The post-Lennon era has now begun.
Many in the Celtic end did not want him appointed on a permanent basis in May 2019.
I was not one of them, and I thought he would be the Mk2 version of himself and be a better manager from his time away.
Moreover, I felt that view was vindicated a year ago.
Returning from Dubai (!), the Armagh man had revamped the Celtic squad into a highly efficient 3-5-2 that battered teams relentlessly.
The Édouard Griffiths strike partnership quickly developed a telepathic understanding.
Teams crumbled under the one-touch onslaught and only dogged Livi on their plastic pitch avoided defeat.
This season all has been changed, changed utterly.
Like all disaster scenarios, there have been several factors there but had to come into fatal alignment.
One of the main pathogens in this shitshow was the role of the untitled director of football.
I have reason to believe that there were attempts to source a successor to Neil Lennon late last year.
However, as I have written here on many occasions, it was an open secret on Planet Football that the internal structures at Celtic were rather strange.
Essentially the manager was not really the manager and that they would be the patsy anytime that Heated Driveway productions would mess up.
The exception to this is, of course, the Rodgers Interregnum.
Tomorrow it will be John Kennedy, Gavin Strachan, and the iPad in charge.
Now no harm to that hapless trio, but Mr McKay has a major rebuilding job on his hands.
A CEO who defers on football matters to suitably qualified footie people will be something of an exotic experiment at Celtic.
Mr Lawwell, in the normal course of events, should have left the job in 2010 after a suitable period (7 years) in the job.
In that time, he made an excellent fist on the non-football side of things.
However, failure to move to him on is where the trouble started, and that is Mr Desmond’s contribution to his historic calamity.
Instead, he was allowed to remain for SEVENTEEN YEARS and, quite naturally, started to believe that the title of Chief Executive was his feudal birthright.
Consequently, it was always going to end badly.
That is the main reason that Celtic blew the Ten.
Anyone who tries an alternative narrative has been ladelling into the Quick Soup.
Crucially, any face-saving sinecure for Mr Lawwell, for instance, keeping him on the board, would mean that the problem had not left the building.
This disaster must not be wasted.
Another underwhelming performance yesterday…had Aberdeen on the ropes in the first half…then reverted to type…and ended up kinda struggling to secure the 3 points.
Point I want to make, however, is …I agree that that Ajer had a terrific game…but for me Scott Brown was absolutely outstanding…and its great to see him still putting in performances like that. He was my Man of the Match.
Hai hail Broony.
I’ve said for years, when Broony doesn’t play well, Celtic don’t play well. I’ve also said for years that we need someone ready to step in to his place when he decides to call it a day. AND HE has earned the right to make THAT decision for himself. HE will know when he can no longer contribute.
On top of everything else that’s gone wrong this season Broony went off the boil for a lengthy spell early on in the campaign. Just off the boil. That’s all. And that, combined with all the other crap that was going on around the club, the team disintegrated.
In stepped young Soro and he did well. But he’s not Broony. Yet. He may become that good given time, but he’s NOT there at this point in his career.
A few years ago Broony got injured and Calmac stepped into his role. He coped admirably and probably would again but he offers so much creativity further forward it would be a waste.
IF Broony decides his legs can take another season, or even two, we MUST make every attempt to keep him. In another year, certainly in two Soro WILL be ready. He will be learning from a master.
THAT means we MUST tie Soro up on a long term deal. It would be pointless preparing him to carry out this role for some other team to reap the rewards.
Oh aye. We should also have someone in the pipeline ready to take over from Soro.
I’ve not commented for a wee while as I’ve bee sick with disgust at how things have panned out. Like many hoops at the first whistle I’m filled with hope and like many I’m left bereft at the final whistle. I’ve never seen a season like this one. Ever. Even the years when the flying pig would deny us what looked like certain goals.
Lennon is manager, he picks the team, the tactics etc and his selections have baffled me.
I remember one game when Griff was interviewed at the start and that clown McCulloch asked about his fitness, wee Griff responded he thought his fitness was good and other people had the problem with it. Hooked at half time, not started since, barely a minute as sub. Even yesterday that fanny Kennedy had him on the bench and started Klimala.
Griff needs managed, his MH needs managed, when he’s in a good space he flies, look at the support he got last year in Dubai and he flew after.
Now you can’t tell me that Lawell or DD, no, that’s down to man management which Kennedy and Lennon lacked/lack in spades.
That’s just one example, there are probably many more.
Don’t get me started on Christie, Brown, Rogic and even Eddy, though still scoring all look lackluster, man management which extends to home and hearth.
No one can convince me that Lennon isn’t to blame fair and square and Strachan with Kennedy are part of that parcel.
Get rid now.
I’m now unemployed and that £565 season ticket money would go a long way right now and I know many fans in my position. Sick.
