Neil Lennon

Most managers have a max 3 - 4 years of players buying into them before the players start to lose interest or get complacent/stale etc , especially when good players go and arent replaced with similar or better quality .
When quality new players come in the squad gets a lift and is freshened up , but we never seem to grasp this and are always looking for bargains or cast offs / loanees .
Lennys loyalty to certain players will be his and our undoing, he needs to get banging on peters door in the morning , at least 3 or 4 players of quality are badly needed !!

 

Problem is it won't be anyone else bar them.

 

I thought they actually played very poorly against us, to me we played very simple football and were cutting through them with ease most times we went up the park. Ntcham dancing past guys down the wing, Elyounossi and Christie despite taking too many touches still creating space for shots - we were also able to play the ball into them on the edge of the box just by passing it right to them on the ground. Nothing was really difficult. Taylor was getting in behind and balls into the box, Elhamed the same, Frimpong when he came on ghosting past people without a tackle.

They offered the game to us on a plate and we * it up. They allowed us to come through them at walking pace not even Hamilton, Dundee Utd or Kilmarnock done that.

The one with Forrest/Ehamed cant mind who as well with about 10 minutes to go, just went jogging right round their defence to the byeline and cut it back to the edge of the 6 yard box with no defenders in sight and we never had anybody there for a tap in.

 

That's why we need to focus

 

The full blame falls on Lennon tonight I’m afraid to say. Last weekend against United was a wake up call, again he failed to adapt and change things due to his stubbornness.

The opening lineup was incredible for a champions league lineup, no recognised striker whilst two were just sitting on the bench, even if they were not match fit surely even if you gave both strikers 45 minutes each would have been a better option if he insists on that * awful 433 formation.

Playing Christie up front made the lad look terribly average, he’s clearly not, he simply isn’t a striker, I actually felt sorry for him as he was chasing and trying everything, even his goal he was out of position as a Striker and more in his natural position.

Brown, what can I say? I hope I’m wrong in saying this but he looks like his best days are behind him unfortunately. Off the pace from the first whistle to the last, yet Lennon kept him on in another baffling tactical decision. I was surprised to see him on the pitch after the break.

Then there is the same issue I’ve had with Lennon since his first term in charge and that’s substitutes. Making 2 subs at 78 minutes whilst 2-1 down at home is just *. Especially when this season your entitled to 5, that means your tactics are more fluid than usual. If your tactics are not working there is so much more options available getting 4 on during the match should be relatively easy leaving that 1 left for an injury/card/extra time. You saw the impact Frimpong had coming on, if that sub was made 15 minutes before the impact could have been everything we needed. Elhamed done a fantastic job all night and run the ragged, their entire team were blowing out their arses after 60 minutes. Fresh legs and new ideas, instead just relied on old legs and stale ones.

Just not good enough I’m afraid.

 

A contingent part of us stopping the 10 was also an arrogant hun that thought it was a foregone conclusion.

Their players became complacent, they failed to keep the squad fresh and it created a perfect opportunity for us to capitalise on.

Let's hope we don't repeat their mistakes.

 

Pain in me bollox with it every year. It’s proper embarrassing

 

I think there's too much of an obsession with just being better than Rangers. Fed up of "Oh well, it will all be forgotten about if we scud the huns" as if we can't do both.

 

Can’t believe I’m saying it but I want him away. I’m * furious at his tactics, team selection, game management and even more so at his comments.

Couldn’t give a * if that was his last game.

Also, if there’s one thing I hate more than anything it’s the * that say we should just concentrate on the league.

It’s that attitude that results in us being so stagnant, and worse we are in decline.

If you make Rangers your benchmark in life you’re in * trouble.

 

During the last week I was hearing people talking about Lennie “doing well in adversity”, I used to believe that and certainly felt it was true to an extent in his first spell. I also caught myself buying back into it through wishful thinking there for a bit after the Bolingoli incident. But now I’m thinking, when the going got tough at Hibs he had a rammy with Kamberi then * off the board, not completely his fault, but he clearly didn’t thrive off of adversity. Now back here this season, he’s been able to rely on Rangers having * poor mentality their own behind the scenes problems which dwarf ours. After tonight, with the performance, the ineptitude on his part and his post match comments, I can definitely see this getting worse. Maybe it’s just fresh negativity.....

 

Also for Lennon to come out and do a Barca after the match is really unacceptable as the defeat was more of a tactical defeat than a lack of passion. Own up to your downfall don’t shift the blame on players your playing out of position, a player that’s past his best and a formation that does not suit our style of play, that’s on you Neil me lad.

 

His team selection for Sunday will be interesting and if Eddie is still injured surely not he will play Christie up front again .
If he does and we don't get the three points then think it will be mental in here .

 

If he isn't sacked he will do exactly the same sort of * against the next bunch of nobodys we face in the Europa league qualifiers. The last 4 games have been shocking im including the game against the part tiimers

 

Yep.

Plenty of Celtic fans would happily forget about Europe. Just all about winning the 10 and no more.

* embarrassing.

 

2 qualifications from 7 attempts is absolutley dreadful.

In these Champions play-offs we should probably be doing it 2 times out of 3 attempts, every now and again we will get a AEK or Cluj who are decent in defence and attack and it's not that bad to go out but to be knocked out by Maribor, Malmo and Ferencvaros who are really basic teams 3 times is terrible.

 

Not saying you're wrong but the counter argument to this is always 'the manager sees him in training every day, he must not be impressing'.

From what we have seen Klimala deserved a crack at it tonight but the fact he was overlooked for Christie, then Ajeti and never saw ANY game time suggests he doesn't have the confidence of the management.

The pressure has been taken up a notch for Lenny tonight, if he wasn't sure about Klimala before this then I'm certain he won't take many risks on him going forward, given the high stakes.

 

We’ve qualified 4 times in 10 years. It’s pathetic.

A club our size and with our money should be getting to the group stages 8 times out of 10. Braga are the only side in the last 10 years who you can stomach knocking us out.

After that, it’s the likes of AEK and Cluj. Grim.

 

Not a chance they’ll all go. It would be suicidal.