Act before talk of shaming the club

“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.