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Merely a quarter of an hour after Celtic issued the news of Brendan Rodgers' surprising resignation via a brief five-paragraph statement, the howitzer landed, from the major shareholder, with whiskers twitching in obvious anger.

Through 551-words, major shareholder Desmond savaged his old chum.

The man he persuaded to come to the club when Rangers were gaining ground in that period and required being in their place. Plus the figure he again relied on after the previous manager departed to Tottenham in the summer of 2023.

So intense was the severity of his takedown, the jaw-dropping return of the former boss was almost an after-thought.

Two decades after his exit from the organization, and after much of his recent life was dedicated to an continuous series of public speaking engagements and the performance of all his old hits at the team, O'Neill is returned in the manager's seat.

For now - and maybe for a time. Based on comments he has said lately, he has been keen to get a new position. He'll see this role as the perfect chance, a gift from the Celtic Gods, a return to the place where he experienced such success and praise.

Would he relinquish it readily? It seems unlikely. The club could possibly make a call to sound out their ex-manager, but O'Neill will act as a soothing presence for the time being.

All-out Effort at Character Assassination

O'Neill's return - however strange as it is - can be set aside because the biggest shocking moment was the brutal way the shareholder wrote of Rodgers.

It was a forceful endeavor at defamation, a labeling of Rodgers as untrustful, a source of untruths, a spreader of falsehoods; disruptive, deceptive and unacceptable. "A single person's wish for self-interest at the cost of everyone else," wrote he.

For somebody who prizes decorum and sets high importance in dealings being conducted with discretion, if not complete privacy, here was a further example of how unusual situations have grown at the club.

The major figure, the organization's dominant figure, operates in the margins. The absentee totem, the individual with the power to make all the major calls he wants without having the responsibility of justifying them in any open setting.

He does not attend team AGMs, sending his son, his son, instead. He rarely, if ever, gives media talks about Celtic unless they're glowing in nature. And even then, he's reluctant to speak out.

There have been instances on an rare moment to support the club with confidential messages to media organisations, but no statement is made in public.

It's exactly how he's preferred it to remain. And that's just what he contradicted when going all-out attack on the manager on Monday.

The official line from the club is that he stepped down, but reading his criticism, carefully, you have to wonder why did he permit it to reach this far down the line?

If Rodgers is guilty of every one of the things that Desmond is alleging he's responsible for, then it is reasonable to ask why was the coach not dismissed?

He has accused him of spinning things in open forums that were inconsistent with the facts.

He says Rodgers' words "played a part to a hostile atmosphere around the team and fuelled hostility towards individuals of the management and the directors. A portion of the criticism directed at them, and at their loved ones, has been entirely unwarranted and unacceptable."

What an remarkable allegation, indeed. Legal representatives might be preparing as we discuss.

His Aspirations Clashed with the Club's Strategy Again

To return to happier times, they were tight, Dermot and Brendan. The manager lauded Desmond at all opportunities, thanked him whenever possible. Rodgers respected him and, truly, to nobody else.

This was Desmond who drew the criticism when Rodgers' comeback occurred, post-Postecoglou.

It was the most divisive appointment, the return of the returning hero for a few or, as some other Celtic fans would have described it, the return of the unapologetic figure, who departed in the difficulty for Leicester.

The shareholder had Rodgers' support. Gradually, the manager turned on the persuasion, delivered the wins and the honors, and an uneasy peace with the supporters turned into a love-in once more.

There was always - always - going to be a moment when Rodgers' ambition came in contact with Celtic's operational approach, however.

This occurred in his first incarnation and it happened again, with bells on, recently. He publicly commented about the sluggish process Celtic conducted their transfer business, the endless waiting for prospects to be secured, then not landed, as was too often the case as far as he was concerned.

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

Even when the club spent record amounts of money in a twelve-month period on the expensive Arne Engels, the £9m Adam Idah and the £6m further acquisition - none of whom have performed well so far, with one since having departed - the manager demanded increased resources and, oftentimes, he did it in openly.

He planted a bomb about a internal disunity inside the club and then distanced himself. When asked about his remarks at his next news conference he would usually downplay it and nearly contradict what he said.

Lack of cohesion? Not at all, everybody is aligned, he'd say. It appeared like he was playing a dangerous game.

A few months back there was a report in a publication that allegedly came from a source associated with the club. It claimed that Rodgers was damaging Celtic with his open criticisms and that his real motivation was managing his exit strategy.

He desired not to be present and he was engineering his way out, this was the implication of the story.

The fans were angered. They then saw him as akin to a martyr who might be removed on his shield because his board members did not support his vision to bring triumph.

The leak was poisonous, naturally, and it was meant to hurt Rodgers, which it did. He demanded for an investigation and for the guilty person to be dismissed. Whether there was a probe then we learned no more about it.

At that point it was plain the manager was shedding the support of the people above him.

The frequent {gripes