Neil Lennon's honesty to the Press

negaitivity at every turn on here. Lets just see how Lennon gets on this season without putitng little negative soundbites out

 

I'm not trying to be overtly negative here people, I just find the way he has speaking as very strange and can't believe other people haven't seen it too. Seems like he is being undermined at times also or at least doesn't know how to answer some questions as he'll have to ask the boss...

 

hes never not answered a question or claimed he doesnt know the answer "he'd have to ask the boss"

 

Unless he was told differently McGeady was playing, was his words. I think he was told differently.

 

He stated quite clearly why McGeady wasn't playing. You believe one part but not the other. Thats what you are saying. At no point did he not know how to answer or claim not to know.

 

I said it seems like he doesn't know the answer to the questions being poised, I wasn't quoting him as saying he doesn't know.

“Unless I'm told differently, Aiden is playing, unless something happens with him in the next 24 hours or so,” Lennon told the Scottish Sun. “I don't know if he'll be over the line with a deal or not. But he is still a Celtic player.

“I haven't spoken to him since America, but he has to put everything to the back of his mind and concentrate on playing football for us.

“He has trained with us and he's a naturally fit boy. Judging by the way he trained, he is ready to start the game.”

 

Can see no problem with any quote from Lennon there.

 

Well in relation to my original point, Lennon said that the boy would play unless he was told differently. Hence the reference to him seemingly having to ask the boss - which you questioned.

This is hard work, it's like arguing for the sake of fricken arguing.

 

So where does honesty turn into naivety here?? I don't get it at all. He was honest in saying that if the players situation changes he may not play....at the time he said he had a chronic back pain so didnt play. He also didnt feature match in emirates cup again cited as a back pain.

Its no secret he might be leaving so no point in feigning injury.

 

Well maybe a standard managers response would not be so honest about the situation. I now know that Lennon wanted him to play, I now know that he didn't get what he wanted and there is now suspicion of him being undermined from above, or McGeady feigning injury. I'm not complaining as such about this, I'm just saying I find it a strange approach to be so honest and frank about your feelings on a sensitive matter such as this, as he is with his frank admission of his transfer dealings.

 

I don't think there is any suspicion. He was quite clear and its perfectly clear why hes not playing tonight. Some folk just like to look deep into things and look for negatives.

 

The situation clearly is that Celtic are looking to move Aiden McGeady on. It's likely that McGeady playing in the Champions League for us might prejudice that move so he has gone over to Russia to talk terms instead of being here and playing against Braga. In a perfect world Neil Lennon would have liked Aiden to play in this match but because he's in the middle of sealing a move away from the club he won't be.

I don't really see any great problem with what Neil Lennon has said on this subject and I don't really think he's being undermined either.

 

MalteseMick , you do have a point but it's an issue that's not going to be won or is worth arguing over because it will be seen as trivial when results on the pitch are all that matter but here's my reading of it anyway..

Aiden told Lenny he wasn't fit to play against Arsenal because he picked up a calf strain , which must have occured between being subbed in the Lyon game and sometime before kick-off the next day.. Lenny did an interview which I heard on radio scotland on Monday and it had him hesitantly saying he thinks the calf strain was genuine , saying "Aiden's not the type of guy to feign injury , in fact he's the type of guy who wants to play games".. were his words..
To be honest it didn't convince me and I felt Celtic had been made aware of Spartak's interest on Saturday night and Mcgeady was pulled from the game purely to keep him injury free.. (arguably the same thing had happenned days earlier in Portugal for the Braga game)

Was watching Lenny's interview on CH67 from yesterday and he sends mixed messages out about the money that they hope to rake in.. When asked what percentage he'd like to be able to spend of the Mcgeady cash (if the deal goes through) he replied "Id hope to get it all" and then later in the interview he says that all money that comes in through playing goes back out through playing so all the money would be availabe to him if required.. Asked if he'd been told this he replied "Yes I have been"...

It doesn't bother me whatever way he deals with questions or if it sounds like he's almost tripping himself up by trying to give 100% accurate answers when he's not quite sure himself of the situation...

The one thing Im sure of is that when Lenny speaks whatever he's saying is for the benefit of the club even if he's slightly twisting things..

 

can't argue with that jiko, as I said I'm a Neil Lennon fan and my comments come not from criticism but of empathy.

 

maybe its just me but i much prefer a manager who just tells it as it is. All this not answering the medias questions really annoys me, harry redknapp is another manager who isnt scared to admit if they are in for a player and just tells it as it is

 

I have no problem with a bit of honesty, Lenny's a breath of fresh air

 

lennys handled death threats,verbal abuse,physical attacks etc-im sure he can handle a few pish stained journos tryin to load questions!

 

It wouldn't be the first time in an important game a manager has said that a certain important player would play only for him not to be playing. The way I saw it was that Lennon new fine well McGeady would not be playing but saw the question as an opportunity to keep the opposition manager guessing on his team selection. Nothing wrong with that. I think Lenny has been handling the press really well for such an inexperienced manager.

 

Doesn't hurt to discuss 'big' signings when there are season tickets to be sold. Couple that with Lenny's genuine honesty and I think thats the reason.

I feel like we know where we stand with Lenny.