As I said many months ago, it was obvious to everyone all the way back in November that the players were not going to perform for Lennon. That was the time for PL to make the decision to pay off Lennon and Co and bring in a new manager with 7/8 million to spend in January plus 40% of whatever he brings in via sale of players. A new manager would have spoken to all the players in a group meeting and found out who wanted away and told them they could go as they were rebuilding their own team anyway but they needed to be prepared to finish this season if no offer came in for them in January.
Of course all of this would have cost Celtic 10 plus million. It was up to PL weather 10 plus million was worth the 10 in a row gamble or play it safe lose the 10 and end the season with the best accounts one could hope for in a full covid pandemic season.
He chose to play it safe weather he made that decision by himself or DD had anything to do with it we will never know!
I’ve read some unpalatable, nonsensical crap in my life and your comment is right up there with the ‘best’ of it.
Bravo “Popeye”, give my regards to Olive and away and oil yer brain-cells!
What’s crap about it? Were Celtic struggling back in November. Was it just the smart fans amongst us that knew where this season was going while the folk like yourself were stupid enough to think everything was going to be OK. Was it not then that our CEO should have stepped in to fix it?. Would a new manager want at least 10 million to come in and try and be the one that won us the ten? Would a new manager not want to find out who wanted to go and who wanted to play.
You say you its crap but you are not intelligent enough to even argue one point.
I have seen enough of your own posts to know It’s safe in saying you are either a hun or an armchair ‘fan’ that has been to paradise once or twice in your life and believe you know everything.
Hello there ‘Popeye’, you say you’ve read enough of my posts and then accuse me of being a hun?
Perhaps you’d like to say which posts you refer to.
Anyway, I’m guessing communicating with you is a waste of time, so, without further ado, please let Olive Oil respond in your stead. (the Extra Virgin one, per favore). Prego!
Celtic need a boardroom that isn’t Scottish in my opinion,that way nobody can be threatened or intimidated and the job of making Celtic successful can be done without fear and the less a Celtic boardroom is involved with Hampden the better,that way you don’t get compromised in any way and it’s also why no board member should be at the club for as long as Lawwell was, I think Lawwell just tried to make life for him and his family easy and that compromised him and was to our detriment,between the huns in the street,the media and at Hampden there is far too much damage that can be done to Celtic and it’s employees,personally I think this is a significant part of the problem our club faces and apart from the new CEO leaving the football to others,I don’t think we’ll see that much of a difference in ambition at the club.
Doncaster is not Scottish?
Farewell Neil Francis Lennon, but Phil is on the money: the malady lingers on. Part of that malady is the model of flogging off the family silver, even when the family are living in a house owned by an absentee landlord like Dermot Boycott.. sorry, Desmond.
The latest indication that it’s business as usual under the Heated Driveway interregnum is the proliferation of stories telling fans whose in the running to buy key players at knockdown prices. Anyone, for instance, who thinks selling Odsonne to the King Power for two balloons, if you bring your own puff, is good policy needs to wake up and realise that retaining assets at this point is essential if an incoming manager is to build a better team.
It would also appear that some fairly obvious faultlines are being exploited in the ‘rebuilding’ mythology: a traditional, conservative clientele, we might call the greenskulls, versus a radical, progressive group, which we might style the greenshoots. Greenskulls, for instance, think the sun shines from Kennedy’s (fill in blank here) for domestic dominationa while greenshoots think we need a clearout and a manager with some heft to pursue European glory. Greenskulls think breaking even is a sacred duty, while greenshoots might suggest taking a punt is the right way to go. Greenskulls might think it’s nice having Beardy Desmond on board, while greenshoots might think throwing him overboard is the way forward. You get the idea: there is a conservative v radical split in the fanbase and the mouthpieces of the current regime play it to divide and rule.
In the meanwhile, congratulations to Sevco and Gary McAlister for their victorious progress in the Europa. None other than Alex Rae tips them to win the competition. Back in the real world, I watched their upcoming opponents Slavia beat Leicester last night. It was obvious the loss of Maddison had removed the main impediment to a Slavia victory, though the tactics looked strangely familiar. I later looked up Slavia Praha, as was, and discovered they are only a few years younger than Celtic (1890v1888) and, in fact, one of their most illustrious managers was a Celtic player, one Jake Madden (no relation, I hope).
It will be a challenge for Slavia to overcome the mighty Sevco, as the Ibrox newcomers strive to do the incredible: breach Covid regulations without suffering any domestic regulatory punishment whatsoever. Unbelievable!
Hail hail
Desmond plan was always to make Kennedy manager.The plan was to wait until season ticket renewal,and if sales went well to appoint him as manager.Why give him until end of season,as this makes no sense.Desmond thinks we are idiots,and thinks he can hide behind Lawwell and Lennon while he plunders Celtic for money.We are now conducting this farce of trying to find a manager that Desmond will accept,but cost less than his golf lessons.
