Neil Lennon **The Official Thread**

Without doubt a legend but as a manager I think he's going to be something very, very special.

 

We are all witnessing the making of a great Celtic manager, and a great Celtic team

 

I literally had no idea I was posting this until I pressed the post button.

Very strange indeed

 

Big Jock eat yer heart oot :icon_mrgreen:

 

Personally i think after a poor performance last night his coat is on a shaky nail. Put alot of pressure on for the home tie against barca now. 7 points out of the last 9 in the groups is a must, otherwise it's time for him to go. Realistically, as a sevco fan mentioned earlier on that SSB 'barca aren't even that world class' so losing a late goal like that is inexcusable. Nou Camp is a ground we should be taking 4 points minimum from.



AAAAAAye right, the guy is becoming more and more confident in his ability as a manager and it shows in the way his team works together.
Long may his success continue!

Celtic to the core.

 

Tactically we are getting better, would be nice if he started to apply more footballing tactics at home in the spl anyway. Watching Ajax tonight was good, they kept playing it out without fail, be nice to see us do that considering we have little to no aerial threat up front when samaras isnt playing, just a though be nice to see us be a bit more daring at home in the spl.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20102547

 

Instant sackable offence (racism). Why there isn't other managers like that (I'm lookin down your way EPL) is beyond me.
Well said Lenny.

 

It feels like the time when Martin O'Neill was manager again, where you think we can give anyone a game and we are regularly skelping Scottish teams.

In only 2 and a half years in charge we have had some amount of big wins

9-0 Aberdeen
6-0 Kilmarnock
6-0 Inverness
5-0 Hearts
5-0 Hibs
5-0 St Johnstone
5-0 St Mirren
5-0 St Mirren
5-1 Dundee Utd
4-0 Hearts
4-0 Hearts
4-0 Dundee Utd
4-0 Motherwell
4-0 Motherwell
4-0 Motherwell
4-0 St Mirren
4-0 Aberdeen
4-0 Kilmarnock
4-1 Dundee Utd
4-1 Aberdeen
4-1 Hibs
4-1 Raith Rovers
4-2 Inverness
3-0 Rangers
3-0 Rangers

Under Strachan we scored 4+ goals 27 times. Under Lennon we have done it 23 times so far in 69 less games. Strachan beat The Dead 3-0 once, Lennon done it twice. Strachan only scored 2 or more goals in a European game 7 times, under Lennon we have scored 2 or more in Europe 8 times even though Lenny has had 7 less European games.

Strachans 5 biggest wins against Hearts were 5-0, 3-0, 3-2, 2-1 and 2-1. Lennons are 5-0, 4-0, 4-0, 3-0 and 3-0.
Strachan 15-4, Lennon 19-0.

Strachans 5 biggest wins against Dundee Utd were 4-1, 3-0, 4-2, 2-0 and 2-0. Lennons are 5-1, 4-0, 4-1, 3-1 and 2-0.
Strachan 15-3, Lennon 18-3.

Strachans 5 biggest wins against Hibs were 4-2, 3-1, 2-0, 2-0 and 2-1. Lennons are 5-0, 4-1, 3-0, 3-1 and 2-0.
Strachan 13-4, Lennon 17-2.

Strachans 5 biggest wins against Kilmarnock were 5-1, 4-1, 4-1, 4-2, and 3-1. Lennons are 6-0, 4-0, 3-1, 2-0 and 2-1.
Strachan 20-6, Lennon 17-2.

Strachans 5 biggest wins against Aberdeen were 5-1, 3-0, 3-1, 3-1 and 2-0. Lennons are 9-0, 4-0, 4-1, 3-0 and 2-1.
Strachan 16-3, Lennon 22-2.

Strachans 5 biggest wins against Inverness were 5-0, 2-1, 2-1, 2-1 and 2-1. Lennons are 6-0, 4-2, 2-0, 2-0 and 2-0.
Strachan 13-4, Lennon 16-2.

Strachans 5 biggest wins against Motherwell were 5-0, 4-1, 3-0, 4-2 and 2-0. Lennons are 4-0, 4-0, 4-0, 3-0 and 2-0.
Strachan 18-3, Lennon 17-0.

