Neil Lennon

Annoys me, laughing the need for a late goal off, then looks like he is reading a pre-prepared script throughout, knows he is talking *. It was not a good performance, the fact "Jerry" had a good game, he needs to take a look at himself for why he wasnt started in the first place, again.

 

NEIL Lennon’s men showed great grit and determination against an ultra-defensive Riga in Latvia tonight (Thursday), when a last-gasp Moi Elyounoussi winner helped them progress to next week’s UEFA Europa League playoff qualifying round.

The Norwegian midfielder scored on the 90th minute, just eight minutes after entering play, and was assisted by Jeremie Frimpong – he himself having replaced the injured James Forrest in the first half.

In turn, the manager hailed the efforts of his substitutes in what was a well-contested but equally well-deserved win.

“I think we were very good,” Neil Lennon told Celtic TV after the game. “We had to wait a long time for the goal, sometimes that happens in football, but I thought we were excellent and I thought our mentality was good.

“I’m delighted with the performance, it’s not easy playing away from home, particularly when we’re going through what we’re going through at the moment, but it was a good performance and a great, very important win.

“It takes two teams to make a game watchable and Riga set out their intentions very early. We started to wear them down, they started to play deeper and got more tired, and I thought Frimpong was superb in the second half. He’s put two beautiful crosses in and we should have scored from both of them, really.

"And then he comes up with another really good one, Albian makes a great run across the defender, and it was a fantastic finish by Moi.”

While pleased with his team’s performance as a whole, the manager singled out Elyounoussi and Frimpong for individual acclaim.

He added: “I want to touch on Moi, he’s been out of the team for a few games because he maybe wasn’t at his best – but he’s trained brilliantly, and he’s such a great example to the rest of the squad. He comes up with a really important goal and I couldn’t be happier for him. I hope that sets his season on fire now, because he’s a great player.

“I thought Moi, Jeremie and Albian all made an impact when they came on tonight. Albian could have scored, Jeremie’s done fantastically well, and he’s starting to look a lot more like himself again. He’s got a proper pair of boots on and he looks a bit more comfortable! He was great, he gives us that verve and that impetus going forward. That’s the best he’s been, certainly this season, I thought he was great.”

Having overcome Montenegrin outfit Buducnost Podgoric in their third qualifying round tie 2-1, Celtic will travel to Bosnia and Herzegovinian next week to play FK Sarajevo in a single-leg play-off. Neil Lennon’s men overcame the same side in a Champions League qualifier last season, but the Irishman reckons there’s no such thing as a favourable tie.

He added: “We knew Riga was a difficult place to visit, whether there’s fans here or not. Copenhagen lost here last year, we were very wary beforehand, but we did well. They’re all tough games, but we can take a lot of confidence from that win tonight.”

 

I think your Granda has pretty much hit the nail on the head. I feel the same as him. We're winning games but the football is not enjoyable to watch. When that becomes the rule rather than the exception, I just want the manager to go and someone new to come in and bring some fresh impetus to things.

 

I still have faith that he can turn it round.

For all that we've started the season so flat, we're relatively unscathed in domestic football.

He doesn't have long to find the answers though. If he continues to avoid the difficult decisions that need to be taken then our performances won't improve and he will correctly come under fire.

The fact we still don't have a LB/LWB with 11 days left of the window is appalling.

 

All this blaming lack of fans for the boring performances is driving me crazy .... stop making excuses everyone is in the same situation

 

I’m not being funny but we have a better squad and better staff than the huns. But the one thing Gerrard does right is he’s found his best team and stuck with it. We need to do that. Lennon has been here long enough now and he’s still not found his system or line up.

 

The Latvians were really poor. Ten men behind the ball and deep in their half for 90 minutes. But * me, that used to be bread and butter to us. Cant recall a celtic side with as little creativity as we have seen this season. Every time i see a team sheet i want to go nuts, fukn 4 months without a hoops game nearly had me in the loony bin but ive been fukn through the motions ever since we returned from france. I stupidly believed we were going to start the season like we ended the last one. Its all on you lennon. From fukd up team sheets to shocking media statements regarding the players its not a fukn mystery as to why were struggling. We need to get it together and quickly, lennon doesn't look like budging though. His stubborness will inevitably be his downfall. Any supporter not worried needs to pay more attention, we are lacking any creativity and a back line that is dodgy as *. Come what may regarding the 10 but this has to be lennons final bow as celtic manager. a legend beyond all means but football has evolved from his generation and i dont think he has the capability to progress us . I just hope that we are still iin a semi reasonable shape when he goes.

 

Mate, a few week's tonight Michael Stewart said we'd been working on that formation..

It was almost laughably bad. Probably the worst set-up this season..

Then he also mentioned our pressing which both of us have spoken about before and it's bad as I've evrr seen from any Celtic side. We drop off and then one goes, leaving big gaps to play through...which happens time and time again..

There's no real fluid penetrative football. It's all slow and really predictable..

We look ghe opposite of a team on the ball, how we're set-up and in the battle..

This isn't something that's gonna be fixable by the weekend. It's clearly deeper than that..

I genuinely would love to see what we're doing at Lennoxtown for a week. I suspect it isn't top level stuff just now..

 

We were good. That's insulting my intelligence. Another game, more regression with same old tactics, team and lack of game plan. A big month ahead for him. Lose in the next round, against the hun scum and he's done for. We are woefully inept tactically, positionally and it's showing in some of the players now who seem so uninterested. THIS is no blip. This is a prolonged period now, a rut if u will. He will have to show great strength of character to change the mistakes that he alone is making. I hope he can see past his stubbornness.

