple occasions, which likely lead to the rocky relationship that existed between them until his eventual departure to Leicester City.
As Walker explains the situation, according to Leicester Mercury:
"“The Celtic board hate criticism and they were delighted when he left to go to Leicester. They were delighted to get £9m in compensation. What they should have recognized was that he was a great manager and that he had improved players who were already at the club.”"
It is entirely understandable that the board would have been caught off guard by Rodgers’ abrasiveness, but with the success he provided as a manager, they should have given him whatever he needed to keep it going. Or at least, they should have had a plan in place for when he did eventually decide to leave the club.
It’s a well-known fact the board seemed to scramble to find a replacement, leading to Neil Lennon’s return and current tenure at the club. While Lennon has been successful in his second stint, the success has hit a roadblock this season as the club are out of the League Cup, Europe and lagging heavily in the league behind rival Rangers.
Walker speaks to this, describing his thoughts on the Rodgers replacement scramble:
"“They should’ve looked to get the next Brendan Rodgers, the younger version, in much the same way that they scour the rest of Europe for players who don’t go straight to the Premier League in England.”"
Obviously, the club, the board and the fans should be grateful for their success under both Rodgers and Lennon, but it is completely understandable that the current manager is not the future of the club. For whoever replaces him (seemingly at the conclusion of this season), the board will need to be much more willing to spend than they have been under his tenure in order to compete at a level fans expect once again.