Don’t give this pirate more money,as it’s the only thing he cares about.
I will renew my season ticket, i will never like the past 9 years purchase any ticket for cup and European football until the game is played fairly.
Scotland lives on rivalry and people use it to rob us of funds.
On this season my thoughts are the players and Neil fell out and a grudge does linger.
P.lawell was employed to long, and i await his spurn to convince Celtic supporters that next season will be better. (still renew) let the sfa/spfl suffer stream the cup games, make them want us supporters not us paying for there mistakes.
HH
Yes, others such as Lawwell and Desmond bear responsibility for the shambles we’ve become but this doesn’t absolve lennon of any.
Only their wretched incompetence would ever appoint him in the first place.
A competent football management operation would never appoint a failed Bolton and Hibs manager, who had no interest in modern football management techniques, diet/fitness/analytics etc that we had heavily invested in the previous 5 years under Deila and Rodgers.
To reap huge rewards for that approach, not just the Treble, Treble but record revenue and profits (£35m over 2016-2019) and to throw it all away to go ‘back to the future’ was stupidity on stilts.
Aye Cha, “stupidity on stilts”?
One measure of insanity is to repeat failure, “stupidity” in your words, and expect a different outcome.
As long as D Fachtna Desmond is allowed to be with us, we’ll just get more of the same.
Tory blood-sucking fleas do what they do, repetitively.
My comment on eTims recently involved a “root and branch” clear-out.
I’ll repeat that, ‘ad infinitum’.
The Celtic FC starts and remains “a club like no other” due ONLY to its supporters.
Tory scum like Desmond/Lawwell only use it to enrich themselves.
I’ve kinda lost it………almost ready to chuck in the towel……….”almost”.
Time for retribution and lessons on being leeches off our collective backs.
We HAVE the power…………USE it.
Not with you on this Phil. Go back to August – we kept our best players and added a few big money names. Lennon was backed but it didn’t work out for many reasons. Lenny was unlucky in some games, in others the big players didn’t show up and to add to the misery the rangers have been relentless. They have won games 1-0 that they should have lost and that’s what’s made the difference. If rangers lost 3 games and Celtic won 3 of the poor performances it would be nip and tuck. Nothing to do with the gaffer or the board – football is football sometimes.
Some people, particularly football fans of ANY colour, have difficulty understanding that sometimes shit just happens.
I enjoy your articles Phil but you are continually soft on the absentee landlord.
As if he was oblivious to how Celtic was being run, oblivious to how poor a manager Neil Lennon was, the fact that Rodgers have revolutionised the club because of everything Lennon was not – culture of 24hour athletes, fitness, sports science, tactics, analysis etc
Oblivious to how the scouting structure operated, the one under John park, then Lee congerton and now Nicky hammond / some started and ended in disaster others were just disaster (some look for a common denominator and ask questions before the next mistake is made)
Oblivious to the fact Lennon said he speaks to Desmond every single week, gets incredible support from him
I’m sorry.
This shit show starts from the top and works it’s way down.
Far too simplistic, imo , to lay the blame squarely at Lawwell’s door for the shambles that’s been created.
At the end of the day…when players cross the white line they are ultimately responsible for performances and results.
( Masonic officials notwithstanding .)
I watched a re-run of a Lenny interview yesterday…which I THINK was in August 2020….when he admitted that ” certain players had asked to leave…and that it had been that way for 6 months “…
Now if I’ve got that wrong I apologise…but if I’m right…think about that.
That means that for the past year…we’ve had players running out…who wanted to be somewhere else.
Now, for the avoidance of doubt, I am not defending Lenny…because I’ve said on here ad nauseum…his selections…formations….style of play and substitutions…beggared belief…but I am saying that we have players who are self-serving…and are not as committed as they should be.
When you have that going on…you have no chance.
I will watch with interest to see how these players now re-act and perform.
As for Mr. Kennedy,…
Not a hope in Hell of him being the next Boss…even Desmond wouldn’t try that one.
Terence, much agreement BUT, a manager is to MANAGE, not suffer/tolerate individual, negative whims.
If ‘they’ want to go, okay, but encourage them to perform at the top of their game to encourage a ‘big’ club to come in for them.
NFL was tactically hopeless, subs imponderable, blah, blah, but he couldn’t even motivate a team to PLAY.
I’ll retain much affection for Neil and what he suffered as Celtic FC manager and what he made us suffer, BUT, even with Lawwell going, the shitshow will endure. DFD is a ‘flea’ on Celtic FC as he’s been for a lifetime of world-wide workers; get HIM TF and maybe, just maybe we can start anew and build the Celtic FC in the ‘brand’ of Brother Walfrid. I despise religion, all of it, but understand the philosophy of putting food on the tables of children and the unemployed, a philosophy which I carry out today and every day. Hail! Hail! The Glasgow Celtic, Hail! Hail! the spirit of Walfrid and Stein.
