Brendan Rodgers returned to Celtic in 2023 for a second spell, having previously managed them from 2016-18 with significant success. In his earlier spell, he won multiple domestic titles and trebles.
On his return he again won the Scottish Premiership and other honours, delivering domestic success.
The breakdown and resignation
However, by late October 2025 the relationship between Rodgers and Celtic reached a breaking point. The club announced that Rodgers had tendered his resignation, with immediate effect.
The backdrop: Celtic had a poor start this season, including a shock defeat in Champions League qualification (by Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty) and a 3-1 loss to rivals Heart of Midlothian F.C., which left them eight points behind in the league.
Public statement from the club’s majority shareholder
Significantly, the club’s majority shareholder, Dermot Desmond, issued a scathing public statement accusing Rodgers of being “divisive, misleading and self-serving” and of creating a “toxic atmosphere” within the club.
Desmond’s accusation levelled that Rodgers had claimed publicly that the club did not back him, when in fact, Desmond insisted, Rodgers “was given final say over all football matters” and record investment in players he approved.
This public airing of internal disagreements is relatively rare in elite football, and it highlights the severity of the breakdown in trust between Rodgers and the club’s hierarchy.
The internal rift
A number of factors appear to have driven the rift:
- Transfer & recruitment frustrations: Rodgers had publicly expressed frustration over the timing and quality of new signings, feeling the club were not ready for key European matches.
- Communication & public messaging: The club felt Rodgers’ comments were undermining them and stoking division among supporters and within the board. Desmond accused him of misrepresenting circumstances to the public.
- Results & pressure: With Celtic’s performance dipping and expectations high, the margin for error was slim. The board evidently determined the situation was untenable.
- Cultural fit and expectations: Rodgers’ early successes created a high bar, and the club’s aspiration in Europe meant they expected not just domestic success but also stronger continental showings. The friction suggests a misalignment between those aspirations, the squad’s capability, and perhaps Rodgers’ strategic approach.
The question of the players’ dressing-room message
Since the nine-word message lacks verification, what can we say about what Rodgers told the players?
- There are several documented instances where Rodgers addressed the dressing room with substance. For example, after a Champions League match versus Feyenoord where Celtic were reduced to nine men, Rodgers told players:
“The challenge for us was when we went down to nine men… I’m proud of them.” - After a season-end game, he said to the squad (via one report):
“He said he was proud of us. He wants us to be together as a team … There will be a few lads who are not here next season and a few new faces.”
So we do have evidence that Rodgers made clear dressing-room interventions, addressing motivation, unity and transition. But none point to a final, bitter nine-word note left behind.
It is possible that a note was left privately and unreported, or that the story is metaphorical rather than literal. But in a rigorous read of available sources, the nine-word note remains an anecdote rather than confirmed.
What the nine-word note story
might
reflect
Even if no literal note existed, the narrative of a “bitter note” resonates for several reasons:
- Suddenness of departure: His resignation was effective immediately, and the next day the club publicly broadcast a harsh statement from Desmond. The speed and nature of the exit may invite notions of finality and unresolved business.
- Fractured relationships: The relationship between manager and board had visibly deteriorated. The idea of Rodgers leaving a parting shot captures a mood of breakdown.
- Writing on the wall: Often in football culture, when a manager leaves under a cloud, fans and media look for symbolic gestures — a scrawled note, a pointed message, a final dressing-room speech. This may amplify memory.
- Media and fan retelling: Once a compelling phrase (“nine-word note”) hits social media or fan outlets, it can take on a life of its own — repeated, modified and assumed true.
In other words, even if the note is not verifiable, the phrase encapsulates the acrimony, the broken dialogue and the abrupt end of an era.
Implications for Celtic and Rodgers
For Celtic
- The public split between Rodgers and the board raises questions about the club’s governance and internal communication. The fact that the majority owner went on the record to criticise his manager so bluntly is unusual for a club of Celtic’s stature.
- Supporters will now demand clarity around recruitment, strategy and managerial stability. The departure comes with the club trailing in the league, meaning the margin for recovery is small.
- The exit offers a reset — but the club must ensure the next managerial appointment aligns with the board’s vision and the squad’s capabilities.
For Brendan Rodgers
- Rodgers leaves behind a significant legacy at Celtic: multiple titles, trebles and the re-establishment of the club’s domestic dominance during his first spell.
- However, his second exit will be viewed through the lens of this last period: unfulfilled expectations in Europe, friction with the board and a poor start to the season.
- His reputation as someone who can deliver domestically remains intact — but questions may linger about adaptability, transfer recruitment and alignment with club leadership in high-stakes environments.
Why the story may be more symbolism than fact
- No respected mainstream outlet has published the wording of the alleged nine-word note, or verified it independently.
- The story may stem from fan forums, echoes of inside comments or mis-attributed quotes.
- Football narratives often lean into dramatic symbols (the note, the handshake, the shirt left on the floor). They give texture to exits but are not always backed by forensic evidence.
- That said, just because the note cannot be confirmed publicly doesn’t mean something akin to it didn’t happen behind closed doors — but any detailed reporting must differentiate between verified fact and speculative lore.
Conclusion
In summary: the phrase of a “bitter nine-word note” left by Brendan Rodgers to his players at Celtic is not substantiated by publicly verifiable sources. What we do know is that Rodgers’ second spell at Celtic ended acrimoniously, marked by internal dissension, poor results, and a public denouncement by the club’s shareholder. His departure stands as a cautionary tale of how managerial relationships with the board, the squad and the fans can unravel — even after past success.
While the nine-word note may linger as a dramatic image of parting lines and last words, it remains more metaphor than documented fact. For those interested in the dynamics of modern football management, the story illustrates how big the gap can be between what happens behind the scenes and what the public sees.
