Randy Lerner, the Aston Villa chairman, has finally broken his silence and issued a vague statement admitting that he and Martin O'Neill "no longer shared a common view as to how to move forward".
Lerner refused to go into any details about the reasons behind O'Neill's decision to resign as manager on Monday, although the Northern Irishman is known to have been uncomfortable with the financial constraints that were placed on him.
Lerner also gave no indication about the type of manager that Villa are looking for to replace O'Neill. He said that backing Kevin MacDonald, the reserve team manager who has been placed in control in a caretaker capacity, provided the "immediate focus", along with finalising James Milner's protracted transfer to Manchester City .
The American also claimed that Villa's "approach to building the club" has not changed, although it was notable that he talked about being "as competitive as possible given our size and resources".
That choice of words is likely to reflect the need for the club to operate more prudently, bringing to an end the heavy spending and huge wages that were a feature of O'Neill's reign, and raising questions about Villa's ability to challenge for a place in the top four in the future.
The full statement said: "Having had some time to reflect on Martin leaving, I can say that our most immediate focus is supporting Kevin MacDonald and resolving the situation with Manchester City and James Milner.
"As for explaining why Martin left, I can say only that we no longer shared a common view as to how to move forward. To deal in greater detail would do little but cause additional distraction for the club as it faces imminent games and the clear priority of hiring a permanent manager.
"Finally, there have been no changes in our approach to building the club, aiming always to be as competitive as possible given our size and resources."