Coverage of Neil Lennon’s press conference was curated to show the manager angry and apparently confused about the health of his squad. The reason for his anger was omitted from the snippets available online yesterday afternoon, then mocked by those who should know better.
Neil clearly explained what upset him (full transcript from GlasgowLive). The country is following medical advice to maintain a 2m social distance. Football has followed this rule and it was the determining factor in isolating Ryan Christie and Kieran Tierney when they were within 2m of infected Stuart Armstrong with Scotland in October. Only Christie and Tierney had to isolate as the rest of the squad were not within 2m of Armstrong for any period of time.
Clubs across the UK have made travel arrangements accordingly, keeping a 2m distance between players where possible, or accepting the risk if packing them in any tighter. The 2m rule has been absolute and continues to feature in public health adverts.
What happened politically after Celtic left for Dubai is why you saw an angry Celtic manager yesterday.
On 5 January, Nicola Sturgeon used her daily PR conference to reference photographs of Celtic players in Dubai poolside, and while admitting she had no actual information to backup what she was saying, questioned if Celtic were following her rules. Celtic were following the rules, but that is irrelevant to the Show Trial the First Minister launched.
As Neil Lennon explained, the Scottish Government turned on Celtic, creating a brand new 3m rule for them, while every other club in Scotland with a positive case has been asked to observe a 2m rule.
This is the reason our number of excluded players was as high for the Hibs and Livi games. It is the reason we were subsequently forced to keep players 3m apart when travelling, or 3 players to a 52 seater bus. The rule change was not announced by the First Minister at her PR conferences and has not been forced on any other club, it was delivered below the radar on a vulnerable club with a baying mob (including former players who care nothing for us) ready to lap it up.
Despite the acres of gorging media coverage, no one has solicited a comment on Neil’s claim from the Scottish Government. The Celtic manager appears in front of the country’s media to explain how the Government apply one rule to Celtic and another to the rest of the country, and the headlines are all about his anger! Do you want Tony ‘Take it on the chin’ instead?
The First Minister is on the hook for this. She promised action on Celtic despite knowing they followed her rules, and she followed through with this 3m punishment. It keeps eyes away from her day job. But Neil did the inverted commas sign and he’s having a nightmare season, so some would rather mock, speculate about his mental health or drinking habits. I hope it’s worth the clicks.
Maybe my views were forged when the SFA’s Jim Farry had one rule for Celtic and another for everyone else, but I think the only acceptable reaction to this from a Celtic manager or supporter is seething anger. This is no different in execution or consequence.
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good morning CQN.
https://twitter.com/celticrumours/status/1351498248482131968?s=20
Full press conference from yesterday audio via Celtic underground.
This should all be a moot point. He should have lost his job months ago. MONTHS AGO !
Maybe’s aye
If the goalposts had been moved then why did Lawwell not take this up?
Right enough, he has a history of sweeping things under the carpet.
Null & Void
As the PR disaster continues, we perhaps overlook the ongoing on-pitch mistakes.
Rogic as a ‘striker’? That is baffling, the more you think about it.
Surely Mikey Johnston was the more obvious ‘striker’?
We’ve all said it before that our 2nd best 11 should be more than enough for the majority* of SPL teams, especially at home (*indeed up until about a season ago, i should have been enough to see off the current league leaders). However, it seems that outside the first XI or so, development has completely stalled.
What does Luca Connell have to do in order to get a chance?
Why has Karamoko’s career stalled? Ditto Ewan Henderson (who, to my mind, has never let us down).
There is certainly no production line at Celtic Park. Maybe it has something to do with the various changes to coaching staff/reserve set up.
If there’s evidence of this 3m rule I cannot for the life of me understand why our club wouldn’t release that? Added to our infamous dossier?
So what are the board doing about it?
Press conference at 3pm.
Lennon and Kennedy tied up on 10 year contract.
Season ticket prices to be increased by 50%. Pass to Paradise now £50 per game.
