Brendan Rodgers, Now Would Be A Very Good Time To Break Your Celtic Silence.

Brendan Rodgers has remained remarkably quiet on Celtic since walking away from the club last October.

I have a feeling that might be about to change.

Let me be clear from the start – I’m not reporting that Brendan Rodgers is about to sit down for an interview. I’m not pretending I’ve been handed a date, a time and a list of questions.

It’s just a feeling I have…

With his name suddenly being dragged right back into the Celtic conversation, and with some pretty extraordinary takeover rumours now doing the rounds, I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear from the former Celtic manager sooner rather than later.

I certainly hope we do.

Not because Celtic supporters need another former manager giving a running commentary on everything happening at Parkhead. Not because Rodgers owes anybody weekly interviews about a club he no longer manages.

But because his name has suddenly become part of the Celtic story again.

And this time, remarkably, it isn’t about him returning as manager.

A rumour has been circulating that businessman Willie Haughey has been interested in buying out Dermot Desmond’s position at Celtic, with Rodgers bizarrely named as potentially being involved.

Let me make something absolutely clear before going any further: there is currently no evidence whatsoever that this is happening.

The story appears to have gathered momentum following comments from Frank McAvennie on the Frankly Speaking podcast. McAvennie said he had been told Haughey was trying to buy Desmond out and, when asked who might be involved alongside him, named Brendan Rodgers.

Podcast host Simon Houston then said he had heard the same rumour.

That isn’t confirmation. It isn’t evidence. Right now, that’s all it is: a rumour.

Which brings me back to Brendan.

If it’s nonsense, tell us.

And that’s partly why I’ve got a feeling we might hear from him.

Rodgers doesn’t need to explain the ownership structure of Celtic or speak on behalf of Willie Haughey. A simple dismissal would do.

Because supporters are desperate for change at Celtic right now, and that creates fertile ground for stories like this. People want to believe somebody is coming through the door with a different vision because their patience with the people currently running Celtic is disappearing rapidly.

If there is absolutely nothing in it, I’d rather know.

We can then refocus our attention where it belongs: on the people who are actually running Celtic Football Club.

But if you manage to get Brendan Rodgers in front of a microphone, surely you don’t stop there?

We are now approaching a year since his sudden resignation from Celtic and, remarkably, many of the issues Rodgers was talking about during those final months haven’t disappeared.

In some respects, they have become even more pronounced.

Remember what happened last summer.

Celtic entered a Champions League qualifier without having adequately strengthened the squad, failed to score against Kairat Almaty across 210 minutes and went out on penalties.

Rodgers described that Champions League elimination as a “huge blow”.

His frustration with Celtic’s transfer business became increasingly obvious. After the window closed, Rodgers admitted it had left him feeling “empty”, while also becoming embroiled in that extraordinary episode where he accused someone within Celtic of a “cowardly” briefing against him.

Then came the resignation.

And, within minutes, came Dermot Desmond’s statement.

It was about as close to a public career assassination of an outgoing Celtic manager as I can remember.

Desmond accused Rodgers of being “divisive, misleading and self-serving”, disputed his version of events surrounding recruitment and his contract, and claimed his words and actions had contributed towards a toxic atmosphere around Celtic.

Rodgers has never publicly given us the full response to that statement.

I’d quite like to hear it.

In fact, almost a year removed from the emotion and chaos surrounding his departure, I’d argue his observations would be more interesting now than they would have been the morning after he resigned.

He’s had time.

Time to reflect on what happened, to look back at how that relationship deteriorated and time to consider whether he would have done anything differently.

And crucially, time to watch what has happened at Celtic since.

Because what has happened since?

Celtic have failed to reach the Champions League again.

This time they somehow managed to turn a four-goal aggregate advantage against LASK into elimination, losing 5-1 in Austria and suffering another financial blow worth tens of millions of pounds.

Another summer. Another Champions League qualifier. More questions about whether the squad was sufficiently prepared when the biggest games arrived.

Rodgers would be perfectly entitled to look at that and have some thoughts.

Does he see similarities?

Does he believe Celtic’s recruitment model remains fundamentally flawed?

When he looks back now, does he still stand by everything he said during those final weeks?

What exactly happened between him and the board?

How did he feel sitting at home after resigning and watching one of Celtic’s most powerful figures release that statement about him?

Was there anything in Desmond’s version of events that made Rodgers reconsider his own position?

Or, having watched Celtic over the subsequent eleven months, does he feel vindicated?

These are fascinating questions.

And there is another reason I’d like to hear from him.

Celtic supporters are currently being asked to make sense of a football club where information is increasingly difficult to obtain.

We hear things like engagement and communication are going to change.

Yet supporters are still left trying to join the dots themselves.

Rodgers was sitting inside that building less than twelve months ago.

He knows Dermot Desmond and Michael Nicholson. Brendan also knows the recruitment operation and the internal workings of Celtic far better than any of us ever will.

I’m not expecting him to reveal confidential conversations or start throwing people under buses.

But Brendan Rodgers is an intelligent guy. He’s also had almost a year to reflect.

So what does he think when he looks at Celtic now?

That’s the interview I’d like to hear.

And, for whatever reason, I’ve got a feeling we’re going to hear it.

Maybe I’m completely wrong. Maybe Rodgers intends to keep his counsel and continue watching everything from a distance.

But with his name now being mentioned in connection with something as significant as potential changes in Celtic’s ownership, the questions aren’t going away.

The takeover story provides the obvious starting point.

Brendan, are you involved with Willie Haughey in any proposed attempt to acquire a stake in Celtic?

If the answer is no, brilliant. Rumour dealt with. We move on.

But don’t switch the microphone off.

Because almost one year after one of the most explosive managerial departures in Celtic’s modern history, there are questions that remain unanswered.

More importantly, some of the problems that surrounded Rodgers’ departure remain unanswered too.

The manager changed.

But the Champions League outcome didn’t.

And the frustration surrounding recruitment didn’t.

The relationship between the Celtic support and those running their football club certainly hasn’t improved.

We’ve heard plenty about Brendan Rodgers since he left Celtic.

We’ve now even heard his name being thrown into takeover talk.

Something tells me it won’t be too long before we hear from the man himself.

I hope I’m right.

Because almost a year after Brendan Rodgers walked out of Celtic Park for the final time, I think what he has to say about the club now could be absolutely fascinating.