PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

As splits go, Monday night’s parting of Brendan Rodgers and Celtic was as bitter and spectacular as any rock band have managed. And unlike Mötley Crüe, Guns N’ Roses and the Gallaghers, there will be no reunion tour. Think The Smiths, with attendant wordy statements to reflect just how severed the alliance is. Rodgers’ departure was initially sold as him stepping away. “Celtic Football Club can confirm that football manager Brendan Rodgers has today tendered his resignation,” droned a club statement. “The Club appreciates Brendan’s contribution to Celtic during his two very successful periods at the Club.”

So far so normal, including the dismally unnecessary capitalisation of “Club” fully frowned upon by all respectable subeditors. Step forward Dermot Desmond, usually publicity-shy majority owner. “I want to acknowledge Brendan’s contribution,” was a gentle opener before firing up his flamethrower. “However, I must also express my deep disappointment at the way the past several months have unfolded.” Desmond went on: feel the heat of phrases like “not reflected that trust”, “simply untrue”, “absolutely false”, “the facts did not match his public narrative”, “toxic atmosphere”, “fuelled hostility”, “divisive” and the final headshot: “One individual’s desire for self-preservation at the expense of others.” Oof.

Celtic fans have been unable to fully enjoy Rangers’ latest fall. The Russell Martin caper was a farce of Ben Travers proportions sullied by Rodgers’ team being concurrently useless. Meanwhile, Hearts, who beat Celtic on Sunday, are partying like it’s 1986 by running away with the Scottish Premiership. Celtic club suits have come in for heavy flak, the chosen method of protest lobbing tennis balls on the pitch. Rodgers comparing Celtic’s squad to a “Honda Civic” was rather disparaging to players given his job was to motivate, as well as to one of the best-selling, reasonably priced, most reliable cars on the market. That toothy grin no longer gleamed as brightly as during his first spell in “Paradise”.

Leaving for Leicester in February 2019 when a treble Treble was going begging was unforgivable in the eyes of many. Rodgers’ return in the summer of 2023 has never quite been the same bed of roses, showing the ancient football adage of “never go back” is usually one to stick to. About that: almost as shocking as Desmond’s character assassination was news that “Martin O’Neill and former Celtic player Shaun Maloney have agreed to take charge of Celtic first-team matters”. O’Neill last managed Nottingham Forest in 2019, shelled after five months, by no means the last – or shortest-serving – former Bhoys manager to be tinned by Big Vange. An Ange Postecoglou return would complete the circle of high comedy but, for now, the clock is being rolled back to the days when O’Neill, actually 73, pogo-ed on the sidelines as Henrik Larsson wellied in a truckload of goals and the Celtic diaspora descended on Seville.

LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE

Join Yara El-Shaboury from 7pm GMT for updates from the Lionesses 2-1 Matildas in their international friendly, while Scott Murray will be on deck at 8pm when Wrexham pip Cardiff 1-0 in the Rumbelows Cup.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It’s not only the players [to blame]. When we lose, I go home and don’t speak to my wife. Do you know why? Because I am sad. We are playing sh1t” – Wolves keeper José Sa has a full and frank conversation with fans outside Molineux after defeat to Burnley left them rooted to the foot of the Premier League. Vítor Pereira had already been escorted from the touchline after an angry post-match chat with the supporters with whom he was sharing pints last season.

Vítor Pereira gets in on some big chat. Photograph: Godfrey Pitt/Action Plus/Shutterstock

Watching the current success of my adopted fitba club Hearts (yesterday’s Football Daily), my mind immediately turns to Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit/Owl John/Mastersystem fame and now tragically seven years deceased. A lifelong Hearts fan, he even recorded, with Frightened Rabbit, his own version of Hector Nicol’s ‘The Hearts Song’ to commemorate their main stand being knocked down after 103 years. Following his death, Hearts themselves wore the name of the charity set up in his honour (Tiny Changes) on their shirts during the Scottish Cup semi-final warm-ups in 2020. I never had the pleasure to know or even meet Scott, but by all accounts he was one of the good ones. Rarely does much time pass before I put one of his (very, very good) albums on for a listen, and in this miserable autumn weather there’s little better to listen to. I hope he’s out there, somewhere, able to see his team flying high at the top of Scottish Premiership. RIP, Scott. The Jambos are doing you proud” – Oliver Billenness.