Willo Flood to be announced on loan.
Celtic Park to be used for the Scottish tractor racing championships next month.
Peter Lawell installed as CEO for life with £10m bonus.
Letter to be sent to Uefa asking for us to be able to move to EPL (or, if not, to have an Atlantic League).
Letter to be sent to EPL teams asking us to let us in to their league (if UEFA say its ok).
Letter to be sent to Championship teams asking us to let us in to their league (if EPL says no and if UEFA say its ok).
Letter to be sent to EPL teams asking us to let us in to their league (if EPL and Championship teams say no and if UEFA say its ok).
Letter to be sent to League 2 teams asking us to be let in to their league (if EPL, Championship and League 1 say no)
Hoopy the Huddle Hound to get a new kennel at Lennoxtown.
Call for unity to secure 10 in a row.
Paul 67,
If true on enforced 3m rule just for Celtic, then where are Lawwell/Bankier and the rest found to be defending the club?
This story isn’t just about SNP punishing Celtic to deflect bad news.
Paul
In that case get Lawwell and/or Bankier out on a 6:00 press conference tonight and produce for the world to see the evidence that we’re being treated differently.
Expose the Scot Government as charlatans with the evidence.
They all hate us anyway.
What’s stopping us? Getting blamed for the Huns not getting their ‘55’???
Opinion is divided on the subject Paul. You think it’s justified anger, everyone else thinks it’s delusional whingeing. Suffice to say, if this is one rule for Celtic, then thank god for that; otherwise the entire first team squads of Celtic, Hibs, Kilmarnock and Livingston could have been infected by our 2nd case.
Think we should be asking a question of the club hierarchy why it was left to the manager to call this out. A statement should have been released yesterday backing the manager, assuming what he said was factual instead we get radio silence as the club is dragged through the mire. The self destruct buttons have been pressed by both manager and CEO. How many points behind the huns are we?
Paul67
Why did our CEO not explain that in his statement (apology) last week , or did he leave it to Neil Lennon to do the dirty work ? Or did Neil go rogue ?
Yes, there may be evidence of double standards. Yes, the Scottish Govt may have questions to answer, however can we focus on the matters we can control?
1. Was this trip necessary/useful/advisable? In terms of its use, the returning players certainly didn’t look refreshed or fit v Hibs, although the fitness benefits of the trip may be difficult to assess in the context of that particular game.
No-one can possibly argue that the trip was advisable. Scientifically, the writing was on the wall for continuing or increased domestic lockdown. Morally, with all of us plebs unable to travel or to enjoy ‘one or two drinks’ in the afternoon, the optics aren’t great.
2. Have we handled the fallout well? Have we f***. Are Lawell and Lennon talking? Because the content and tone of the PL and NL comments are irreconcilable. We look all over the shop.
3. What of on-field matters? In relation to the match itself, should we have had enough to beat Hibs? Was playing Rogic up top a good idea? Is Hazard anywhere near the standard required?
Strategically, what about not securing FF? Letting CG leave? Why so long to discover the best midfield? Where are the young players coming through?
All you say is correct Paul67, however the vehicle used to put this new (damning for the Scottish government/Health authorities/SFA?) information in the public domain was the wrong one. Why do we have a PR Department, our own tv channel, website etc. as well as Board, Chairman and CEO but somehow used our football manager (and one under extreme pressure) to get the message out? The dysfunctionality within our club is breath taking, and when this is the case in any organisation, company, football club it starts from the top. Even if every word of Lenny’s was correct (he missed the target a few times) he should have no been the spokesperson.
Lastly regardless of what has happened I’m afraid the news conference by Lenny just puts the sprinkles on top of the cherry, on the cream on top of the cake of this disastrous season!
I can’t imagine Neil Lennon would have made this 3m up. The only reason I can think of that Peter Lawwell hasn’t mentioned it is that he is compromised by the 5 way agreement. If so, he should stand down. This matter of Celtic being discriminated against by the Scottish Government, never mind the MIBs, SFA and SPFL, is too serious to be ignored, if it is the truth.
