Neil Lennon

Performance levels dropping ≠ Failing. If it did then Rodgers had been failing for the best part of 2 seasons.

If peoples expectations were for a manager not only to come in and win the League and Cup but to improve the performance levels in spite of everything then that is quite high expectations.

The definition of failure is 'lack of success', we've won the League and are on the brink of potentially winning the cup. By very definition it's not 'failing'

 

I don’t recall saying he’s failing. If I did then apologies, it was poorly worded.

My point is that he’s come in and we’ve got worse. It just can’t be denied. The huns have more points than us since he came in. We’re barely scoring any goals. We’ve reverted to Hayes throwing in cross after cross to little success. Players look unsure of what their role is at times.

 

He's either responsible for the success and the failure or isn't. You can't have it both ways.

It's possible to be objective and give him the credit he's due for what he's done well and also critique the things that he hasn't done well. Doing so doesn't make you a Lennon lover nor does it mean you think he should get the job long-term; it's simply being objective.

 

the only big failing this season is going to the bigotdome twice this season and being outplayed twice with just a couple of shots on goal and thats a big worry as it seems they have found tactics to stop our midfield playing .

 

Don't think anyone can argue that the performances have dropped. It's certainly been a chore to watch at times. It's been ugly but we've got the job done.

I'll thank Lennon for stepping in at a difficult time and keeping our short and medium term objectives on track when the wheels could quite easily have came off.

We hopefully then bring in a top manager and kick on for next season.

I'm going to be honest and say that I'm embarrassed by some of the language and behaviour of some Celtic fans (not yourself) in the last month or so. I thought it was always the Huns that were petulant and had the sense of entitlement but we now have our fair share too.

 

AEK Athens. Squandered a golden chance for a 3rd year of CL football.

 

Totally agree, he came in at a time when I thought we might implode after the rat left. Instead only one defeat and in an almost impossiible position personally. I believe he wants the job, but his body language on the touch line suggests he has already been told its not him.
But is it so difficult being an interim manager whose remit was to get us over the line and hopefully win the treble with the minimum of disruption. If he gets the job, we will see a very different Neil Lennon in the dugout and a very different Celtic on the pitch.

 

Him and Garry Parker down at the West Brom villa game. West Brom without a manager the now.

 

Hopefully not there to sign Burke on loan again.

 

High pressure in your face football,always trying to be on the front foot very like Liverpool(not sure if theres a connection there).
Same as Ireland played under charlton.

Actually think that,s how we should play our games in Europe,as im sure you know it requires fitness,and discipline(or a dodgy ref)so some players just struggle with it.

 

I haven't ignored his points at all. I can see as much as any other Celtic fans we should be finishing our season in far more comfotable fashion. And it seems to me the basis of his arguement for not giving Lennon the job is based on how he has performed since Feb. It also seems to me another basis of his arguement is Lennon would be a step backwards - I can only guess that opinion is based on the standard of manager we employed last time round. I take all that on board.

Now I have taken your points about Lennon on board, let's look at our season as a whole. Just to make it a fairer assessment of the task Lennon has come up against.

•Manager fell out with the board at the start of the season.

•Our top striker left us before we could get a replacement.

•Boyata refused to play for us
whilst our other cb’s were injured.

•Jack Henry was playing week in week out with no other option to replace him.

•Worst start we’ve had to a season in 18 years. (due to problems behind the scenes)

•Most of our squad injured and been out for most of the season.

•Griffiths has been unavailable for most of the season.

•Manager left us half way through a season and left us with no one.

•Lennon came in to get the job done hasnt been able to win as many games as we had hoped

TO SUMMARISE: Lennon might not have set the world on fire since coming back but what he has done is maintain a standard that falls in line with the rest of our season. He hasn't made it worse, he hasn't made it better. He has kept everything flowing in a steady enough way. Like he has said from the off, he didn't want to change to much this stage of the season.

I don't mind Celtic fans having an opinion on not wanting Neil Lennon. That is fine but let's be fair when we access his performance. We cannot disregard all the circumstances of the whole season.


If he gets the job we would access him in a whole different way then. He will be the master of his fate. What tactics he uses, staff he employs, players he signs. This year he has had to work with someone else's team, training systems, tactics the lot.
Lennon came in. The task was very simple. Ensure we win the league and aim for the treble treble. He is one game away from mission accomplished.

 

The "leggy" excuses have ran their course.

 

What do those points have to do with Lennon’s performances? If anything you’re praising Rodgers and the job he did managing to get us in the position he got us in, despite all of that going on.

 

Rodgers caused half of that list, he deserves * all praise.

He signed Hendry and played him despite everyone and their granny seeing he was hopeless.

He dug his heels in and refused to let Boyata leave because he and his chief scout were unable to find a competent CB over several windows.

He then allowed Boyata to come straight back into the team after refusing to play during our biggest game of the season, which would obviously cause rifts in the dressing room.

He has overplayed players to the point of exhaustion and injury which has impacted our squad availability, McGregor, Tierney, Rogic, Edouard.

...and he picked nonsensical teams to go away to some of our toughest away games of the season. Kouassi, Gamboa, Hendry v Hearts at Tynecastle = loss. Hendry again at Rugby Park, loses his man for Kilmarnock winner = loss. Plays 3-5-2 at Easter Road with Izzaguire and Ajer as wing backs, knowing that Hibs threat and pace is all down the wings = another loss.

I know that you don't want Lennon as manager but it's incredible that you want to praise the man who caused many of our issues and not the man who was left to deal with them on the eve of one our biggest weeks of the season.

 

There was a few europa league games where we completley failed to turn up.

 

I don't think he's entirely wrong but I'm sure he's thinking a good few of our players have ran their course and things need freshened up. Just a kinder way of putting it imo without rocking the boat too much of a squad thats on the brink of stumbling over the line for a treble treble.

 

Where did I say I was praising him?

 

"If anything you’re praising Rodgers and the job he did managing to get us in the position he got us in, despite all of that going on."

 

Yeh, he listed points that were relevant to Rodgers time not Lennon’s when trying to praise Lennon for getting us over the line.

“You’re praising”. Not I’m praising.

 

There needs to be a bit of perspective in this, there has been disharmony in the club since last summer, whether that was because Rodgers intended to leave or disputes with players wanting to leVe it occurred,

We stumbled along till Christmas won the league cup and pushed on I think everyone had excepted there fate mid November and decided to push it out till the end of the season and we started to improve massively, however Rodgers left mid Feb and set us back, I think that Lenny was brought in not so much to change or challenge how we played but to galvanise the players and staff he even admitted that he keeps thing exactly as it was, it is players attitude that he’s managing and that no matter what they say has dipped dramatically.

We have not been at the races either until we are behind or towards the end of games when we’re drawing, or not at all as the two games at Mordor are anything to go by and that’s the bit that grips me.

I know that Lenny is there as a temp and probably felt a bit raw from what happened at Hibs, but he should have taken this as his and just done what he wanted changed what he wanted, because your dammed if you do and your dammed if you don’t, and right now we are neither one thing or the other and it shows in our performances.

For the future I would like another Same type manager were we have a more free flowing game rather than guts and thunder for me Steve Clarke would fit the bill, I think he has the same philosophy and skills we want in a forward thinking manager