October 28 – Ange Postecoglou is among the favourites to take over at Celtic following the shock resignation of Brendan Rodgers and surprise return of Martin O’Neill.
Rodgers quit on Monday with the Scottish Premiership champions eight points behind early pacesetters Heart of Midlothian after losing 3-1 at Tynecastle on Sunday.
His decision to end his second spell at the club plunged an already turbulent season into deeper uncertainty.
And it was quickly followed by a blistering statement from major shareholder Dermot Desmond, who described Rodgers’ actions while in the job as “divisive, misleading, and self-serving.”
O’Neill, who is now 73, has been installed as caretaker 20 years after his previous, trophy-laden spell at the club.
But he admits he is only “keeping the seat warm” for a permanent manager and “had to pull myself up off the floor” when asked to take interim charge.
O’Neill’s first game will be at home to Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday, and it will be his first back in management since 2019.
But it is the news that another former Celtic boss, Postecoglou, could be in the frame for a permanent return to the club that will grab headlines.
The Aussie, who was sacked after just eight games in charge of Nottingham Forest this season, remains popular with Celtic fans, and is looking to rebuild his reputation after enduring a difficult to end to his spells at both Forest and Tottenham.
Rodgers quit after accusing the board of failing to offer him a contract extension and imposing signings on him that he didn’t want. But in an astonishing letter to fans, Desmond dismissed those notions and criticised the former Leicester and Liverpool manager’s “desire for self-preservation at the expense of others”.
Desmind wrote: “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.”
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