A decade ago, Neil Lennon was the caretaker manager of Celtic when highly paid Hoops stars underestimated a Ross County team at Hampden.
In his post-match interview, he was scathing of his players.
Some Paradise watchers believe that it was this display of fire in the belly that convinced the folk in the Parkhead boardroom to give him the gig permanently.
If this were a series on Netflix, then the symmetry of ANOTHER two-nil defeat to the Staggies would seem too contrived.
However, sad as it is, this must be the end now.
This what he had to say.
Dear reader, I won’t indulge in any anti-Lennon revisionism.
I was delighted when he got the job permanently after the Scottish Cup final against Hearts in 2019.
It was stated at the time that there had been no other contenders to take over permanently from the chap who has subsequently been erased from the Celtic annals.
Unfortunately, I had several sources at the time telling me that this was not the case that the Armagh man had not been the first choice in 2019.
Ironically, what is desperately needed now is exactly what Neil Lennon provided to the club in February of that year.
When Rodgers left in the night, Lenny stepped up.
Moreover, he turned the situation around last season after the winter break with a change of system and personnel.
At the pre-match presser yesterday, Neil Lennon confirmed that the club had secured the services a psychologist over the past few months.
Apparently, this was done to assist the players with the Covid world.
Well, if the man from Cork took the job, then Lennoxtown might resemble the Milgram experiment!
I’m satisfied with the integrity of my source that these two were contacted in October after the Derby Day defeat with a view to taking the Celtic job.
The sticking point, I’m led to believe, was the length of the contract on offer.
Of course, sources can get things wrong.
However, I’m inclined to believe this story until I know better.
The scenes outside of Celtic Park after the match were not a good look.
However, neither was this.
My reaction was instinctive.
Kettle on?
Really?
Disrespectful at best.
The disconnect between the club and the fans seems to be pronounced at the moment.
Perhaps that is a by-product of the empty stadium due to Covid.
Whatever the reasons behind it are for another day.
That said, it is an undeniable truth that the supporters are the haemoglobin of any football club.
Those in senior positions at Celtic would be well advised to remember that.
Addendum.
This statement from the club creates a narrative that to do anything now about the manager could be seen as bending to the demands of the unruly mob outside Celtic Park tonight.
As for the..ahem…protestors this says it rather well:
The main problem remains extant, and that is a management team who cannot prevent a historic failure at the club.
Failure to act now is unforgivable.
Every crisis brings an opportunity. We need someone within the high profile fans (I mean actual fans, not celebrity hangers-on) to lead from the front and galvanise the support into action. Demand season ticket refunds, boycott the merchandise store, cancel subscriptions. Concerted resistance. Anything and everything to remind those in charge that they are not really in charge at all.
Without us, the real supporters, there are no dividends and no bloated salaries.
Without us, there is no club. We are Glasgow Celtic, not them.
It’s time to act.
Unedifying spectacles aside (any fans who scuttled out to monster the team yesterday should hang their heads in shame), Celtic are certainly facing a crisis borne of complacency, unrealistic expectations and a deep-rooted failure to build a development plan capable of delivering solid success in Europe.
Personally, I feel our difficulties began with the failure to secure John McGinn as a successor to Scott Brown, but our poor performances seem to involve many more factors, including relative inexperience across the board (I’m not talking about ‘the board’ here). Whatever game plans Neil was presenting, the players on the field have not delivered, either individually or collectively. Whether we are playing Ross County or a taxpayer-subsidised Sevco, the results seem to be the same, though perhaps Gary McAllister’s experience is the key difference in terms of Sevco’s current run.
I truly fear that, whether with Neil Lennon or without, Celtic’s lack of experience across the coaching team can only deliver more of the same. We need to think out of the box here, and bring in an experienced but inspirational replacement to NL, who should/could have a role in a new set up. He maybe deserves to be in the dugout for the Hearts final and, hopefully, a fitting end to his achievements at the helm.
Football aside…
I have increasing sympathy for NL and the desperately difficult position he is in.
Everybody knows the pressures and threats and personal health issues he has to deal with – as a direct result of his job(s) at CFC.
The Board knows this all too well – so to leave NL dangling is just cruel.
The Board chose NOT to publicly support NL, but instead a few papers were ‘tipped off’ that The Board was standing by NL.
NL should have been allowed to leave CFC in a more dignified manner, long before now – and for the benefit of NL’s well-being. He deserves that at least.
Everybody’s a loser in the current CFF shambles… and which has been coming since the season’s start.
Ugly, and with shorter memories than goldfish.
