“I said to the players at half time that we were shaming the club at the moment and they had to go out and show some pride in the shirt”, the words of Neil Lennon to the BBC after the game on Saturday.
Pride in the shirt is a requirement any manager should ask of his team, and it is notable that the subsequent goal-scorers both have strong connections to the club, but it probably had little to do with the second half performance from Anthony Stokes, Charlie Mulgrew and our the impressive James Forrest. Calls to pride are limited in what they can achieve, genuine talent is far more effective.
At the AGM on Friday and again in his post-match comments on Saturday, Neil alluded to the fragility of his own position. Had the game finished 3-0 to Kilmarnock I think he would have walked away. This would have been a great pity.
Neil is learning on the job. He was not gifted the benefits of experience without actually having to work through difficult times as a manager. Before his thoughts turn to his own position, before our season is too far gone to save, he should recruit an experienced assistant. Someone who knows the challenges of working with a disparate group of players, who can deal with the challenges of a demanding board and supporter base.
The need for a mentor was evident 18 months ago and is screamingly so now. For the sake of Celtic, do the necessary.
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If you’re going to suggest Jeffries you may as well go the whole hog and appoint the Cardigan!!!!!
A mentor? Can’t agree Paul.
Someone coming in now would be seen as a lack of confidence in NL and would undermine his position.
It may be Neil needs help but it is now too late. It reminds me of Houllier coming in to help Roy Evans at Lpool – he was never going to survive that.
NL now succeeds or fails on his own account. PL meanwhile should be beating himself up at his failure to make such an appointment at the end of last season.
PS: In case it hasn’t been mentioned in the furore (sp) about our abject performance on Saturday the support was fantastic, so proud of each one of them!
hen1rik says:
17 October, 2011 at 13:44
‘The BBC are part of the establishment and if people think this documentary on Thursday will do harm to Rangers they are seriously deluded..’
What if they’re attacking Whyte, rather than the hun institution itself?
I’ve checked back, and its true even ole YouTube, can’t make ole Mo Bangura look good.
The 1 guy that would’ve fitted in to Lennons background team for me would’ve been Willie McStay…
cavansam \o/ says:
17 October, 2011 at 13:47
Briiliant suggestion…
hen1rik says:
17 October, 2011 at 13:44
Normally I’d agree but it’s not a BBC Scotland production, so I expect it to be a little more balanced. I doubt it will tell us anything we don’t already know though. May pull a few more heads out the sand.
I’d support thye role oif advisor/ mentor being brought into the Club. The right choice would be an old head with proven track record – David Hay, Robbo and “Brother” Walford as examples…..
The issue would be the reception given to whoever took the role………The Old media would overwhelmingly rubbish the process, rubbish celtic and destroy Neil along the way……..
Damned if we do….etc.
ernie lynch says:
17 October, 2011 at 13:47
hen1rik says:
17 October, 2011 at 13:44
‘The BBC are part of the establishment and if people think this documentary on Thursday will do harm to Rangers they are seriously deluded..’
What if they’re attacking Whyte, rather than the hun institution itself?
I wont hold my breath m8 TBH.. I’ve never known a rangers owner to get stick in Scotland…
bournesouprecipe says:
17 October, 2011 at 13:45
Agree,we dont need more occasionally fit players.
Paul67,
Do you think Lenny might regret not getting an older head, experienced hand in beside him to help in game situations ?
I don’t believe anything will happen before thursdays game and i hope with all my heart that we play out of our skins and win, galvanising our team/squad into performing for the rest of the season with a ruthless and determined gusto that sweeps all before them.
The treble’s still on you know!!!
That golden sky is long overdue.
bankie
Who gives a toss what the media say, if it helps the club, go for it I say.
Whatever we do , the media will crusify us, tis what they do.
