IT CREPT in with the merest whisper and went out with an almighty roar.
Celtic’s 2025/26 campaign will go down in the Hoops’ Hall of Fame as one of the most extraordinary in the club’s proud history.
Written off and dismissed, the Parkhead men simply refused to roll over – and completed an unforgettable crusade with a league and Cup double.
CQN’s EXCLUSIVE series continues to tell the tale of how Martin O’Neill, who twice answered SOS calls from his old club, manoeuvred Celtic through a minefield to achieve the impossible dream of a fifth successive title.
Please enjoy!
THE FINAL SAY…a glum Brendan Rodgers faces the media at Tynecastle following the champions’ dismal 3-1 defeat against Hearts – his last conference as Celtic manager.
OCTOBER 2025
CELTIC were rocked by the sudden departure of manager Brendan Rodgers on October 27 following back-to-back Premiership defeats.
The Irishman’s unexpected exit triggered a chain of events that almost saw the champions blown off course as their bid for a fifth title in a row faltered alarmingly.
The red flags were already visible two days into the month when the hosts crashed 2-0 to Sporting Braga in a mystifyingly insipid Europa League display at Parkhead.
A stoppage-time header from Daizen Maeda was enough to overcome Motherwell in a nervy 3-2 outcome at the same venue three days later after Scotland’s title kings had fought back from 2-1 down.
But there was no reprieve for Rodgers or his players as they produced one of the worst displays of the season in a 2-0 loss to Dundee, the team’s first reverse at Dens Park in THIRTY-SEVEN years.
TORMENT ON TAYSIDE…a disappointed Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers after the 2-0 loss to Dundee at Dens Park.
Kasper Schmeichel was helpless as Clark Robertson thumped in a header in the 18th minute after being allowed to leap unhindered to a right-wing corner-kick.
The scenario became even more grim when Cameron Carter-Vickers turned a right-wing cross from Cameron Congrieve into his own net. Ironically, it was to be the central defender’s only goal of the season.
The expected spirited second-half revival never materialised and it took the visitors an hour before they could get an effort on target, but Kelechi Iheanacho’s angled drive didn’t unduly trouble keeper Jon McCracken.
The defeat left the champions five points adrift of pacesetters Hearts.
Increasingly, Celtic were beginning to look like an accident waiting to happen.
Carter-Vicker’s season came to a premature conclusion at the end of the 2-1 Europa League win over Sturm Graz at Parkhead on October 23.
The USA international, a rock in the Hoops’ back-four, was forced to undergo surgery in an effort to rectify a persistent Achilles problem.
The campaign took another monumental downturn when the Hoops flopped 3-1 to Derek McInnes’ league leaders at Tynecastle three days later.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT…Callum McGregor holds his head in grief while Arne Engels and Colby Donovan share his disappointment at Tynecastle on October 26.
It was a sad case of capitulation in the capital by the champions in a dire display which became a personal nightmare for young Dane Murray who was standing in for the crocked Carter-Vickers. He walloped a low cross from the right into his own net in only eight minutes.
Callum McGregor grabbed a quickfire leveller, but two goals in 95 seconds shortly after the turnaround killed the game as a contest.
The defence fell asleep to allow Alexandros Kyziridis to waltz in from the left before drilling a low drive past Schmeichel and the Great Dane was fishing the ball out of the back of the net only moments later after Murray had put in a clumsy challenge on Claudio Braga.
The little Portuguese striker was quick to hit the deck, referee Steven McLean unhesitatingly pointed to the spot and Lawrence Shankland accepted the award before gleefully crashing a shot into the net.
The loss left Celtic EIGHT points behind the Edinburgh club with grave doubts about their ability to recover from consecutive league defeats.
In the fall-out of the team’s latest failure, Rodgers and Celtic parted company.
OUTSPOKEN…Dermot Desmond, Celtic’s principal shareholder.
The news was revealed in an explosive club statement which was released just before 10pm.