And, if anyone is interested, I still believe Neil Lennon should resign but that is for purely football reasons.
If there is verifiable evidence of the different distancing being applied arbitrarily, and perhaps, retrospectively to Celtic only then let our Exec Team lawyer up and go public.
If it is just FaceTwit talk then it’s time to shut up about it.
Jobo – good to see you posting,
I’m with you. Is there evidence of this 3m rule? I’ve not read it anywhere but on here.
If there is then get it out there.
Paul67
So when is the official Celtic statement?
I’m sure ‘the board’ will back a football coach in his futile attempts to recover his position.
Disgusted CSC
Here we go: ‘ Opinion is divided on the subject Paul. You think it’s justified anger, everyone else thinks it’s delusional whingeing’.
Did you actually stop to think about what you were writing?
How can ‘opinion’ be divided if only one person’s view (Paul’s) view differs from ‘EVERYONE else’.
What a cretin.
In a nutshell…Should never have went to Dubai.Gross misjudgement.
The board aren’t slow at sticking the boot into Celtic fans if there is a suggestion of bad behaviour but they allow other fans and pundits to trash us . No chance that they would come out fighting against the government
Any news on who is our latest Covid patient -I’m desperate to know who will partner Rogic up front tomorrow… 😬
Hopefully whoever has tested positive is asymptomatic
This whole sorry sage surely puts a nail in both the CEO and the Manager’s coffin.
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“ We will not be treated differently “
John Reid
……..dearie me.
dearie dearie me
MUSTERS on 19TH JANUARY 2021 12:06 PM
Opinion is divided on the subject Paul. You think it’s justified anger, everyone else thinks it’s delusional whingeing. Suffice to say, if this is one rule for Celtic, then thank god for that; otherwise the entire first team squads of Celtic, Hibs, Kilmarnock and Livingston could have been infected by our 2nd case.
………………
WRONG !…
You do NOT speak for me in your post when YOU State ” everyone else thinks its delusional whingeing”.
I certainly do NOT think its delusional whingeing, and maybe there are others like me who feel the same ?
Go with a bang rather than a whimper.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cTq2Nzf_res/S0UgcIx9p0I/AAAAAAAAAKY/5DX-Azl9rNo/s1600/photo.jpg
I despise the Nats and have enough experience in my day job of their cynical PR that seems to have seduced the mass of the Scottish electorate (though not being a reactionary, incompetent English toff sets a pretty low bar).
However, Celtic’s position on this issue genuinely baffles me. If we are being shafted in this way (which I am quite certain we are), why wait until yesterday to say so? Why not come out all guns blazing at the time? And certainly when the CEO is giving an in-house, entirely self-managed interview? That bewilders me.
It also leaves the suspicion that we ourselves are guilty of PR deflection of our own diabolical mismanagement. Create an external enemy to focus on etc.
We do have those enemies and they will do us in given the opportunity. We’ve given them every opportunity this season with our own catastrophic negligence at every leadership level.
Fergus McCann didn’t leave it to the then manager to deal with Jim Farry.
Where are our NEDs? Our chairman? Our CEO?
The comparison is flawed and exposes more of our dysfunctional behaviours.
Better to die on your feet than crawl on your knees forever.
Call these bastard* out Celtic!!
THE BLOGGER FORMERLY KNOWN AS GM on 19TH JANUARY 2021 12:18 PM
Here we go: ‘ Opinion is divided on the subject Paul. You think it’s justified anger, everyone else thinks it’s delusional whingeing’.
####
‘Everyone else’?
Maybe this delusional thing is more widespread than you imagine, and you’re not immune to it.
Maybe when the dust settles it will allow ‘others’ to tell us their findings re the newco bounce game v DU and newco v motherwell friendly last July…?and how many attended the birthday party,how many were spoken to.I’m sure there are many people would like to know.