Strachans 5 biggest wins against Rangers were 3-0, 2-0, 2-0, 2-0 and 2-1. Lennons are 3-0, 3-0, 2-0, 2-1 and 1-0.
Strachan 11-1, Lennon 11-1.

Overall the 5 biggest wins against those Top 8 SPL teams aggregate score is:
Strachan 121-28, Lennon 137-12.

Mental how in about 1.2 seasons less games than Strachan he's bettered really all his results.

Just to add in too, Lennon average SPL points per game total is higher than Strachans, his Win % is higher and hes won more European games than Strachan did and had a better record against Rangers.

 

Why is there always a comparison when we talk about Neil Lennon ,I would rather read his stats than his been put up against another, He is his own man.

 

Because perspective is important. Just as we could view it from another perspective and argue that all of those teams have gone backwards since Strachan was in charge, making it easier for Lennon.

 

How about a comparison between Neil Lennon's seasons?

He got 93 points in the league last year, and 92 points in the league the year before that.

He has gained 20 points from 10 games so far this season. With 26 games left, we will only equal last season's points tally by dropping a total of five points for the rest of the season; 1 loss and 1 draw. Meaning we'd have to win 24 games of the 26 remaining.

That ain't gonna happen. We will finish this season with less points than either 2 seasons previously. This will be down to the absence of Rangers from the SPL. Without their competition, we will inevitably drop more points this season, as has already been shown.

 

Also down to the fact we are using it as an oppurtunity to give younger players a shot and we are in the Champions League. Which has always been shown that you tend to drop points afterwards.

 

2006-2007, we were in the CL that year, After 10 games we had 28 points.
2007-2008, we were in the CL that year. After 10 games we had 22 points.
2008-2009, we were in the CL that year, After 10 games we had 25 points.
2012-2013, we were in the CL that year, After 10 games we had 20 points.

Unfair comparison? Maybe, seeing as the teams of 06, 07, 08, etc played in a stronger SPL, with not only Rangers as competition, but a stronger quality of player throughout the league. But we play weaker opposition now, so that makes our points haul so far this season stick out even more.

We drop points because we are playing youth? Below is a list of the youth players who made it into the line-ups in league games. Number in brackets is the time they were subbed on if they were not on from the start. We have a young team, so what counts as a youngster is ambiguous. I omit Forrest because he's a regular started. I include Tony Watt, though there's a strong case against his inclusion as he too is becoming a regular.

Celtic line-up against Aberdeen in matchday 1 of SPL:
01 Forster
02 Matthews
03 Izaguirre
25 Rogne
15 Commons
16 Ledley
33 Kayal (McCourt - 70' )
67 Wanyama
09 Samaras (Wilson - 55' )
10 Stokes (Murphy - 77' )
88 Hooper

Celtic line-up against Ross Country in matchday 2 of SPL
01 Forster
02 Matthews
03 Izaguirre
06 Wilson (Slane - 77' )
21 Mulgrew
23 Lustig (Watt - 64' )
15 Commons
16 Ledley
33 Kayal
67 Wanyama
09 Samaras

Celtic line-up against ICT in matchday 3 of SPL

01 Forster
02 Matthews (Bangura - 67' )
03 Izaguirre (Chalmers - 76' )
06 Wilson
21 Mulgrew
23 Lustig
20 McCourt
56 Twardzik
67 Wanyama
32 Watt
88 Hooper (Forrest - 65' )

Celtic line-up against Hibernian in matchday 4
01 Forster
02 Matthews
03 Izaguirre
06 Wilson
23 Lustig
20 McCourt (Commons - 74' )
49 Forrest
56 Twardzik
67 Wanyama (Irvine - 46' )
32 Watt
88 Hooper

Celtic line-up against St Johnstone in matchday 5


01 Forster
03 Izaguirre Booked (Rogne - 61' )
06 Wilson
21 Mulgrew Booked
23 Lustig
08 Brown (Nouioui - 79' )
15 Commons Booked
49 Forrest
67 Wanyama Booked
07 Miku (Watt - 58' )
88 Hooper

