Rodgers Must Face the Music as Celtic’s Crisis Deepens

Brendan Rodgers must stop hiding behind excuses and take responsibility for Celtic’s form and the Celtic board must not let this season slip further away from us if we want to win this season's title.

It’s time we speak open, honest, and unfiltered. This season, what we’re witnessing on the pitch isn’t just a bad streak or a rough patch; it’s a crisis that threatens our season and retaining the title.

Celtic, who have given us so many glorious moments, now looks tired, sluggish, and painfully predictable. The passion, the flair, that relentless drive? It’s all been replaced by a slow, uninspired game under Brendan Rodgers that’s difficult to watch and even harder to accept. Where’s the spirit? Where’s the swagger? Where’s the fight and desire to win? Instead, we’re seeing a side that’s lost its bite, its confidence, and quite frankly, its identity.

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The summer transfer window kicked off this horrendous season perfectly. Key players sold or released, whose experience and grit were vital, our main striker sold back in January not replaced. Project players signed and a squad left without proper first team replacements ready to step into the breach - resulting in failing to qualify for the Champions League. It’s glaringly obvious that we are weaker now. The squad is short on fight, desire, firepower, and the manager’s choices? Stubbornly sticking with underperformers while side-lining young, hungry talent - only deepen the sense of stagnation. Callum McGregor, Anthony Ralston, Yang, Maeda, Liam Scales among others - are empty jerseys, yet they keep getting the nod. Meanwhile, promising lads like Donovan, and Murray are benched, watching on seeing the same piss poor performances from the same suspects week in week out as the manager stands on the sidelines counting the days until his contract runs out in the summer.

And what about Rodgers tactics? The approach is unambitious, lacking invention. There’s no urgency, no killer instinct. It’s as if this manager has become comfortable with mediocrity, content to pass the ball between defenders or midfielders across the opponents 18 yard box before playing it back to Schmeichel in goals. Teams of average players [no disrespect] have understood how to counter Celtic’s slow build-up, and the opposition now knows exactly how to nullify us and more importantly are no longer fearful of our game. Our attacking game is one-dimensional, predictable, and ultimately impotent. It’s a far cry from the vibrant, attacking team we once saw under the likes of Ange Postecoglou - now that was a Celtic side that could terrify opponents with relentless speed, energy and inventiveness. Instead, what we see now is a team that has no hope, no faith, no fight, no passion, and is simply there to make up the numbers.

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We see talented youngsters like Murray and Donovan on the bench that could come in and inject some much-needed life, some urgency into this team. But Rodgers persists with players like Ralston, McGregor, and Scales who are clearly not up for the fight. It’s a clear sign that he’s just riding out his contract, waiting for the summer to leave, while the club’s season slips away, effectively handing Hearts a free run towards the league title.

The league table paints a bleak picture for Celtic. Five points behind Hearts, and with no sign of being able to close the gap, Celtic risk going 8 points behind next week as we travel to Tynecastle and if that happens then we can kiss the league title goodbye. While the fans are fully focused on overthrowing the current hierarchy in the board room, it is time for taking to end and time for action - none more so than from the underfire Celtic board - they cannot let this league season slip away any further than it already is.

Brendan Rodgers will refuse to change things up, he will continue to stubbornly cling to the same style of play, the same inept decisions he makes week in week out, he will continue to pick the same empty jerseys - the board must act. We cannot - and must not - allow this season to turn into the total disaster that it is turning into. It is turning into a significantly worse season than under Lennon during the covid season when we throw away ten in a row without a whimper. We need a manager who can instill passion, create exciting football, and restore the fighting and attacking spirit that defines Celtic.

I have said it before, Celtic must pull out all the stops to hire Kjetil Knutsen, the Norwegian mastermind managing Bodø/Glimt. The Norwegian season ends in November, and if Celtic are serious about ending this nightmare and reclaiming our place at the top, they need to act decisively - give Knutsen the backing he needs and deserves, and start building a team that can truly make us proud again both domestically and in Europe.

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There can be no hiding place for Brendan Rodgers anymore. The summer transfer window was undoubtedly a mess - no one disputes that the board’s failure to deliver key reinforcements played a part in weakening the squad. We can all agree that the board lack ambition and must be cleared out. But Rodgers is the manager, the man responsible for the product on the pitch every single week. Excuses about a lack of signings, players out of his control, or the board not backing him can only go so far. This team passes the ball endlessly without intensity or creativity because that is the style Rodgers demands, and underperforming players get consistent starts because he chooses them. When you are in charge, the responsibility lies with you. Celtic’s decline cannot simply be shrugged off as external factors when the evidence shows a squad capable, on paper, of dominating the league but utterly failing under his stewardship.

Rodgers’ time is up. The fans have had enough, the team’s performances are alarmingly woeful, and Hearts are opening up a dangerous lead at the top of the table. The board must realise that standing by and hoping for a turnaround led by the Northern Irishman is a luxury Celtic can no longer afford. For Celtic to avoid this season slipping further into mediocrity or worse, bold action is required now. The club must cut its losses and bring in fresh leadership that can restore pride, ambition, and winning results. The time for excuses and deflecting the blame has passed - this is moment to demand better, and it starts with the man in charge. A man who in his own head believing he is an elite level manager - when he is nothing of the sort.