The King is dead, long live the King.

It’s the only philosophy that ever really applies to football players.

So for all that there was a real shock when news broke that Brendan Rodgers was on his way out of Celtic, I think that for players the main thing is that there is a figurehead in there and someone to organise the team.

And Neil Lennon was an absolute no-brainer for me.

He is the right choice to take the job in the short term and I see no reason why he should not be there in the long-term.

But what you have to say just now is that if Brendan had stayed at Celtic until the end of the season he would have gone done as one of the all-time great Celtic managers.

No-one will ever surpass Jock Stein and what he achieved but Rodgers would have been in pretty elevated company had he delivered a third successive treble this season.

I don’t think there would have been too many dissenting voices if he had turned around at the end of the season and said that he wanted to get back down and work in the Premier League and make the most of the resources that are available to them.

I’m afraid now that is no longer the case.

The anger will dull and calm down but there is no question that the legacy which he leaves now is undeniably tarnished.

And it is not that he chose to leave the club.

There are many people, managers and players, who have gone elsewhere but the point is not that he wanted to leave but how he done it.

The prevailing feeling now of anger is justified.

Not to the extent of the nonsense that we watched with some pathetic video clip of so-called supporters chanting an odious song in an Edinburgh pub. That was nothing short of disgraceful and besmirches the reputation of the club.

That was a disgrace and a genuine affront to Celtic.

But in a wider sense, I can understand the sense of hurt which the Celtic fans have.

And when that hurt stars to abate then what you get is anger.

What it boils down to is a feeling of being utterly sold out.

The timing of the move is all wrong but more than that it is the fact he is opting to go elsewhere after banging the drum of being a lifelong Celtic supporter.

That is what has got under the skin of the fans because there is a real feeling that Brendan sold everyone a narrative that doesn’t entirely ring true now.

There isn’t one supporter who heads along to Celtic Park every week who would have walked out on the club when they were on the cusp of doing something historic.

You can’t be telling everyone that you are in your dream job at the club you love and then skip out of the back door and leave everyone in the lurch.

And for me, if Celtic are successful in going on and completing the treble then the players and Lennon will deserve huge credit.

Of course, Rodgers has laid the groundwork for that to happen.

He has taken the club to this stage but someone now has to go and finish it.

But ultimately what it comes down is the players.

These are the guys who have delivered these back-to-back trebles and these are the guys now who can go and deliver another.

And I suspect that the events of this week will have made them more determined than ever to go and finish the job they have started this season.