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Just fifteen minutes after the club released the announcement of their manager's surprising departure via a brief five-paragraph statement, the howitzer landed, from the major shareholder, with whiskers twitching in obvious fury.

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

This individual he convinced to join the team when their rivals were gaining ground in 2016 and required being back in a box. And the figure he again relied on after the previous manager departed to another club in the summer of 2023.

Such was the severity of his critique, the astonishing comeback of Martin O'Neill was practically an secondary note.

Two decades after his departure from the club, and after a large part of his recent life was given over to an continuous circuit of appearances and the playing of all his past successes at Celtic, Martin O'Neill is returned in the manager's seat.

Currently - and perhaps for a while. Based on things he has expressed lately, he has been eager to secure a new position. He'll see this role as the perfect opportunity, a gift from the Celtic Gods, a homecoming to the environment where he enjoyed such success and praise.

Would he give it up easily? You wouldn't have thought so. The club might well reach out to contact their ex-manager, but O'Neill will act as a balm for the moment.

All-out Attempt at Reputation Destruction'

O'Neill's reappearance - however strange as it is - can be set aside because the biggest shocking moment was the brutal manner the shareholder described the former manager.

It was a forceful endeavor at defamation, a branding of him as deceitful, a source of untruths, a disseminator of falsehoods; divisive, misleading and unacceptable. "One individual's wish for self-preservation at the cost of everyone else," wrote Desmond.

For a person who prizes decorum and places great store in dealings being conducted with confidentiality, if not complete privacy, this was a further example of how abnormal things have grown at Celtic.

Desmond, the club's dominant figure, moves in the margins. The remote leader, the individual with the authority to make all the major decisions he pleases without having the obligation of explaining them in any public forum.

He does not participate in club annual meetings, sending his son, Ross, instead. He rarely, if ever, does media talks about the team unless they're hagiographic in tone. And even then, he's reluctant to communicate.

There have been instances on an rare moment to support the organization with private missives to media organisations, but nothing is heard in the open.

It's exactly how he's wanted it to remain. And it's exactly what he went against when going all-out attack on the manager on that day.

The directive from the team is that Rodgers stepped down, but reading his criticism, carefully, you have to wonder why he allow it to get such a critical point?

If the manager is culpable of every one of the things that Desmond is alleging he's responsible for, then it's fair to ask why had been the manager not dismissed?

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

He says his words "have contributed to a toxic environment around the club and encouraged hostility towards individuals of the executive team and the board. Some of the criticism aimed at them, and at their families, has been completely unwarranted and improper."

Such an remarkable charge, indeed. Legal representatives might be mobilising as we speak.

'Rodgers' Aspirations Clashed with the Club's Model Again

Looking back to happier days, they were tight, Dermot and Brendan. The manager lauded Desmond at all opportunities, thanked him whenever possible. Brendan respected Dermot and, truly, to nobody else.

It was the figure who drew the criticism when Rodgers' returned happened, post-Postecoglou.

This marked the most controversial appointment, the return of the returning hero for some supporters or, as other supporters would have put it, the return of the shameless one, who left them in the difficulty for another club.

Desmond had Rodgers' back. Gradually, Rodgers employed the charm, delivered the wins and the honors, and an fragile peace with the supporters became a love-in once more.

It was inevitable - always - going to be a moment when his ambition clashed with Celtic's business model, though.

This occurred in his initial tenure and it happened once more, with added intensity, recently. He publicly commented about the sluggish process Celtic conducted their transfer business, the interminable delay for targets to be landed, then missed, as was too often the situation as far as he was believed.

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

Even when the organization spent record amounts of money in a twelve-month period on the expensive one signing, the £9m another player and the £6m further acquisition - none of whom have performed well so far, with Idah already having departed - Rodgers demanded more and more and, oftentimes, he did it in public.

He planted a controversy about a internal disunity within the club and then walked away. Upon questioning about his remarks at his subsequent news conference he would typically minimize it and almost reverse what he said.

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

A few months back there was a report in a publication that purportedly originated from a insider associated with the club. It said that the manager was harming Celtic with his open criticisms and that his true aim was managing his exit strategy.

He desired not to be there and he was arranging his exit, that was the tone of the article.

The fans were enraged. They then viewed him as akin to a sacrificial figure who might be carried out on his shield because his directors did not back his vision to bring triumph.

The leak was damaging, naturally, and it was intended to harm him, which it accomplished. He called for an inquiry and for the responsible individual to be removed. If there was a probe then we heard nothing further about it.

At that point it was clear Rodgers was losing the support of the individuals in charge.

The regular {gripes