Getting rid of Lennon is only part of the story. For a long time now we should have been asking questions of our so-called defence coach. However, the root of the problem is that the person who decides who to buy and sell has wasted millions in the past couple of years. We could have had Marshall, Hayes and Simunovic. We got Barkas, Soro and Duffy. We could have had Toney (12 goals in 12 games for Brentford) who indicated he wanted to come to Celtic Park to advance his career, instead we got Ajeti.
Looking ahead, the form slump has seriously reduced any sales value for Ajer, Christie, Edouard and Ntcham. Lawwell’s future bonuses and Desmond’s dividends will have to be at the expense of the player wage bill. The Barras are closed at the moment, so I don’t see where the next cut price manager will come from. It’s not looking good.
So the best fans in the world riot after a defeat, entitled or what? This is the club that is fighting to get fans back in the stadium and they can’t be trusted after one loss.
Is there any truth in the rumour that Trump is being touted for the new manager? I hear he has a new slogan already to go, MEGA Make Easterhouse Great Again.
Lennon inherited a great team that picked itself, he then proceeded to make them rubbish and people call him a great manager?
Been saying for a long time, my granny could win the league with his resources and it looks like she may well get the gig.
Last night was a disgrace and those present should have a look at themselves. If and when Neil leaves, whoever comes in must have control over who is the backroom staff too. Strachan and Kennedy aren’t part of any solution. The problem we will face is that we spent a lot in the summer so funds to improve things will be limited/dependent on marquee sales. The new team will require man management skills as well as being great tacticians. I have every faith there is a manager out there who can quickly turn this around. I have less faith in our board to hire them.
What happened this afternoon after the game is inexcusable but to be honest phil i think about half of the REAL supporters didnt want lenny me included love him but he ho when peter lawwell said he hadnt had any other man in mind it said it all get lawwell.i might be 1 out but i think he took control just before mon but you count the managers since then i think its 7 ffs we had 5 in about 50 years ! I think he is the problem aye he makes money but hes a power crazy clown. Hail hail and mon the hoops
I’m not here to defend NL latest results but I’m here to defend the man.
It’s difficult to think of an individual who has given as much to Celtic football. He has single handedly defended our Clubs principles more than anyone I can think of.
Bombs, bullets, assault at work, in the street (which nearly killed him, choking on his tounge but for a student), verbal abuse, slated in the media. All handled with a dignity that none of those wipes outside Celtic Park could muster between them.
They are acting in a way we have seen from mobs across the city. Celtic should never be that, never, an more importantly, never at Neil Lennon.
Neil Lennon was offered his dream job and he took it. It hasn’t worked out. The board should have sorted this long before now. There is no disloyalty in paying him his remaining contract with sweetener and letting him go having given his best.
The boards performance in this is frightening. They are to blame. Their disdain for Celtic Fans since 2012 has been worse. I sat through the cheating years. I had three season tickets and the first time they announced they had no plans to protect my investment, financial and emotional, and fight for those feckin titles, I handed them back, and have not supported Scottish football since. I’ve stated in comments here many times that until that’s put right I won’t be back at a Scottish game. Its a panto end of. Our board assisted in making it that way. Total disdain for the supporters who paid their money, bought shares, built Lennoxtown and the stadium.
The younger fans have no idea what it was like going through the possibility of 10 for them.
No emotion in business in an emotional business is stupidity of the highest order. If they had understood that we wouldn’t be here today.
For me it was cowardice., I. just can’t understand why the board never protected my investments.
The board have much success, but oh so many failures in protecting what matters.
They deserve everything that’s coming.
Neil Lennon feckin well does not!!!!
Well said Zeddy 👏🏻
The problem with Lennon’s fire and brimstone after the Ross County Semi-Final defeat all those years ago, is that he did nothing during the game to affect the outcome.
He may not have been highly paid but he was as responsible as the players for underestimating them.
In his audition for the Celtic manager’s job, he had one trophy to go for and it was lost in abject fashion.
We also allegedly conducted a world-wide search to find the best permanent appointment yet gave it to a novice who would go on to make rookie mistakes the following season and throw away the league.
With a bit of professionalism, the mistakes of 10 years ago could have been avoided, we would already have done 10IAR and saved all the angst of this season!
I would love to know exactly how much Desmond has taken out of Celtic since he bought Fergus McCanns shares. Let me put it another way I would be surprised if he hasnt at least recouped 100% of his initial investment and is now sitting on pure profit when he sells up. I would not be surprised if he attempts to cash in. The easy money must mst be gone for him shortly as that dividend won’t appear out of fresh air. Got to be profitable really to pay dividends.
Ach don’t get yer knickers in a twist, the board have agreed to pay for a winter training camp in Dubai again this year and are confident that it will do the trick and ensure 10 in a row, they just need to give their travel agent the names of all the rangers squad they want to send.
