CELTIC fans were shocked by the bombshell news of Brendan Rodgers’ exit on Monday night.
While Rodgers’ decision to depart was not entirely unexpected, the timing — less than a week before the Premier Sports Cup semi-final clash with Rangers — left supporters stunned.
Martin O’Neill answered Dermot Desmond’s SOS, and the club’s largest shareholder slaughtered Rodgers with a scathing statement.
Rodgers had been at loggerheads with the board for months following the club’s chaotic summer recruitment.
We told you in September that club insiders felt Rodgers was trying to “engineer his way out” of the club in the wake of the transfer window and failure to qualify for the Champions League.
And after witnessing the recent developments over the last few weeks, Celtic legend Frank McAvennie believes the manager WANTED to be sacked by Hoops chiefs.
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Celtic confirmed on Monday night that Rodgers did in fact resign just 24 hours after the 3-1 defeat to Hearts.
But McAvennie is under the impression that the manager was actually given the boot after hearing rumours around his exit.
And he reckons Rodgers must respond to Desmond’s blistering attack with a statement of his own.
He told the Let Me Be Frank podcast: “The thing is I think we might find out because I think Brendan’s got as big ego as Dermot and I think he might have to reply to that.
“In the last couple of weeks, Brendan, I thought, I know he’s been coming out with some stupid remarks but I thought they’re very well placed remarks.
“I think he was wanting sacked anyway. Now someone said to me he did get sacked.
“He went to resign and apparently he gets sacked. That’s what I’ve been told. Don’t know if it’s true or not. We will never know the truth.”
O’Neill was quickly appointed by Desmond on Monday and had less than two days before his first game in charge against Falkirk.
Celtic won 4-0 thanks to a Johnny Kenny brace and goals from Benjamin Nygren and Sebastian Tounekti.
Next up is the Premier Sports Cup semi-final clash against Rangers at Hampden on Sunday.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
