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Here’s To New Beginnings At Celtic. Moving Forward Starts Now.

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So Rodgers is gone. It was always going to happen, if not now then certainly at the end of the campaign.

There are two parts to this piece and it is important that all of it is kept in perspective.

The timing of this cannot be forgiven in my opinion.

Even if he’d said no to Leicester – which was never likely – to be prepared to leave the day before a huge game and so close to the end of a very important season on the verge of 8IAR and a 3rd treble in a row is unforgivable.

He says he’d like to come back one day … I think most Celtic fans would eat a bucket of sick first.

The board, specifically Peter Lawwell have huge questions to answer; I agree with what Tam McManus has said on Twitter. This started with the John McGinn debacle, and that is firmly at Lawwell’s door.

The way this was done … was the manager trying to inflict as much damage on the board, and the club, as he possibly could? It sure seems that way.

Since his first season we have been hearing how Brendan Rodgers would leave as quickly as possible. Since that season we have also been slaughtered for not being good enough; if we can’t win every game every season, even winning trebles then we are slaughtered.

All of that, combined with the board’s refusal to invest and match his ambition, which was not unreasonable on his part, have all been factors in his going, in my view.

The poisonous atmosphere here may also be front and centre just now.

Regardless, he’s not justified in how he did this..

We will move on. No one is bigger than the club.

So who do we turn to?

Neil Lennon has returned to the dugout and this is understandable. It has been mooted as interim appointment until the end of the season, and if that is the case then fine, we should have enough not to throw away this lead in the title race. The Hibs game suggests we may even have enough to get us that 3rd treble, but I question if he should have the job permanently.

We all heard the rumours that he was second behind Brendan if he hadn’t taken the role, but it would be a risk I think.

I believe there are better candidates out there.

And in spite of his reticence, Steve Clarke should be top of that list.

He is the exceptional candidate, but we would need to wait until the end of the season to jump. As always there would be risk, but not as much as Lennon.

Whatever happens, the board owe the fans and they simply have to deliver the kind of summer that we were denied this time around. The timing of this and the issues and lack of serious ambition needs to be addressed at that level.

Dermot Desmond needs to step up here.

He should consider things carefully, such as if Lawwell needs to follow Brendan out the door.

He has to get in a manager who is capable of trying different tactics and formations.

The squad is going to need a bit of surgery in the summer, that must be on his mind too.

The week just past changed our club, but we cannot allow ourselves to feel too sorry. There are trophies to be won and a major rebuild required. Forward march, Celtic.

Dave Campbell is a Celtic blogger from Glasgow.

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