It was announced the manager had dramatically quit the club for a second time – the first occasion coming in February 2019 when he left for Leicester City – and his exit was marked with a blistering attack from Dermot Desmond, the club’s principal shareholder.
The double billionaire Irish businessman went on record in a statement in which he pulled no punches.
Desmond said: “Brendan Rodgers has today tendered his resignation as manager of Celtic Football Club.
“I want to acknowledge Brendan’s contribution across his two spells as Manager, during which he helped deliver success that forms part of the club’s modern history. However, I must also express my deep disappointment at the way the past several months have unfolded.
“When we brought Brendan back to Celtic two years ago, it was done with complete trust and belief in his ability to lead the club into a new era of sustained success. Unfortunately, his conduct and communication in recent months have not reflected that trust.
THE FINAL WALK…Brendan Rodgers is grim-faced as he heads for the Tynecastle tunnel.
“In June, both Michael Nicholson and I expressed to Brendan that we were keen to offer him a contract extension, to reaffirm the club’s full backing and long-term commitment to him. He said he would need to think about it and revert. Yet in subsequent press conferences, Brendan implied that the club had made no commitment to offer him a contract. That was simply untrue.
“We met with Brendan regularly, including in December last year and at the start of the summer, with regular dialogue in between, to discuss and agree our collective strategy, priorities, and approach. Every player signed and every player sold during his tenure was done so with Brendan’s full knowledge, approval, and endorsement. Any insinuation otherwise is absolutely false.
“His later public statements about transfers and club operations came entirely out of the blue. At no point prior to those remarks had he raised any such concerns with me, Michael, or any member of the Board or executive team. 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.
“When his comments were made publicly, I sought to address them directly. Brendan and I met for over three hours at his home in Scotland to discuss the issue. Despite ample opportunity, he was unable to identify a single instance where the club had obstructed or failed to support him. The facts did not match his public narrative.
“Regrettably, his words and actions since then have been divisive, misleading, and self-serving. They have contributed to a toxic atmosphere around the club and fuelled hostility towards members of the executive team and the Board. Some of the abuse directed at them, and at their families, has been entirely unwarranted and unacceptable.
DELIGHT AND DESPAIR…a disappointed Liam Scales looks on as Hearts players celebrate their 3-1 victory at Tynecastle, the result that signalled the end for Brendan Rodgers.
“Every member of the Board and executive team is deeply passionate about Celtic and acts at all times with professionalism, integrity, and a shared desire for success. What has failed recently was not due to our structure or model, but to one individual’s desire for self-preservation at the expense of others.
“Celtic’s structure — where the manager oversees football, the Chief Executive manages operations, and the Board provides oversight — has served the club with great success for more than two decades. We all share the same ambition: to ensure Celtic’s continued success domestically and to achieve further progress in Europe. Every pound generated by the club is reinvested towards those goals and the continuous improvement of Celtic Football Club.
“Celtic is greater than any one person. Our focus now is on restoring harmony, strengthening the squad, and continuing to build a club worthy of its values, traditions, and supporters.”
Former manager Martin O’Neill was immediately appointed interim boss while Shaun Maloney stepped up to become his right-hand man.
Two days later, they were both in the dug-out to guide the club to a much-needed 4-1 league win over Falkirk at Parkhead.
But there was a lot more drama awaiting to unfold in the forthcoming weeks.
RESULTS
October 2:
Europa League:
CELTIC 0 Sporting Braga 2
October 5:
Premiership:
CELTIC 3 Motherwell 2
Iheanacho, Nygren, Maeda
October 19:
Premiership:
Dundee 2 CELTIC 0
October 23:
Europa League:
CELTIC 2 Sturm Graz 1
Scales, Nygren
October 26:
Premiership:
Hearts 3 CELTIC 1
McGregor
October 29:
Premiership:
CELTIC 4 Falkirk 1
Kenny (2), Nygren, Tounekti
* TOMORROW: Don’t miss Part Four of The Impossible Dream – only in your champion CQN.
