Will/is Neil Lennon as good as Gordon Strachan at Celtic.

Paul Le Guen was there for 4 months or so. After that it was Rangers greatest ever manager managing them in Walter Smith.

That's a fact.

Celtic's success btw, isn't built on the Huns.

 

Am I right in saying that Lennon did something that Strachan failed to do - get one over Walter (insert surname here)?

 

He didn't win the league against Walter Smith; however he is our only manager ever to manage against Walter Smith who had the better of him in Old Firm matches.

Only being beaten once I believe.

 

That's what I mean - as far as I can recall Strachan never put out a winning team in a derby game against Smith and won, whereas Lennon did?

 

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <wunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <wontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> Strachan beat Smith on four occasions.
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He did beat him, however he didn't best him over the course of a season.

 

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <wunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <wontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> Our success is most certainly measured against our competition. I wouldn’t consider 3 SPL titles in a league without the Huns to be any great achievement. More an expected formality.

In Strachan’s first two season, he had about as much competition as Lennon does this season.

Rangers finished 3^rd in 2005/2006, by many accounts one of the worst teams in their history. To think, that the Hun (with a 10 point deduction) still managed to finish comfortably in 2^nd place last season, gives you an indication of how poor they must have been in 2005.


<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <wunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <wontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]-->In 2006/2007, we were nearly 20 points ahead of the Hun by Xmas. By the time Le Guen got the sack, the league was already over. However, Smith managed to come in and half the deficit – indicating how easy we’d actually had it and that under a real challenge it would be much closer.

And of course, that proved to be true, for although we managed to win the title in 2007/2008 it was by the skin of our teeth – owed largely to the Huns’ crippling fixture schedule.

MON, by contrast, dominated every league he won against a Hun side at the peak of their financial terrorism.
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It also gives you a peak into how competitive the SPL was as a whole, I'm not arguing that Neil is better than Gordon. I'm saying you can't be using like statements like well Strachan played against Paul Le Guen.... so * it doesn't matter.

I don't measure our success in terms of if we're winning against the Huns. I measure our success in how we play, what we win and the level of ability that we have on the park.

Lenny will be proven in Europe.

 

Although it should be noted; Gordon Strachan was facing a European Finalist in the league; if you were measuring it in such a manner...

 

Cheers lads - was getting myself mixed up there

 

I still find it incredible how people cant quite see how much Gordon Strachan done for us. I didn't really like him as a person, but you cannot argue with his record. And for anyone saying but he was up against a poor Rangers side, as the saying goes, you can only beat what is in front of you. What he achieved for us in Europe was absolutely incredible.

 

As I said last night, I have only started to REALLY appreciate Strachan's tenure at Celtic by looking back on it now.

His record is fantastic and got us to a level in the Champions League that I personally had never witnessed before, and some glorious victories that are still etched in my memories.

I think the factors that perhaps influenced some of the younger supporters like myself were the fact that we had been blessed with Martin O'Neill's team of conquerors and the fact that some of us may have been swayed by the anti-Strachan views of our older generation who remembered him from his days at Aberdeen.

The football at times was not entirely pretty, and some of the results were shocking i.e. Bratislava, Benfica and CLYDE, but we achieved 3-i-a-r under Strachan, and that can NEVER be tainted nor looked down upon by our supporters nor critics from outside.

The last season on particular was poor, and I feel that Strachan should have left after he won the treble, but such is life.

Just happy now that we are on the right (and somewhat different path from Strachan's ideologies) at Celtic under the helm of Neil Lennon.

Lennon still makes some dodgy decisions and some dodgy tactics, but all in all he has cemented the club, cemented the support and cemented the players who are now about to embark on their forst proper Champions League adventure in about 4 years.

To quote the lovely Delia Smith......"let'sh be 'avin yoooooouuu......hicup"

 

These matches will tell

 

Lennon could have the potential to be better than Strachan, but WGS is without a doubt the better manager right now. Strachan is a tactician, Lennon is not.

 

He's not there yet, but I can see him being better in 3+ years if he's led us far in Europe.

 

Neil tried to bring in experience from his very first day, remember how he was trying to sign Bullard, Campbell and people of that ilk. The board or the players themselves didn't adhere to that, and the experienced players he has brought in were *.

Juarez, Ljunberg, Majstorovic, Cha - all of these were good signings on paper. Experienced international players, who had played for a number of years at a high level.
Lennon sadly was not to know they would all turn out to be at best, average, and at worst blithering incompetent idiots who make even the worst * look good.

IMO the one part of Lennon's management which absolutely cannot be questioned is his dealings in the transfer market. Although not all the credit can be solely given to him - he has been an unequivocal success and imo the best manager in Britain in terms of transfers.

 

The only possible argument that he is, or will be better is the "style" argument.

Personally really enjoyed Strachan's style, just as much as I've enjoyed Lennon's (as curious as some tactical decisions have been)

But come on people, using GPG records? The CL last 16 x 2 will not be beaten. In SPL terms he can only MATCH Strachan and not surpass (including now season's with dead huns)

I don't like comparisons, I loved Strachan, love Lennon. But let's be realistic.

 

When all is said and done, Lennon will quite comfortably surpass Strachan's domestic record.

Europe is another story all together.

 

loved strachan as a manager for us and i love lenny too but GS is easily a better manager!! lenny has alot to do before he is considered that good imo bhoys and ghirls

 

Havnt you just mentioned 4 signings which have been failures?? What about Murphy, Bangura , El Khadouri , Wilson , Kapo , Brozec ??? Thats 10 off the top of my head. Unequivocal success in terms of transfers ??

Lennon hasnt achieved anything yet. Couldnt win the title in the 1st year and was handed it on a plate last year. He has it on a plate now for the next 3 seasons also. Lets see how he does in the champions league were Strachan made it out of the group stage not once but twice ! Something MON couldnt manage once. Comparisons just now are just laughable as Lennon hasnt come close to achieving half the things Strachan did.