Get El Tel in – a diamond geezer.
hen1rik says:
17 October, 2011 at 13:49
If Whyte’s game plan from day one was to put the huns into liquidation then the hun establishment will not stand in the way of anyone wanting to tell the truth about him.
seanbhoy69,
everybody on here has been saying after Mogga left he should be appointed in some capacity to help the new guy out. Wim Jansen benefited big time when he first joined and Davie helped him out big time so much so that it got him the sack as Jock Brown jealous.
Tommy Craig
maybe we should get a mentor in for Peter Lawwell!! Garry Cook not doing much these days, nor David Dein
Mentor is it?
You couldn’t do better than Ebbe Skovdahl, IMHO.
He knows the Scottish game outside in, and his C.V is world class….
…mmmmm…these e-Lites are stronger than they loooooooookkkkkkkk….
Hiro Nakamura says:
17 October, 2011 at 13:53
Good call
HH
gallagher says:
17 October, 2011 at 13:41
What will we do if we beat Rennes on thursday ?
Apart from celebrate :)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I posed a similar statement last night with regards to a regular poster on here who said he can’t get excited when winning, but hates hated getting beat….
confusedcsc
For the record, I was then advised to jump off a very tall building.
Big Vic 67 says:
17 October, 2011 at 13:54
‘maybe we should get a mentor in for Peter Lawwell!!’
Fred the Shred?
neveralone says:
17 October, 2011 at 13:47
A mentor? Can’t agree Paul.
Someone coming in now would be seen as a lack of confidence in NL and would undermine his position.
Absolutely agree. Regardless of the intention it would undermine NL. Win the league and it’s the new guy’s influence – lose it and it’s NL’s fault.
He’s a proud man and it’s time for him to find out if he is up to the job. Our role is to support him whilst he tries.
hates/hated
Sack Lawwell and bring in MoN as director of football ?
The Board should have said the only way he would get the job would be with an experienced no2/mentor type.IMO that horse has bolted,too little too late.Michael Laudrup for Head Coach,done very well with smaller clubs in La Liga with limited budgets.
A mentor should only be considered if asked for by the manager, and if he does it must be someone he has in mind. Forcing someone onto him will completely undermine him at a time he needs support.
ET
I want to agree with that.
While the Huns in the media are themselves being undermined by groups like CQN. My ideal would be to educate them into a strong position of impartial objectivity.
As fans this would leave us in a stronger position and help the Game to boot.
HH
Guys, I am heading to Milan for a couple of days with work
I will be free Wednesday night and looking to see if anyone
has any good suggestions on where to eat/drink ect
Thanks
brnobhoy
WGS
Do you think Neil needs help, and if so, who would be your choice?
Tommy Craigs record as a no 2,and getting the manager sacked is unsurpassed.
googybhoy says:
17 October, 2011 at 13:45
Och Goggybhoy I had almost forgotten about him!!!
CultsBhoy hates being 2nd says:
17 October, 2011 at 12:21
James F
I can confirm with 100% certainty that CFC Board keep very close tabs on RFC Boardroom activity. Trust me on this , it comes from Horses mouth once removed-as close a source as I have.
In my opinion Lawwell and co should keep An eye on the external environment. They also need to keep an eye on the internal environment.
Imy opinion they are too focussed on RFC. Hoping for a Rangers collapse doesn’t make a Celtic Strategy.
Like everyone else I will be delighted if it comes to pass. I may order some bunting for the house. In the meantime I’m looking for a winning strategy and major revision on current signing policy from our Board.
——————————————–
I would have been astonished of forehead had Celtic not known the severity of the situation at Ibrox, indeed they would have been derelict in duty not to know.
It was based on this that I could see no reason at all to change our main financial Strategy plank of break even. I appreciate as long as the players Rangers are paying rather than existing, never mind future creditors, remain, they will always be our main competitors but they simply cannot continue to do so.
I had a big smile whem Malmo beat them that widened further when Maribor did the same. The ability to borrow against UEFA money would have kept the wolf from their door. It has always been UEFA money that kept the wolf away and it shows the stupidity of depending on it.
