Paul John Dykes reveals behind-the-scenes story of Brendan Rodgers’ Glasgow comeback

The A Celtic State of Mind host will present An Audience with Brendan Rodgers in June, an event which could provide Rodgers with his first opportunity to speak at length about Celtic since his abrupt resignation last year.

There remains considerable intrigue around his departure, particularly after Dermot Desmond issued a remarkable statement at the time describing Rodgers as “self-serving” and “misleading”.

There had also been speculation over whether Rodgers could be restricted by a non-disclosure agreement following his exit, but Dykes has now offered an insight into how the event came about and suggested the former Hoops boss will be able to discuss his experiences.

Speaking on ACSOM on Thursday, Dykes said: “It will be a celebration of Brendan’s legacy. It will be a chance for Celtic fans to attend an event that he will be the main attraction at.

“To give you a wee insight: there was certainly stag dos on the plane to Santa Ponsa, when Tony Haggerty and I had hatched a plan to go and speak to Brendan.

“Obviously, you had spoken with him when he was the manager, you also covered the St Roch’s Centenary Game that Brendan appeared at. We got an opportunity after the game to speak to him then.

“But you don’t want to cross the line. You try to remain as professional as possible. You don’t try to let the fanboy come out in you, but it’s tough.

“So we went over there, Tony and I, basically to pitch the idea to Brendan Rodgers: ‘We would love for you to have some kind of a welcome back to the football club.’ Not by the board, but by the fans – and an opportunity for you to speak to them again, and engage with them again.

“Brendan was up for it. Obviously, it’s all about timing. The timing wasn’t right at that point, so we left it, but in the last few weeks this has been ramped up. So that’s the reason behind it.

“Maybe some people will look at some negatives to that… there are no negatives. This is Celtic supporters getting an opportunity to speak to this man.”

The prospect of Rodgers discussing the circumstances surrounding his Celtic departure will inevitably be one of the major talking points ahead of the event, particularly given Desmond’s public criticism of him.

On how Rodgers may approach those subjects, Dykes added: “What I would say is, I think that if he’s talking about a situation, I think he’ll talk about it in a respectful way.”