How Irretrievable Breakdown Resulted in a Brutal Separation for Brendan Rodgers & Celtic FC

Merely a quarter of an hour following Celtic issued the news of Brendan Rodgers' surprising departure via a perfunctory short statement, the howitzer arrived, from the major shareholder, with clear signs in obvious fury.

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

The man he persuaded to come to the club when their rivals were gaining ground in that period and needed putting in their place. And the man he again relied on after the previous manager left for Tottenham in the recent offseason.

So intense was the severity of Desmond's critique, the jaw-dropping return of Martin O'Neill was practically an after-thought.

Twenty years after his departure from the organization, and after a large part of his recent life was dedicated to an continuous circuit of public speaking engagements and the performance of all his past successes at the team, O'Neill is returned in the manager's seat.

Currently - and maybe for a time. Based on things he has expressed lately, O'Neill has been keen to get a new position. He'll see this role as the perfect chance, a present from the club's legacy, a return to the place where he experienced such glory and praise.

Will he give it up easily? It seems unlikely. Celtic could possibly make a call to contact Postecoglou, but the new appointment will serve as a soothing presence for the time being.

All-out Effort at Reputation Destruction'

The new manager's reappearance - as surreal as it may be - can be parked because the most significant 'wow!' development was the harsh way Desmond described the former manager.

It was a full-blooded endeavor at defamation, a branding of him as deceitful, a perpetrator of untruths, a spreader of falsehoods; disruptive, deceptive and unacceptable. "A single person's desire for self-preservation at the cost of everyone else," stated Desmond.

For a person who values propriety and places great store in dealings being conducted with discretion, if not complete privacy, this was a further example of how unusual things have grown at the club.

The major figure, the organization's dominant presence, moves in the margins. The absentee totem, the individual with the authority to make all the important decisions he wants without having the responsibility of justifying them in any open setting.

He does not participate in club AGMs, sending his offspring, his son, instead. He seldom, if ever, gives interviews about the team unless they're glowing in nature. And even then, he's slow to speak out.

There have been instances on an occasion or two to defend the club with private messages to news outlets, but nothing is heard in the open.

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

The official line from the club is that Rodgers stepped down, but reading his criticism, carefully, one must question why did he permit it to reach such a critical point?

If Rodgers is guilty of all of the things that Desmond is alleging he's responsible for, then it is reasonable to ask why had been the manager not dismissed?

He has accused him of spinning information in open forums that did not tally with reality.

He claims Rodgers' statements "have contributed to a toxic environment around the team and encouraged animosity towards members of the executive team and the directors. A portion of the criticism aimed at them, and at their loved ones, has been entirely unwarranted and improper."

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

His Ambition Conflicted with Celtic's Strategy Again

To return to better days, they were tight, Dermot and Brendan. Rodgers praised Desmond at every turn, thanked him every chance. Brendan deferred to him and, really, to nobody else.

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

It was the most divisive appointment, the return of the prodigal son for some supporters or, as other supporters would have put it, the arrival of the unapologetic figure, who left them in the difficulty for Leicester.

Desmond had Rodgers' support. Over time, the manager turned on the charm, delivered the victories and the trophies, and an uneasy peace with the supporters turned into a love-in again.

It was inevitable - always - going to be a moment when Rodgers' ambition clashed with Celtic's operational approach, however.

This occurred in his first incarnation and it happened once more, with added intensity, recently. He spoke openly about the sluggish process the team went about their player acquisitions, the interminable delay for prospects to be secured, then not landed, as was frequently the situation as far as he was concerned.

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

Despite the organization splurged 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 cut it so far, with one already having left - Rodgers demanded more and more and, oftentimes, he expressed this in openly.

He set a bomb about a lack of cohesion inside the club and then walked away. When asked about his comments at his next media briefing he would typically minimize it and nearly contradict what he stated.

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

A few months back there was a report in a newspaper that allegedly came from a source close to the organization. It claimed that the manager was damaging Celtic with his public outbursts and that his true aim was orchestrating his exit strategy.

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

Supporters were angered. They then saw him as similar to a sacrificial figure who might be removed on his honor because his directors did not back his plans to bring triumph.

This disclosure was poisonous, naturally, and it was intended to harm Rodgers, which it accomplished. He demanded for an investigation and for the responsible individual to be removed. Whether there was a probe then we learned nothing further about it.

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

The regular {gripes