Celtic win Scottish Premiership title: How Martin O’Neill took Celtic from hostility to joy

At the start of the season, with Rodgers seemingly insignificant, the notion that the septuagenarian could return to Parkhead not just once but twice and lead a struggling club home was far-fetched.

Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.

And the Celtic truth was wild. O’Neill confirmed that the ending was happy, but most of what came before was anger and separation. Hostilities reigned until an uneasy truce was reached near the end of the period.

It all started in that Champions League match at the hands of Kairat Almaty. Two games, zero goals and a transfer window that has angered fans. Celtic have won four of their 12 games in Europe.

Summer arrivals: Kieran Tierney, Isaac English, Ross Dohan, Benjamin Nygren, Callum Osmond, Hayato Inmura, Shin Yamada, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, Michel-Ange Baliquisha, Marcelo Sarachi, Sebastian Tunekti and Kelechi Iheanacho.

Only five of them make it to double figures in league games. Others are rarely seen separately.

Rodgers said some of them were “club signings” because they weren’t his choices. His comments raised suspicions behind the scenes. It soon spills out into the open.

Rogers was frustrated by the commercialism in the market and likened the team to the Honda Civic, not the Ferrari he wanted to drive. In October, Celtic were relegated after losing 2-0 to Dundee and 3-1 to Hearts.

There was an explosion of words on his way out, the likes of which have never been seen in Scottish football. Major shareholder Dermot Desmond Rodgers released a scathing statement.

Desmond said the former manager was “divisive, delusional and self-serving. He “contributed to a toxic environment and created hostility among the executive team and board members. Some of the abuses that are inflicted on them and their families are completely unjustified and unacceptable.”