Celtic line-up against Dundee in matchday 6
01 Forster
02 Matthews
03 Izaguirre
06 Wilson
21 Mulgrew
08 Brown (Ambrose - 86' )
15 Commons (McGeouch - 73' )
49 Forrest
67 Wanyama
11 Nouioui (Watt - 65' )
88 Hooper

Celtic line-up against Motherwell in matchday 7
01 Forster
03 Izaguirre
04 Ambrose Booked
06 Wilson
21 Mulgrew
23 Lustig (Ledley - 79' )
08 Brown Booked (Samaras - 67' )
15 Commons (Miku - 74' )
49 Forrest
67 Wanyama
88 Hooper
Celtic line-up against Hearts in matchday 8

01 Forster
03 Izaguirre
04 Ambrose
06 Wilson Booked
21 Mulgrew (Ledley - 32' )
23 Lustig (Miku - 79' )
15 Commons
49 Forrest
67 Wanyama
09 Samaras
88 Hooper (Kayal - 70' )
Celtic line-up against St Mirren in matchday 9

01 Forster
02 Matthews (Lustig - 75' )
04 Ambrose
06 Wilson (Izaguirre - 46' )
21 Mulgrew
16 Ledley
33 Kayal
67 Wanyama Booked
11 Nouioui (Miku - 57' )
32 Watt
88 Hooper
Celtic line-up against Kilmarnock in matchday 10
01 Forster Booked
02 Matthews
03 Izaguirre
04 Ambrose
06 Wilson
21 Mulgrew
15 Commons (McCourt - 63' )
16 Ledley
33 Kayal (Hooper - 46' )
49 Forrest
07 Miku (Watt - 72' )


So if you count them, there have been 12 instances of a youth player being involved in a league game this season. Omit Watt, because if you're good enough, you're old enough, and Watt is good enough. Then there are 6 instances of a youth player being involved in a league game this season, 4 of which were as substitutes!

So in 10 league games we've had 6 appearances of youth, 4 of which from the bench. This seems like a normal amount of inclusion of youth. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this doesn't show we have changed our policy this season when it comes to fringe youth and the 1st team.

Let's look at the games where we actually dropped points.

2 points dropped against Ross Country
-Slane came on for 13 minutes.
2 points dropped against Hibernian
-Irvine came on for the second half
3 points dropped against St Johnstone
-no fringe youngsters played
3 points dropped against Kilmarnock
-no fringe youngsters played

So Slane's 13 minutes in Dingwall caused us to drop points? Even though we were losing when we came on and we finished with a draw?

Basically all you have is that irvine played 45 minutes in the game we dropped 2 against Hibs. But his involvement, his replacing Wanyama, was it not due to injury, rather than a policy of giving youths a chance?

 

So the point was, No Rangers is the route cause of our lower points haul, not the CL, not the youth.

 

i dont care how many points we have, as long as its the most in the league.

 

Neil Lennon cares how many points we have. Neil Lennon called last season progress because we got more points last season than we did the season before.

I care, too. Because how many points we have is directly linked to how many points we lose. It's directly linked to the amount of times we go to Parkhead and witness the performance we saw against Kilmarnock.

Of course the league is a forgone conclusion, so if you all you care about is the fact that we have enough points to win the league, then why bother turning up on a Saturday? Why bother tuning in on your television or radio? Because part of following a team is enjoying a game of football. It's witnessing improvement, witnessing the progress Neil Lennon talked about. And this season, progress, improvement and performance has been poor in the league. The measure of these things is points. That's why you are supposed to care about how many points we have.

 

The improvement in Europe far, far, far, far, FAR outweighs the regression in the league.
If we were * altogether I would be very concerned and angry, but when we're skelping billionaires in Moscow and holding the greatest team ever for 92 minutes, I tend to give less than half a * about Kilmarnock.

 

I agree. I'm not all that concerned. I just think the stats made for interesting reading. The interpretation that Rangers' absence makes us weaker in the league is supported by facts and I just find it fascinating how that is so.

The results and performances in Europe have been delightful. I'd rather we do well in Europe and * in the league because we're gonna win the league anyway.

 

I dont really blame Lenny for our SPL form dip. We have always had horrible Euro hangovers in good Euro run years. Bottom line is Lenny has practically been handed a 'cant lose' card with Rangers gone so it doesnt really matter.