One year ago, today Celtic reached out to one of their own.
For the avoidance of doubt, Neil Francis Lennon doesn’t have to spoof that he “was born into Celtic”.
Overnight Celtic had lost a vastly experienced management team at a crucial point in the league campaign.
Indeed, the exodus could have been worse, but some folk understood that they were already at a special club.
I’m told that one of them gave Mr Rodgers his character as he refused a lucrative offer to join him at the King Power Stadium.
It would be an act of gross revisionism to state that Neil was greeted with unanimous applause by the Celtic faithful.
Although they accepted that, as a caretaker, it was a smart move under the circumstances as a permanent appointment this was considered a bad move by the board.
A view I heard at the time was “he’s the cheap option”.
When I made my views clear on his suitability for the job on a permanent basis it might well have been a minority view among the Hoops faithful.
Indeed, the Ibrox klanbase was applauding this move as a serious error of judgment by the Celtic board.
Quite simply they WANTED Lennon to get the job as this would guarantee success for Mr Let’s Go.
Well, be careful what you wish for…
Since taking over a year ago today Neil’s win ratio has been stunning.
Quite simply HIS Celtic team plays with a verve and a purpose that surpasses anything that has been on show in the last decade.
Coming back from Dubai they have been mainly playing in 3 5 2.
This is the formation that the Irishman played under Martin O’Neill, ironically at Leicester.
In his early years at Celtic Neil was the crucial defensive component in an all-conquering midfield triumvirate that also included Petrov and Lambert.
When there were siren voices warning against giving Lennon the job on a fulltime basis, I stated to anyone who would entertain my counsel that they were missing the point.
This was Lenny Mk2.
That Celtic were getting a much more experienced manager that the lad who had stepped up and taken over from Tony Mowbray as a caretaker in March 2010.
His time at Hibs had shown that he was developing as a manager.
During his first time in the Celtic dugout, he endured appalling abuse.
Of course, it was mainly from the Ibrox klan, but there was that shameful night at Tynecastle.
The targeting of Neil Francis Lennon during that period shone a light into a nasty corner of Fair Caledonia that some pretend is a thing of the past.
That he would even consider stepping back into that potential situation says so much about him as a person.
Last season he got Celtic over the line to an unprecedented Treble Treble.
Now the League Cup is safely back at Paradise and the league campaign is going well.
There really shouldn’t be any talk of “job done” in the home dressing room at Parkhead within earshot of the gaffer.
Not recommended lads…
Instead, it will be a forensic focus on the next game, which is always the most important game.
A year ago, Celtic were in a fix.
It could all have gone very wrong very quickly indeed.
Cometh the hour, cometh the genuine Celtic man.
Thanks Neil!
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NL’s not good enough . Cluj , last 2 games against the Rangers and Copenhagen were abysmal . We could all see what was wrong but he couldn’t and made the same mistakes .
He’s had no support from the Board of course . At the winter break what did they do to help the team…. not a thing .
We sell Tierney for 25 million and Lawwell buys Bolingoli for 3 …. that tells you everything you need to know about their ambition…. they’re a disgrace .
NL left us first chance he got…. for Bolton…..was sacked by them and not good enough for Hibs …. but good enough for us ?
No humble pie here Phil.
Lenny was the only logical option to see the season out when Rodgers “jumped ship” however having had a taste of a superior manager (Rodgers), i had hoped that the board would see the wisdom of at least attempting to recruit managers of this standard.
Rodgers had his flaws – most notably his refusal to change his system against superior opposition in Europe and not insisting the defence / goalkeeper just “clear the lines” when required.
That apart, he improved the professionalism, mentality, ability etc of the club, training facilities, sports science, coaching, tactics, formations, players etc.
Finally, we were very well rewarded (compensation) when he left.
The true ambition (or lack of it) of the board resulting in us not even attempting to see what calibre of candidates we could attract and the easy (cheap) option was to offer Lennon the postion full-time.
I want Lenny to do well however he does not have the stature to demand the best from Lawwell, he does not have the tactical nous to overcome opponents of equal or superior abilities and “in-game” problem solving, and he does not have the coaching skills to improve the ability of the current players.
He is an ordinary manager who knows the Scottish game and hopefully the financial strength of the club will be enough to secure the Quadruple Treble and 10IAR.
All any of us want (whether we think Lennon is the best possible manager of the club or not) is for the club to be as successful as we can be.
There is nothing wrong with having greater ambition than the board and providing constructive criticism.
i just love the last three sentences of your article Phil. Just to add “Buaigh me. Fearai faoi Baucailli.”
i just love the last three sentences of your article Phil. Just to add “Buaigh me. Fearai faoi Baucailli.”
Well said Phil. I was of the opinion that NFL would be perfect in the short-term, but not as a long term placement for manager.
I now admit that I know the square-root of f**k all. I was WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.
However, I have been screaming out for 2 up front for years…so perhaps I’m not a total muppet. Hail Hail
Wrong team selection?
Wrong team formation?
Wrong manager?
I was one of the ones who thought long term Lenny was not right. I was worried that he was reportedly “bored” when he left us before. However I am glad he is here and I tell you I am loving the taste of humble pie, I will gladly come back for seconds. I thought we were getting old Lenny, new Lenny is a different breed and in my current view he is better than his predecessor in every way. Not least because he can see different formations and adapts styles and play to suit an opponent or result.