There are at least 4 players fucking about and not providing the forwards and not defending when needed 1 Christy ,2 McGregor, 3 Brown, Ntcham this mid field will win you nothing, they are lazy cunts and have limited skill when they face a team that’s in there face and should be sold . they are the same 4 that will not get involved with corners free kicks yet there play is back passing or side ways play 60 minute’s of any game, as for martin O’Neil,and co they wouldn’t improve our team as I can remember martin O’Neil he did not fancy Hendrik Larson in his early days. here and he is a cunt that fucked us up with poor player he bought and then upped there wages to make it worse for us as for Kean his best time is talking shite as his ability was as such up hear we dont need the Irish we have suffered enough from there input over the year’s
The Celtic board made a judgement call with Lennon. After Rodgers they wanted no repeat. So they appointed a person who had been sacked by Bolton and Hibs, and whom a later manager had described as tolerating unfit players. Why? Because they thought that Rangers would cut deep and that Lennon’s lesser ability would be compensated by bigger resources. The Rangers board made a judgement call. That Lennon was so weak that continued spending over the odds would yield results. So chapeau to them as you say. What now? I doubt that anyone would be willing to put themselves in that situation. Keane would throttle someone. PR issue. One way forward is to pay big money for defensive coaches whether it is Lennon or a caretaker. He started the season with 2 full backs the size of Santa’s helpers. You could see the effectiveness of the diagonal ball against them even last year in the League Cup final. In addition, the defense and midfield are too far apart. The marking/zonal system? There is none. It is a shambles and I think that this is the source of the frustration we saw this evening out side Parkhead. Not a good look as you say. The first step is to do what Clarke did with Scotland. Make yourself difficult to beat again.
Lennon took the Bolton job unaware that the Club was on the brink of Admin.
He took Hibs out of the Championship and into 4th spot in the top flight and how did Petrie reward him?
Sold his entire Midfield and asked him to challenge again.
The 2angers have gone all out to stop the 10 as they know this would send thousands of them back to oblivion no more interested in a “rigged game” run by the unseen 🧤hand.
As a result of pumping tens of millions they don’t have into stopping the 10 they have created a side not only good enough to stop Celtic but also compete at a higher level in Europe.
Regardless of whom was in charge this Season was always going to be the toughest of the 10.
Very few Top Flight Clubs have dominated their Domestic Leagues for a decade it is a notoriously difficult thing to do given the turnaround of players and the speed at which the modern game moves on.
Celtic have simply run out of steam at the wrong time.
The 2angers have just caught their second wind and have been by far the best side this Season.
Whether they can see out a Season remains to be seen because as has been reported in here there are serious Financial issues at that Clumpany highlighted by the fact their chief shareholder wants to cash out right now at 20p a pop for his shares.
Ask yourself why that is,
An Admin event is not out of the equation at Ayebrokes,even more so if the grounds remain empty for much longer.
Lenny won’t resign he knows this could be his last job for a while. He needs to look after himself financially.
Lenny won’t resign he knows this could be his last job for a while. He needs to look after himself financially.
Absolute nonsense.
Neil Lennon has had 13 years of being very well paid by Celtic. Neil Lennon is a multi-millionaire because of Celtic.
Leave now whilst you are still fondly remembered or risk damaging that reputation.
You think he’ll be struggling for a few pound after he leaves ??
I know, hard times for the multi-millionaire beckon…
Is that Tánaiste Mary Lou MacDonald behind Dermot?
Tommy Docherty’s quip comes to mind: “The chairman told me he was right behind me. I told him I wanted him in front of me, so I could keep an eye on him.” I wouldn’t want a Shinner covering my back! You must have some pair of beer goggles to think that might be Mary Lou!… and Leo’s Tanaiste… or was last time I checked, but maybe Tony Holohan has fired him.
Think Neil’s hands are tied with regards to the board. If he had his way Neil would name and shame the mutineers amongst the rank. The board are hanging him out to dry when, if tough decisions need to be made the board should step up instead of years and years of bleeding the fans. Love Lennon. Football fans can be ugly 😢
The board spent plenty this transfer window. Probably our best transfer window in a decade. Yet we have players that cost millions not getting a game. Players who have failed time and time again commanding a jersey, and player who have proven themselves time and time again not getting a jersey.
Thwen we have Lennon publically trying to out a mole who keeps leaking the team?. I don’t know why he’s bothered because we all know the team and the style of play before a ball is kicked. I could tell you his next 11 for the next game. Mole not required.
The buck stops with the manager when the team doesn’t perform. This is not a one off bad result. It’s our worst runs in 60 odd years and it’s not over yet.
That’s twice now lennon has had a snigger when asked what his next move is. Something funny Neil?