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Just fifteen minutes after Celtic released the news of their manager's shock departure via a brief short communication, the bombshell arrived, courtesy of Dermot Desmond, with whiskers twitching in obvious fury.

In an extensive statement, major shareholder Dermot Desmond savaged his former ally.

The man he convinced to come to the club when Rangers were gaining ground in 2016 and needed putting back in a box. Plus the figure he once more turned to after the previous manager left for Tottenham in the recent offseason.

So intense was the severity of Desmond's takedown, the jaw-dropping comeback of the former boss was almost an after-thought.

Twenty years after his departure from the organization, and after a large part of his latter years was dedicated to an continuous series of appearances and the performance of all his old hits at the team, Martin O'Neill is returned in the dugout.

For now - and perhaps for a while. Considering things he has expressed lately, O'Neill 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 place where he enjoyed such success and praise.

Would he relinquish it easily? It seems unlikely. Celtic might well reach out to sound out Postecoglou, but O'Neill will act as a balm for the moment.

All-out Attempt at Character Assassination

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

It was a forceful attempt at character assassination, a branding of him as untrustful, a perpetrator of untruths, a spreader of misinformation; divisive, misleading and unacceptable. "A single person's wish for self-preservation at the expense of everyone else," wrote Desmond.

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

The major figure, the club's dominant presence, operates in the background. The absentee totem, the one with the authority to make all the major calls he pleases without having the responsibility of explaining them in any public forum.

He never participate in club annual meetings, sending his son, Ross, instead. He seldom, if ever, does interviews about the team unless they're hagiographic in tone. And even then, he's reluctant to communicate.

He has been known on an occasion or two to defend the club with confidential messages to news outlets, but nothing is made in public.

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

The directive from the club is that Rodgers resigned, but reviewing his invective, line by line, one must question why he permit it to get such a critical point?

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

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

He says Rodgers' statements "have contributed to a toxic environment around the club and fuelled animosity 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 improper."

Such an remarkable allegation, indeed. Legal representatives might be preparing as we speak.

'Rodgers' Aspirations Clashed with Celtic's Strategy Once More'

Looking back to happier times, they were tight, the two men. The manager praised Desmond at every turn, expressed gratitude to him every chance. Brendan deferred to Dermot and, really, to no one other.

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

It was the most divisive hiring, the return of the prodigal son 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 another club.

Desmond had his back. Over time, Rodgers turned on the charm, achieved the wins and the trophies, and an uneasy truce with the supporters became a love-in again.

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 once more, with added intensity, recently. He spoke openly about the slow process Celtic conducted their player acquisitions, the interminable delay for targets to be secured, then not landed, as was too often the situation as far as he was concerned.

Time and again he stated about the necessity for what he termed "flexibility" in the market. The fans agreed with him.

Even when the organization splurged unprecedented sums of funds in a calendar year on the £11m Arne Engels, the £9m Adam Idah and the £6m Auston Trusty - none of whom have cut it to date, with Idah since having departed - Rodgers pushed for more and more and, oftentimes, he did it in openly.

He planted a bomb about a internal disunity inside the club and then walked away. When asked about his comments at his next media briefing he would usually minimize it and almost reverse what he stated.

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

Earlier this year there was a story in a newspaper that purportedly came from a source close to the organization. It said that the manager was damaging the team with his public outbursts and that his real motivation was orchestrating his exit strategy.

He didn't want to be present and he was arranging his exit, this was the tone of the article.

Supporters were enraged. They now viewed him as akin to a sacrificial figure who might be carried out on his honor because his directors wouldn't back his plans to bring triumph.

The leak was damaging, of course, and it was intended to hurt him, which it accomplished. He demanded for an investigation and for the responsible individual to be dismissed. Whether there was a probe then we heard nothing further about it.

By then it was clear the manager was losing the backing of the individuals above him.

The regular {gripes