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Merely a quarter of an hour following Celtic released the news of their manager's surprising resignation via a brief short communication, the howitzer landed, courtesy of Dermot Desmond, with clear signs in obvious anger.

In an extensive statement, major shareholder Desmond eviscerated his old chum.

The man he convinced to join the club when their rivals were gaining ground in 2016 and required being in their place. And the figure he once more relied on after Ange Postecoglou left for Tottenham in the summer of 2023.

Such was the ferocity of his critique, the astonishing comeback of the former boss was almost an secondary note.

Twenty years after his departure from the organization, and after a large part of his recent life was given over to an continuous circuit of appearances and the performance of all his past successes at Celtic, Martin O'Neill is back in the dugout.

For now - and perhaps for a time. Considering comments he has said lately, he has been keen to get a new position. He will view this one as the ultimate chance, a gift from the club's legacy, a return to the place where he enjoyed such glory and adulation.

Will he relinquish it readily? It seems unlikely. The club might well make a call to contact their ex-manager, but O'Neill will act as a balm for the time being.

'Full-blooded Effort at Reputation Destruction'

The new manager's return - as surreal as it is - can be set aside because the most significant 'wow!' development was the harsh manner Desmond described Rodgers.

This constituted a full-blooded attempt at character assassination, a branding of Rodgers as deceitful, a perpetrator of untruths, a spreader of misinformation; divisive, misleading and unacceptable. "A single person's desire for self-interest at the cost of everyone else," wrote Desmond.

For a person who values propriety and sets high importance in business being conducted with discretion, if not outright privacy, this was another illustration of how unusual things have become at the club.

The major figure, the organization's dominant presence, moves in the margins. The remote leader, the one with the authority to make all the important decisions he wants without having the obligation of justifying them in any open setting.

He does not participate in club annual meetings, dispatching his offspring, his son, in his place. He seldom, if ever, does interviews about the team unless they're glowing in tone. And even then, he's slow to communicate.

There have been instances on an occasion or two to defend the club with confidential messages to media organisations, but no statement is made in public.

It's exactly how he's wanted it to be. And that's just what he went against when launching all-out attack on Rodgers on Monday.

The official line from the team is that he resigned, but reviewing his invective, line by line, one must question why he allow it to get such a critical point?

Assuming the manager is guilty of every one of the accusations that the shareholder is claiming he's guilty of, then it is reasonable to inquire why was the manager not dismissed?

He has accused him of spinning information in public that did not tally with reality.

He says Rodgers' statements "have contributed to a toxic environment around the club and fuelled hostility towards members of the executive team and the board. A portion of the criticism aimed at them, and at their loved ones, has been entirely unjustified and unacceptable."

What an remarkable allegation, indeed. Lawyers might be mobilising as we discuss.

His Ambition Conflicted with the Club's Strategy Once More'

To return to happier days, they were close, the two men. The manager lauded Desmond at all opportunities, expressed gratitude to him every chance. Brendan deferred to Dermot and, truly, to no one other.

This was the figure who took the criticism when Rodgers' returned occurred, post-Postecoglou.

This marked the most divisive hiring, the return of the returning hero for a few or, as some other Celtic fans would have put it, the return of the unapologetic figure, who departed in the difficulty for Leicester.

Desmond had his back. Gradually, Rodgers employed the persuasion, achieved the victories and the trophies, and an uneasy truce with the supporters became a affectionate relationship once more.

It was inevitable - always - going to be a point when his ambition came in contact with Celtic's business model, however.

This occurred in his first incarnation and it transpired again, with added intensity, over the last year. He spoke openly about the slow process the team conducted their player acquisitions, the interminable waiting for targets to be landed, then not landed, as was too often the case as far as he was believed.

Time and again he spoke about the need for what he called "flexibility" in the market. The fans agreed with him.

Even when the organization spent unprecedented sums of funds in a twelve-month period on the expensive one signing, the £9m Adam Idah and the £6m Auston Trusty - none of whom have performed well so far, with Idah already having left - Rodgers demanded increased resources and, oftentimes, he did it in public.

He planted a bomb about a lack of cohesion inside the team and then walked away. Upon questioning about his comments at his subsequent news conference he would usually downplay it and nearly reverse what he stated.

Internal issues? Not at all, all are united, he'd claim. It looked like he was engaging in a risky game.

A few months back there was a report in a publication that purportedly originated from a source close to the club. It said that Rodgers was damaging Celtic with his open criticisms and that his true aim was orchestrating his exit strategy.

He didn't want to be present and he was arranging his way out, this was the implication of the story.

Supporters were enraged. They now viewed him as akin to a sacrificial figure who might be removed on his honor because his board members did not support his plans to achieve success.

This disclosure was poisonous, naturally, and it was intended to hurt him, which it accomplished. He called for an investigation and for the responsible individual to be dismissed. If there was a examination then we heard nothing further about it.

At that point it was clear Rodgers was shedding the backing of the individuals in charge.

The regular {gripes