Said to my older brother a about a year back I was expecting BR to be away in the summer and Neil would be brought back for 10 and to administer the coup de grace to the tribute act. A couple days later Judas headed south, and the Prodigal Son returned. All is looking very good for both my prophecies…
Well he’s certainly doing a grand job at the moment there’s no doubt about that.
Let’s see how we fair tonight, and in the forthcoming fixture against the uncrowned champions of the Europa league.
What kind of display was that from Braga?
The Ibrox lads should have won handsomely, and according to super Ally, they seem more interest in Europe than the home front.
Sorry Braga were absolutely gash. But that was not the team that John Brown played for’s fault. Some welcomed European money to keep the wolf from the door.
Neil must be on the case of the squad, to put the chances away, as the Danes will be a bit more of a test tonight.
Never count your chickens till the eggs hatch.
Celtic need to continue to keep up the present high standard on the home front, and show some clinical finishing to bury our opponents in Europe tonight.
Neil Lennon doing a fine job, keep up the good work Sir.
Should it not be the Lurgan Jurgen……………
I’ve just watched Sevco progressing in the EL.
I’ve also just watched the worst performance I’ve ever seen… from a home team at this level.
Braga were feckin’ awful…and Sevco weren’t much better.
The standard of football was dire…
So if ye canny be good… be lucky.
Or as my old Grandad used to say…
“If they fell oot a windae…they’d go up the way. “
I ,too ,have to admit I got it wrong.
His contribution to our cause has been immense and for that I offer my thanks…and apologies.
I never thought that he would take us to another potentially historic season…but he has.
What also should never be forgotten …is the hatred and vitriol that Lenny had to endure from the scum…aided and abetted by the Scottish Media and the justice system.
So maybe he’s not the best coach in football…but he’s one of the bravest.
Thanks Lenny.
He’s doing a grand job and against the majority of our judgements. Fair play to him he’ll do for me.
Added points for him given how much the Huns loathe him.
I’ll put my hand up as a Doubting Thomasina and I’m very happy to have been proved wrong, but we can only hope that he continues getting the financial backing from the Board to enable us to make better progress in Europe. HH
We owe this guy a debt of gratitude, NFL, Celtic to the core.☘️
The crucial sentence here is “the league campaign is going well”. When it comes to league campaigns,”all’s well that ends well”. One unexpected defeat and there is all to play for with 2 fixtures against them. There does not seem to be an abundance of caution in some of our support when declaring 9 in a row already.I have to say Lennon has done a lot better than I expected regardless so I will eat humble pie for lunch.
If you’re so confident of a Sevco title win then get to the bookies, they’re available at 11/1. Celtic are 1/40
Actually you can get 12/1. Celtic are 1/25. I do hope those odds are an accurate reflection of each outcome. Celtic have changed tactics, and have a vastly superior goal difference. But anyone who watched the last 2 games between those sides will acknowledge that Rangers have some hope of winning both. We play Livingston next weds as well which has surely been our worst performance of the season
Hi Sparks…I don’t know where you were on the 22nd May 2005…but I was sitting in the stand at Fir Park …about to celebrate us winning the League Title.
Up stepped MacDonald…and Helicopter Sunday went into the history books.
Since then I have NEVER taken anything for granted…and I never will.
I take your point about the Bookies…but I’ll wait until the mathematics give us our 9IAR.
Hail hail.
I was in the “wonderful work, Neil coming in and thanks for rescuing us but I don’t think you should get the job full time.” I thought it was a sign about the board’s intent rather than a comment on NFL’s abilities. I also had reservations about people taking 2nd stints- even the great Billy McNeill struggled as Celtic manager for the 2nd time.
Happily 1 year on and I’m not ashamed to say I was wrong. In Europe we look smarter, and 2 up front has been a breath of fresh air. I also suspect Lennon’s own mental health issues has helped with Griffiths’ rehabilitation. I’m delighted we have such an assured hand. He still makes the odd tactical error but I have more faith in this team- just take the Killie game. We go 1-0 down and absolutely nobody in the stadium is worried. The possibility that Lennon and Brown will have started and ended the 10iar campaign really excites me, for them as much as for us fans.
I must admit I was a doubter. Humble pie is surprisingly sweet.
Fair play Phil, some of the football played since the break has been first class.
Lets not forget that we saw off Lazio twice as they now push for their first title in decades. They were the epitome of a top class outfit.
Talking about top class only Liverpool in the vastly overated EPL could fit in that bracket.
Bayern Munich took 7 off Spurs on their own midden and blew Chelsea away last night.
I see some of the pundits were hiding behind their notion that Chelsea was a young team, ignoring the fact that Bayern fielded 3 of the youngest players on view.
What about the kid at left back? What a player.
I’ll hold my hand up and say I was one of those people. As you point out, many of us thought we were getting a re-run of the previous Lenny. But he has definitely matured.
Sometimes he can make what appears to me to be odd decisions, but you can’t argue with success, or that he loves Celtic.
In Lenny We Trust. Quadruple treble anyone?
Or a Quad Rebel Treble if you like.
Completely agree with you. He is a special man. Long may his bounteous reign last.
NB, put on my latex gloves to read Craig White’s pulp expose, in which he alludes to some maverick Irish blogger. I’m baffled.