TicToc…The point I was trying to make was…
It looked as if he had ” lost the dressing room “…to coin a football phrase…
And when that happens…no Manager survives.
I still maintain that the players decide the outcome of matches…and there’s one player who escaped censure for quite a while but was as culpable as anyone…French Eddie.
It was obvious that his heart wasn’t in it for quite a spell…but Lenny would have been lynched if he didn’t play him.
Again…not defending Lenny…but his many shortcomings were made worse by certain player’s attitude.
Just my opinion.
Hail hail
Terence, I refer you to my 1st sentence.
Of course, we’re generally on the same side, so everything’s okay!
Why did you mention the religious aspect? do you think that to disparage the faithful is the correct way to get a point across, personally I did agree up that point and then thought …..Now was that really necessary!
I do NOT KNOW one single Celtic fan who was complaining about his style of play this time last year. EVERY Celtic fan I know was purring.
IMHO, disasters both in sport and finance, in this case Celtic FC which is both, begin at the very top.
NFL unfortunately proved his inability to manage a very decent squad over 2 years. Sad to witness, dire at times.
However, PTL made the emotional (and distressed?), drunken even? decision to appoint NFL in the showers.
Did something catch his eye and deflect his mind from his CEO position? Who knows?
Anyway, I’ve supported Celtic FC since ‘rusks’ were staple diet.
The REAL point I clumsily attempt to make is this: Dermot F Desmond is the ” very top” I refer to in my 1st sentence.
Without removing DFD, us supporters will merely get more of the same, albeit with new faces.
These people are died-in-the-wool, disgusting, capitalist leeches and fleas.
Under extreme conditions, and these ARE extreme conditions for Celtic FC supporters, I could see a small revolution boldly stepping over the Horizon. One which changes (for GOOD – in both senses) the whole landscape. A revolution which takes over Celtic FC and brings it more in line with Brother Walfrid’s dream, to feed the poor (essentially) and entertain the supporters.
A revolution which REQUIRES Truth from the scum whom represent a dead club/new company from 2012, that being the Scottish Mainstream Media. Mr James Traynor brought to book here for his involvement/promotion of LIES in public office.
Of course, a bloodless revolution would be sought here but can’t be guaranteed. The fans of “rangers/Rangers are noted throughout the world for their menacing aggression, weaponry and cowardice.
Sometimes a response in kind is required to both protect oneselves and to remove that “menace”.
In Tims’ case, sans cowardice.
And the farce just continues at CFC.
Did the lame duck CEO make the decision
to promote (temporarily anyway) the failed defensive coach to manager…?!
Bob, a long, long time ago my Dad RIP, (disparagingly of course) talked of going from the sublime to the ridiculous.
AGAIN, I’ve witnessed it, generally ‘achieved’ by over-paid clowns like the ‘bean-counting’ Lawwell.
The new huns (like their dead ancestors) refer to him as “Liewell”. Well doesn’t he just, except he’s unintentionally transparent and his “Lies” have been for them. Who’d a thunk it?
Sneaking into retirement in the summer should NOT be acceptable to life-long Tims like me.
“For the avoidance of doubt”, it is NOT acceptable to me. Nor is a flea-ridden, scumbag like ‘Fachtna’. (Fuchtme?)
Bob, John Kennedy has never had the role of defence coach. He played 45 games for Celtic and 11 for Norwich City and had several years out injured before retiring at the age of 26. Hardly enough matches to learn his trade as a defender so why would he be employed as a defensive coach ? Give the man a break ffs !
My apologies: as Kennedy played in defence it seemed logical that his coaching ability would have a defensive slant.
But as you mentioned, Kennedy has had minimal playing experience, so the question is:
why is Kennedy allowed anywhere near the Celtic first team, never mind being given the interim manager role?!
Ambition and sentimentality are mutually exclusive.
Rather, it should be: “Give the fans a break ffs!”
Bob, my thoughts almost exactly.
Kennedy has been there, taking a ridiculously high wage, during our 2nd NINE-IN-A-ROW, but what has He given? EVER!
From a good source I’m told that the bastard Lawwell knew everything that was discussed amongst the players when they thought they were just having ‘the Kraic’ with each other. The “K” is not a typo.
Frank, a nice defensive comment for a defender whose career was ended playing for Scotland, not Celtic.
It seems you know much more than I do. Pray tell, if not a defensive coach, WTF is he drawing a huge wage for?
Of course, Peter Thomas Lawwell could enlighten all of us here, but wont, er, em as is his wont.