ANALYSIS

From Desmond might have been an attempt to shift all the blame on to Rodgers.

- BY MICHAEL GANNON

But instead he has turned the now former manager into a martyr. Rather than take the heat off himself and the board, he has cranked it up a notch.

A lot of punters were starting to feel Rodgers' time was up at Celtic Park. Things had got a bit stale and clearly the relationship with Desmond and others on the board was damaging everyone.

If the first statement was the only one on Monday night, plenty would have probably accepted it.

This was inevitable on the back of the summer and the anonymous briefing against the boss - which is now not so anonymous.

Desmond might have been fuming at his old friend but he could have bitten his lip and made it a dignified parting of the ways.

Instead it wasn't a resignation - it was a constructive dismissal, followed by a destructive flaming.

To send out a complete character assassination of a guy who'd won 11 out of 13 trophies in his two spells, a manager who didn't need to come to Celtic either time, smacked of desperation more than exasperation.

It also reeks of contradiction.