I take no pleasure in writing this at all. But Celtic is bigger than Lennon. And he is fast becoming yesterday man with his approach.

 

Yeah. That's fair.

I guess I am talking more with my heart than with my head tonight. I mean, even if he did leave tomorrow morning, who would replace him? The season has just started and the transfer window is nearly shut so not many managers would want to come in at that point in the football calendar.

I just get SO frustrated watching Greg Taylor and watching Scott Brown. And watching the constant chopping and changing of the team/formation. And I've never been a person who derived satisfaction just out of winning. I like to see the team play exciting football at the same time. We've totally lost that at the moment and it worries me.

I honestly think there are a lot of fans who are feeling these things too but are biting their tongue as long as we are winning. If we lose in three weeks time it will all spill out. And if Brown plays 90mins and the team plays anything like tonight, we will lose against Sevco.

Some sign of progress in the next couple of weeks would be reassuring.

 

Aye, agree with pretty much all of what you've said.

I'd love to know what Kennedy and Strachan are bringing to the table tactically, are they pushing back on the manager's ideas? Or are they 2 stookies that are nodding at anything Lennon says.

We are a team that is largely going through the motions just now. Completely reminiscent to 2018/19 but the breakthrough of Christie that season and latterly the loan signings in January, seemed to refocus the players and improve our performances.

We need to go with guys that want to play for us, even if they're inferior.quality.

Paddy still has a lot to learn but give me him bursting a gut for the team and looking desperate to make an impression over a disinterested Eddie any day of the week.

It's been covered in detail by everyone and I say this as one of Brown's most ardent defenders of the last few years but it's simply not possible to think he's bringing more positives than negatives to the table just now. We have Turnbull who was controlling games for Motherwell that can't get a look in, while our midfield looks wide open.

Lennon needs to understand the strength of feeling at the moment from our Champions League exit and largely poor performances. If he doesn't make the difficult decisions that seem patently obvious to laymen to make then he's going to come under a pile of pressure if and when things go wrong.

 

Yep.

They have a system that works for them and know how to get the best out of their squad.

We are the opposite right now. Players underperforming. The team looking disjointed, slow. The lineup changing every single game.

 

Hopefully this is our part of the season where we are having a bit of a blip..

The extra long transfer window isn’t helping.

The positives are we are still unbeaten in the league, only dropping 2pts and one game away from European Group stage football.

 

Your on the edge of your seat watching us against everyone and anyone at the moment..

Riga have a wide-open cut back in the 86th to put them in the lead. Livingston having chances when it goes 3-2. Ross County in the first half. St. Mirren.

Just not good enough.

The question is, when and where is the denouement of this rut we’ve found ourselves in?

 

At some point? It's already cost us CL qualification.

 

I'm getting a bit sick of the camera zooming in to Lenny late on in game's looking for Kennedy to give him answer's on what to do..

This is only a guess but Strachan looks a yes man. Duff was instrumental in the dressing room and for giving tips/working on attacking moves on the training ground. Numerous player's confirmed this.
We've probably/likely downgraded in that department and it's a contributing factor in our garbage attacking play..

Aye we just don't look a team and unit. Our individual quality is getting us out of jail by the game at the minute but unless we drastically improve, that'll only take us so far..

I've been hanging on to the notion that we will click and i still believe we will...but so many turgid, nervy, half arsed performances already....is troubling..

We've seen how the schedule can be taxing in December and we're already looking like a side whove played 60 odd game's..

Bang on about going with (arguably inferior) player's over the big guns if they're no wanting to be here. I think you'd clock the difference in energy and tempo from the off

Barkas

Elhamed
Duffy
Jullien

Frimpong
Turnbull
McGregor
Christie
Connell

Ajeti
Paddy/Mo

Or Mo in the 10 behind and drop a centre mid..

We've seen it when a Welsh, Henderson, Mikey, Connell, Robertson have came in. Even as youth player's just giving everything they have, shows up some senior boy's..

I've only left out the reported want aways and no one can convince me otherwise that Turnbull, Connell etc don't add a freshness, quality and energy to our first team right this second..

Aye i love Broony and always will. I'm just saying what most of us feel and are saying. He'll know his self..

Lenny still striking me as being stubborn rather than no knowing we shouldn't be * about like this it's just a case of, I'm the boss and I'm right..

 

He needs to go, he won't though.

Wise up Lenny. Because our scraping wins against abysmal teams aren't cutting it for me.

 

Guys here's the thing , the burning issue wae broony is ,he is the captain ,the leader ,the player the team look up to its such an important decision to make to take him out the team could be the thing that also derails us ,he is the player the huns would want in their team , we need to get behind him and stop slating him , none of the players are at it atm , this season is so defining for many reasons and also so unnatural ,fans not being at games has to sap energy , we need to stick with them and no let the pressure get to us .

 

Watched his interview and it’s like he has been watching Trump!

Don’t know what game he was watching but his comments are way off.

We look terrible, utter * and stumbling to wins. I feel that some of these wins like tonight have kept him in a job.

I love Lennon, I do but we don’t look like a team that’s been playing together and his formations, starting 11 and subs are absolutely woeful!

Brown is done, and should only be used in certain games! I’m
Sick of reading that players who Lennon always picks must be doing more in training nonsense, they clearly not doing it on the pitch! Play the new lads cause some of his blue eyed boys are not at the races.

 

He needs to be dropped a few games or at least rested.

He has been *, I know others have but his drop in form and legs have been alarming to see.