Sad news about Sheffield Wednesday (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition). When I was over in the UK in 2016 (for the Leicester fiesta) I had an hour or two to spare in Sheffield between trains. So on impulse I went up to Hillsborough, which is curiously (to me anyway) up a valley in the ‘burbs. The place was locked up except the club shop, to my chagrin, as I was keen to look around. However, I was directed to a suit passing through the shop who turned out to be the chief suit. When he learned I was a Kiwi footie fan on holiday, he generously took me for a quick tour around the stadium and even on to the pitch. That kind gesture instantly made me a secondary Wednesday fan. Can’t remember his name but he told me he’d previously also had a senior role at my beloved Leicester” – Rod de Lisle.

To cut down on travel, Truro City (yesterday’s Football Daily, full email edition) should consider moving to Truro, Massachusetts. Truro, Massachusetts to Taunton, Massachusetts is only 87 miles. From Truro, Massachusetts it’s 141 miles to Gloucester, Massachusetts. And it’s only 67 miles to Plymouth, Massachusetts. Admittedly, some of their other matches would be a bit further: Hartlepool is approximately 3,200 miles away” – Dan Davis.

Re: yesterday’s Quote of the Day. I am so glad this Kenny Dalglish film has finally been made, as it is a whopping 12 years since Rush came out” – Antony Train.

Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s letter o’ the day winner is … Oliver Billenness, who gets a copy of A History of Football in 100 Objects from the Guardian Bookshop, which has loads of other great football reads, too. Get shopping! Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here. 

RECOMMENDED LISTENING

Fire up the Football Weekly podcast as an EFL special gets somewhat overtaken by events up at Parkhead.

RECOMMENDED LOOKING

David Squires dons his best threads to check out long throws, Sean Dyche and more returning football fashion trends.

Illustration: David Squires/The GuardianEVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE

Most men in their 50s are more familiar with running a bath rather than running in behind, but Jamie Cureton isn’t your typical middle-aged gent. The striker, still going strong at 50 years young, has become the first ever person to score in the top 10 tiers of England’s football pyramid after netting for his new side, Kings Park Rangers, in a 4-1 win over Dussindale & Hellesdon Rovers in the Eastern Counties League Division One North. Cureton, in contrast to most people his age, also appears to have an impressive mastery of Social Media Disgraces in posting his thanks online. “What a day, thanks to Kings Park Rangers for letting me become a king,” he whooped. “Everyone at the club has been amazing from the moment I walked through the door. Love this team. They have given me so much joy in the last few weeks. What a moment. [I was] celebrating like it was my first ever goal.” Cureton’s first professional goal was actually for Norwich City, back in 1994, but his latest was still a fine effort, a looping finish from the edge of the box into the top corner. Cureton has no plans to retire and has already set his sights upon a new milestone. “I’m still about, I think, four or five goals away from 400, so that’s one I’d like to chase,” he added. “As long as I’m fit enough and not letting anyone down I’ll still play.”

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NEWS, BITS AND BOBS

Former Bristol City forward Marvin Brown has died from cancer at the age of 42. “He was just such a nice, infectious, smiley character, one of life’s good guys,” said former teammate Joe Burnell, who will feature in a charity match at Bath City’s Twerton Park on 9 November to raise funds for Brown’s family.

Newcastle United Women have been charged with misconduct by the FA after allegedly making illegal approaches to six junior players contracted to their second tier rivals, Sunderland.

Lionel Messi, the best paid player in MLS by a distance (earning north of $20m per year in guaranteed compensation – more than the total payroll of about two-thirds of the 30-team league in 2025), says the league must loosen its spending restrictions. “Every team should have the opportunity to bring in players and sign whoever each team wants,” he cheered.

Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal has undergone arthroscopic surgery and is due to be sidelined for a couple of months with knee-knack.

And it looks like many fans will actually have to spend some time with their relatives this Christmas with only one Premier League fixture scheduled for Boxing Day, which lands on a Friday and has only one broadcast slot. By contrast, eight Premier League games were played on 26 December last year.

MOVING THE GOALPOSTS

The latest edition of our sister email is out now, featuring this extract about the breakout stars from the Under-17 World Cup.

STILL WANT MORE?

Liverpool looked inevitable but now it’s Arsenal that seem ominous. Our writers take a deep dive into the Premier League title race.

Composite: Guardian Picture Desk

Why Sunderland’s early-season success matters for the Premier League at large. By Jonathan Wilson.

Former ref Chris Foy picks over the latest major talking points in Premier League officiating.

Nathan Broadhead gets his chat on with Will Unwin to tee up Wrexham’s Milk Cup clash with Cardiff.

And come for this headline, stay for Sid Lowe on the clásico fallout.

MEMORY LANE

Cruelly turfed out of the Strictly ballroom over the weekend – so we’re told – here’s a lovely portrait of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink by Tom Jenkins in 2005, to go with this Don McRae interview.

Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The GuardianWARDROBE DISMANTLING PROUDLY ADDED TO THE CV