Neil Lennon

Knew it, can remember Rodgers talking about it.

Don’t know why people think it’s a daft idea not helping your opposition prepare against you.

 

Exactly man.

 

Bit pointless when his selection and formation were predictable as *...

 

As if opposition managers work out the formation based on the order the names come on the team sheet. I don’t care if that’s Rodgers or Lennon or whatever, it’s stupid as *.

Never once haven’t been able to predict the formation it’s just a pain in the * trying to read it when you’re walking up from Dalmarnock station.

 

There was weekly debates on here when the line ups were coming out, the likes of ‘aye defo 352’ then turns out Ajers at right back.

Thing is, Rodgers would do a million small things like that, that would add up. His attention to detail was unreal, he covered every aspect to give as an edge no matter how slight it may be.

That’s the kind of manager you want.

 

Yeah but what I mean is the order of the names would never have changed those debates and even if somehow they did, just mix it up slightly, like put all defenders in to particular order.

Agree with regard to Rodgers attention to detail but for me it was a bit too far and just a pain in the * with zero benefit.

Sometimes people overthink.

 

Before that we would release it as the way we were lining up. If it even gives 10 minutes for the other team to adapt to a wee curveball you’ve put in then it’s worth it for me. And it’s a harmless change that at worst changed nothing of impact on our team. I like wee * like thatX

 

Especially when you have players at Celtic like Christie who could play Centre mid, attacking Mid, left and right wing. And Ajer who could play Right back or centre back. Forrest was going in at wing back some times.

As a fan, you didn't actually know sometimes what the formation was until the team started the match. And that undermines the opposition tactics pre match talk.

 

100% mate. If you release the formation an hour before the game it’s an hour of to get prepared that you’ve handed the oppositon. Instead of maybe that first 10 mins of uncertainty.

 

The point I'm making is that giving the players in non-numerical order doesn't actually change that.

You don't have to line them up GK, LB, CB, CB, RB, LM, CM, etc., but you can roughly put GK - DEFENDERS - ATTACKERS/MIDFIELDERS.

It's hardly giving the game away and it doesn't frustrate the fans.

Barkas
Welsh
Ajer
Julien
Taylor
Brown
McGregor
Christie
Elyounoussi
Edouard
Forrest

Could be a 3-5-2 Forrest and Taylor at RWB and LWB
4-3-3 Ajer at RB
4-2-3-1, 4-4-2 etc.

Absolutely nothing given away just marginally more convenient for the supporters to see who has been dropped. Opposition just re-order the line up like this on their whiteboard anyway once we release it in numerical order so you're doing nothing to them except making their assistant manager spend 10 seconds double checking what he wrote.

If you're planning something big like Ajer in midfield, Taylor at CB and McGregor LWB in a 3-5-2 (Don't ask why, maybe it's a big CL qualifier and you're Lennon and want to * it up?) then just release the line up as above and absolutely nothing is given away.

 

If, as you've said yourself, it frustrates the fans (us) to work out who is dropped and who's playing where...

Then it most likely frustrates the opposition team, who know even less about us, especially if its a European game.

 

First mistake here mate is to assume the opposition know less about us. Unfortunately that's the Lennon/Celtic mentality.

Opposition knows everything about us because they research us. They know what positions players play and if there's replacements or subs, they know where they're likely to go. If you go back particularly last season and watch how even * clubs like Ferencvaros adapted when we made predictable changes, it's clear they do their homework. Sparta Prague was probably the most obvious.

Secondly, it only frustrates us because we're checking our phones while getting off a packed train while trying to hide cans from the polis. In other words, the opposition aren't frustrated by it. They look at the list and write it in sensible order on their white board.

They're not sitting scratching their heads putting Barkas up front and Brown at CB because we put it in numerical order. They take 10 seconds to re-write the list in sensible order and then match it up to an expected formation on their whiteboard. Giving the list in the order I gave above doesn't change any of that. It doesn't reveal any formation information at all and doesn't change what the opposition do either. It only benefits me, half-cut, trying to find somewhere to have slash while working out if it's Edouard, Griffiths or both.

IMO it's a benefitless system that only annoys supporters.

 

To be fair, Brown played CB regardless of what his number or formation/position was meant to be.

 

Before that we gave it out as it was playing, he said * that don’t do that just put it in numerical order or something.

The point wasn’t numeracy, it was doing give our formation away.

 

I'm fine with that. I'm saying patch the numerical-order and don't put it in formational-order either.

Just roughly put players in their usual category but otherwise random, like I have above. Took me about 30 seconds of effort, doesn't give anything away and doesn't annoy the fans.

 

Don’t think it makes much difference, I quite enjoy guessing from just the list

 

I'm glad Lennon is still causing havoc long after he's gone

 

The damage he done will be with us for a long time unfortunately.

I daresay he'll be back for a third spell way before we get over the second. No doubt we'll be told to give Lenny time and he loves the club blah blah blah all over again.

 

Few days before Ange’s first game and he’s in the media.


What a predictable horrible *.

 

I don't actually disagree with what Lennon said, think Ange having an assistant manager he's familiar with would help a lot.

He just sounds so condescending saying it.