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Merely a quarter of an hour after Celtic released the announcement of their manager's shock resignation via a perfunctory five-paragraph communication, the bombshell landed, courtesy of the major shareholder, with clear signs in apparent anger.

Through an extensive statement, key investor Desmond savaged his former ally.

This individual he convinced to come to the team when their rivals were gaining ground in that period and needed putting in their place. And the man he again relied on after Ange Postecoglou departed to Tottenham in the recent offseason.

So intense was the ferocity of his critique, the astonishing return of Martin O'Neill was practically an after-thought.

Two decades after his exit from the club, and after much of his latter years was given over to an continuous series of appearances and the playing of all his past successes at Celtic, O'Neill is back in the dugout.

For now - and maybe for a while. Based on things he has expressed recently, he has been eager to get another job. He'll view this role as the perfect opportunity, a present from the Celtic Gods, a return to the environment where he experienced such success and adulation.

Would he relinquish it easily? It seems unlikely. The club could possibly reach out to sound out their ex-manager, but the new appointment will serve as a soothing presence for the moment.

'Full-blooded Effort at Reputation Destruction'

O'Neill's return - however strange as it may be - can be set aside because the most significant shocking development was the harsh manner Desmond described the former manager.

This constituted a full-blooded endeavor at defamation, a branding of Rodgers as deceitful, a source of untruths, a spreader of misinformation; divisive, deceptive and unacceptable. "One individual's wish for self-interest at the expense of others," stated he.

For somebody who values decorum and places great store in dealings being done with discretion, if not complete secrecy, here was another illustration of how abnormal situations have become at Celtic.

Desmond, the organization's most powerful figure, operates in the margins. The remote leader, the individual with the power to make all the important decisions he wants without having the obligation of justifying them in any open setting.

He does not attend team AGMs, sending his offspring, Ross, in his place. He rarely, if ever, gives interviews about Celtic unless they're glowing in tone. And even then, he's reluctant to speak out.

He has been known on an occasion or two to support the club with confidential missives to media organisations, but nothing is made in the open.

This is precisely how he's wanted it to remain. And it's exactly what he contradicted when launching full thermonuclear on Rodgers on Monday.

The official line from the team is that Rodgers resigned, but reading his invective, line by line, you have to wonder why did he allow it to get such a critical point?

Assuming Rodgers is guilty of every one of the things that the shareholder is alleging he's guilty of, then it's fair to inquire why had been the coach not removed?

Desmond has accused him of spinning things in public that did not tally with reality.

He claims Rodgers' words "played a part to a toxic environment around the club and encouraged animosity towards individuals of the executive team and the directors. A portion of the abuse aimed at them, and at their families, has been entirely unwarranted and unacceptable."

Such an extraordinary allegation, indeed. Lawyers might be mobilising as we discuss.

His Ambition Clashed with Celtic's Model Again

Looking back to happier times, they were tight, the two men. Rodgers lauded the shareholder at all opportunities, expressed gratitude to him every chance. Brendan respected Dermot and, really, to no one other.

This was Desmond who took the heat when his returned happened, post-Postecoglou.

It was the most controversial hiring, the reappearance of the returning hero for a few or, as some other Celtic fans would have described it, the arrival of the shameless one, who left them in the lurch for Leicester.

Desmond had his support. Over time, Rodgers employed the charm, delivered the victories and the honors, and an uneasy peace with the supporters turned into a affectionate relationship once more.

There was always - consistently - going to be a moment when his ambition came in contact with the club's operational approach, however.

This occurred in his first incarnation and it transpired once more, with bells on, recently. Rodgers spoke openly about the sluggish process Celtic conducted their transfer business, the endless delay for targets to be secured, then not landed, as was frequently the case as far as he was concerned.

Time and again he spoke about the necessity for what he called "agility" in the transfer window. The fans concurred with him.

Even when the organization splurged record amounts of money in a calendar year on the £11m one signing, the £9m another player and the £6m Auston Trusty - none of whom have performed well so far, with Idah since having left - Rodgers demanded increased resources and, oftentimes, he did it in openly.

He planted a bomb about a internal disunity inside the team and then walked away. Upon questioning about his comments at his next media briefing he would usually minimize it and nearly contradict what he said.

Internal issues? No, no, everybody is aligned, he'd claim. It appeared like Rodgers was engaging in a risky game.

A few months back there was a report in a publication that allegedly came from a source associated with the organization. It said that the manager was damaging Celtic with his open criticisms and that his real motivation was orchestrating his exit strategy.

He didn't want to be there and he was arranging his exit, that was the implication of the article.

The fans were enraged. They then saw him as similar to a sacrificial figure who might be carried out on his shield because his directors wouldn't support his vision to bring triumph.

This disclosure was damaging, naturally, and it was intended to harm Rodgers, which it accomplished. He called for an inquiry and for the guilty person to be dismissed. Whether there was a probe then we heard no more about it.

At that point it was clear the manager was losing the support of the people in charge.

The regular {gripes