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Just fifteen minutes after Celtic released the news of their manager's surprising departure via a perfunctory five-paragraph communication, the bombshell landed, from Dermot Desmond, with whiskers twitching in obvious anger.

Through 551-words, key investor Desmond savaged his former ally.

This individual he persuaded to join the club when their rivals were gaining ground in 2016 and required being in their place. Plus the figure he again relied on after Ange Postecoglou left for another club in the summer of 2023.

Such was the ferocity of Desmond's critique, the jaw-dropping return of the former boss was practically an after-thought.

Two decades after his departure from the organization, and after much of his recent life was given over to an unending series of appearances and the performance of all his past successes at Celtic, O'Neill is returned in the dugout.

For now - and maybe for a time. Based on comments he has expressed recently, he has been keen to get another job. He will see this one as the perfect opportunity, a present from the Celtic Gods, a homecoming to the environment where he enjoyed such glory and praise.

Would he give it up easily? It seems unlikely. Celtic could possibly reach out to contact Postecoglou, but the new appointment will serve as a soothing presence for the moment.

'Full-blooded Attempt at Character Assassination

O'Neill's reappearance - however strange as it may be - can be parked because the biggest shocking moment was the harsh manner the shareholder wrote of Rodgers.

It was a full-blooded attempt at defamation, a labeling of Rodgers as deceitful, a source of falsehoods, a spreader of misinformation; divisive, deceptive and unacceptable. "A single person's desire for self-interest at the cost of others," wrote Desmond.

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

Desmond, the organization's most powerful presence, operates in the background. The absentee totem, the individual with the power to take all the major calls he wants without having the responsibility of justifying them in any public forum.

He never participate in club annual meetings, sending his son, Ross, instead. He seldom, if ever, does media talks about Celtic unless they're glowing in tone. And even then, he's slow to speak out.

There have been instances on an rare moment to support the organization with confidential missives to news outlets, but nothing is heard in public.

This is precisely how he's preferred it to remain. And that's just what he contradicted when going full thermonuclear on the manager on that day.

The official line from the team is that he stepped down, but reviewing his criticism, line by line, you have to wonder why he permit it to reach this far down the line?

If Rodgers is culpable of all of the things that Desmond is claiming he's responsible for, then it is reasonable to ask why was the manager not dismissed?

He has charged him of spinning information in open forums that were inconsistent with reality.

He says Rodgers' statements "have contributed to a toxic atmosphere around the club and fuelled animosity towards individuals of the executive team and the directors. Some of the abuse directed at them, and at their loved ones, has been completely unjustified and unacceptable."

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

His Aspirations Clashed with Celtic's Model Once More'

To return to better times, they were tight, the two men. Rodgers lauded the shareholder at every turn, thanked him whenever possible. Rodgers respected Dermot and, truly, to no one other.

It was Desmond who took the heat when his returned occurred, post-Postecoglou.

This marked the most divisive hiring, the reappearance of the prodigal son for some supporters or, as other supporters would have put it, the return of the shameless one, who departed in the difficulty for Leicester.

Desmond had Rodgers' support. Over time, the manager turned on the persuasion, delivered the victories and the honors, and an uneasy peace with the fans became a affectionate relationship once more.

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

It happened in his first incarnation and it happened again, with added intensity, over the last year. He publicly commented about the sluggish process Celtic went about their transfer business, the endless waiting for targets to be landed, then not landed, as was too often the situation as far as he was believed.

Repeatedly he stated about the necessity for what he called "agility" in the market. The fans agreed with him.

Despite the club splurged unprecedented sums of money in a calendar year on the £11m Arne Engels, the £9m Adam Idah and the significant further acquisition - none of whom have performed well to date, with one since having left - Rodgers demanded more and more and, oftentimes, he expressed this in public.

He planted a controversy about a internal disunity within the team and then walked away. When asked about his remarks at his subsequent media briefing he would typically minimize it and almost contradict what he stated.

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

A few months back there was a report in a newspaper that allegedly originated from a insider close to the organization. It said that Rodgers was damaging the team with his public outbursts and that his real motivation was managing his exit strategy.

He desired not to be present and he was arranging his way out, this was the tone of the article.

Supporters were enraged. They then saw him as similar to a martyr who might be carried out on his shield because his directors did not back his plans to achieve success.

The leak was poisonous, naturally, and it was intended to hurt him, which it accomplished. He called for an inquiry 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 clear the manager was losing the backing of the people above him.

The regular {gripes