I have no fear of 4iar, not because it might not happen but because of the nature by which it was achieved and the damage it has done to Scottish football. Tainted titles indeed.
But that still leaves Celtic with real world problems to resolve in in terms of what sort of club are we going to be with one of the main business support planks removed or diminished?
I’ve been one for going on about the Strategy (the finance one) being what needs to change before the negative impact of it can change, but I’ve remembered that a Strategy is itself subservient to whatever goal it serves and if ever their was a time to review that goal it is now.
The question that Celtic and our support need to be asking themselves is what exactly is our goal going to be in a much less hostile and indeed corrupt footballing environment?
We need to either revisit the old goal (anyone any idea what it was other than break even?) or invent a new one.
Everybody that I have spoken to in the last 18 months in matters of SFA reform or the Membership Scheme has the well being of Celtic at heart, but have been ploughing their own furrows because there is no “Supergoal” articulated that they can all sign up to, perhaps even at the expense of their own “groups” or individual goals if that were to best serve the Supergoal.
We are a club disunited because we are historically structured that way.
There is a technique for arriving at the Supergoal and from that the Strategy and then the supporting activities required to meet the goal.
the technique does however require the capacity to engage all stakeholders in Celtic, a capacity to help change the mindset on all sides that does not currently exist, but one that I am hoping, based on feedback, that the Membership Scheme will begin to create.
In the meantime the Celtic Board should be looking at the opportunities the upcoming crisis will provide. In Engalnd the Government has told football to sort itself out by February or it will step in. This provides Celtic with opportunities that do not currently exist as clubs stop using debt to overpay players. It might even open the door for a UK League. However all of that will take time.
In the meantime what must Celtic do to ensure we survive fit and well enough to take advantage of the opportunities that will arise?
In my view we should do what we have always done and that is depend on our greatest resource which is US.)
US is not the Celtic Board, not the CSA and other supporter Associations, not the CST, not Celtic cyberspace, not individual supporters.
US is all of them and the most damaging idea to Celtic’s future is that, inside the Celtic family, the Celtic nation, there is a “them” and an “us”.
Mistakes have been made sure, but honest mistakes by honest people on all sides doing what they honestly thought was right from top to bottom. That needs to be aknowledge and then put to bed if we are going to come through the storm not just unscathed but as a club with an ethos that the whole world will want to share because of its unique value to a world looking for a return to ethics.
(How’s that for an ideal?) ;)
Willie McStay for mentor,have you looked at his record with Ross County.God help us if that s the standard we are at.Slan
Occupy Kerrydale Street
Som mes que un club says:
17 October, 2011 at 13:56
I read that, obviously you didnae take his advice ;)
I’d play
………………………Zaluska
M Wilson…….Rogne……Mulgrew…….Matthews
………….Kayal……..Wanyama…..Ledley
…….Forrest………………………………….Commons
…………………………Samaras
empirestateCSC
fanadpatriot says:
17 October, 2011 at 14:02
Willie McStay for mentor,have you looked at his record with Ross County.God help us if that s the standard we are at.Slan
Go read my post again i didn’t say mentor….
men·tor (mntôr, -tr)
n.
1. A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.
2. Mentor Greek Mythology Odysseus’s trusted counselor, in whose guise Athena became the guardian and teacher of Telemachus.
v. men·tored, men·tor·ing, men·tors Informal
v.intr.
To serve as a trusted counselor or teacher, especially in occupational settings.
v.tr.
To serve as a trusted counselor or teacher to (another person).
——————————————————————————–
[French Mentor, Mentor, from Latin Mentr, from Greek; see men-1 in Indo-European roots.]
So, someone who you can call upon when you are having issues, doubts, misgivings, etc. Surely Lenny can always call MON or WGS if he wanted a word in someone’s shell-like, or a few words of wisdom?
Doesn’t have to be a formal position, does it?
Lycur