There is a bit of irony with Celtic so bereft of creativity at the moment, having Marian Shved and Ryan Christie both at Lennoxtown but unable to play. Shved, 21, will be eligible to make his Celtic debut next season. It did not work out for him as a teenager at Sevilla, but he has been a player of promise since his school days.
Ryan Christie looked like he would never make his Celtic breakthrough, but a series of injuries presented him with an opportunity at the League Cup semi-final against Hearts at Murrayfield, which he transformed from a taut occasion into a comfortable win.
Hearts, who we play on the final league game and in the Scottish Cup Final, are going through a torrid run of form, but their task at Hampden will be to block and frustrate the champions. An infusion of creativity from somewhere will be required.
Many thanks to those who participated in the auction for tickets for Sunday’s game, the winner paid £960 to the Celtic FC Foundation, a magnificent total.
258 Comments- Pages:
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EDDIEINKIRKMICHAEL:
Utter nonsense.
Where did I say that I was worried about the prospect of Lennon losing the league to Gerrard? Lennon is a third rate manager but Gerrard would struggle to get on the third rung of the ladder. Any half decent manager with Lennon’s resources will clean his clock and no mistake.
Hey, it was someone on here, in the Lennon camp, who touted Gerrard as the tactical genius who is so good he wouldn’t have been beaten at the weekend with Guardiola in charge of our club. I said that was absolute guff and it is. Because a proper tactical approach to that game would have produced a different result. Lennon got it bang wrong on the day.
I do believe we’ll be RISKING 9 in a row with him in charge, and for a multitude of reasons. None of them is related to how wonderful Gerrard is; his jacket should already be on a shoogly nail and I’m glad that it’s not. His humiliating departure from Ibrox with boos ringing in his ears is certain at this point.
This is not about him, and again it’s a deflection tactic to try and make it about him.
One question and one question only matters here;
Is Lennon the best we can get?
And if you conclude – as you must – that the answer is no then his appointment is a backward step and it has not put us in the best position we could be in to secure those titles. And as such I will regard it as a scandalous one whether it succeeds or fails because he didn’t deserve to get it.
I also think that nine in a row and ten in a row aren’t the only factors to consider; our club has moved in a decisive direction towards a modern European model and it would be an enormous setback that will cost us years if we cast that aside whether we win those titles or not.
There is more at stake here than just Neil Lennon or the next two years.
Respect and admire Neil as much as I do, I’ve not been advocating him for the gig. Fear for us and him I guess.
Yet amidst all your comments I’ve just begun to wonder…Do we think our beloved Lenny would keep his hand up for the job if – well knowing the stakes and what fuggen it up would mean for us all – he even remotely doubts he could readily see us to 9 and 10. I mean, seeing how quick many turned on BR, Lenny would be well aware of what bloody-mindedness could reap – I suspect he’s much more self-aware than that.
(PS my confirmation name was well-picked as Thomas!)
THE HANDS CANT HIT WHAT THE EYES CANT SEE on 16TH MAY 2019 1:48 PM
“He is. Are we in some Trumpian world where facts are debatable?”
Just for clarity, are you happy to refer to Brendan Rodgers as the “manager sacked from Reading winning 26% of games”?
How about “manager with a lower win percentage than Neil Lennon”
Both are objectively true. You can cherrypick facts and remove all context if you like.
On Wagner:
The German, who defied the odds to lead Huddersfield to survival last season, has agreed a deal that ties him to the club until 2021 and is worth more than £2.5m a year
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/may/30/david-wagner-signs-new-contract-huddersfield-manager
Year on year EPL salaries increase. Managers are no different.
I stand by my comments on the SPFL. I don’t think the idea of managing 3 times a year against St Mirren or Hamilton Accies will excite top managerial prospects. If any of them have an option to go to a top 8 European league then generally they will. There is currently 1 managerial vacancy in the EPL but expect that to grow across the other top leagues once their seasons all reach their conclusion this weekend.
I’ve never advocated NL as the only choice. I actually wanted Steve Clarke initially. But the only people publicly declaring interest in the job are Carvahal, Billic and Moyes right now.
THE HANDS CANT HIT WHAT THE EYES CANT SEE on 16TH MAY 2019 12:41 PM
We have a CEO on £2.5m a year (the average FTSE 100 CEO earns £3.93 million per year and those companies have revenue in the billions). I think we can have an expectation, given that we are a “well run club”, that our executives are out in the market looking for a equivalent (or as close as possible) level of manager to Brendan; we have, after all, just received £9m from Leicester for Brendan’s services.
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Its all well and good, and our financial situation is as good as its ever been, but it may not always be enough to convince a progressive European coach to leave his current employment for, at best, a modest increase in wages and a summer holiday cut by 6 weeks. Because by definition, progressive and successfull European coaches are doing what they do and making progress themselves to bigger leagues. Their path is planned and Rodgers leaving Celtic wasn;t going to change Marco Roses move to Germany.
And therein lies the problem. Many of our fans who are don’t want Lennon to get the job had Marco Rose as the poster boy for this fabled ‘progressive’ approach.
Now, hes taken a job in the Bundesliga and that was probably all part of his plan for years at Salzburg. A natural move. He’d have seen us as a sideways move.
So having 10 weeks to decide on a replacement for Rodgers sounds like a long time but the reality is coming to Scotland is not an easy sell for high profile managers.
Maybe we will still be able to land a ‘name’, but a lot has to fall into place. Being unemployed helps. Alternatively, we’re looking at an up and comer.
Given the lack of suggestions, and the difficulty in getting any manager out of a big European league, are we looking at a Deila style appointment?
At what point do we say our search is taking us to managers to who be a far bigger risk than Neil Lennon, who was the manager the last time we overachieved in Europe and built his team on a shoestring?
HH
HH
@ TIMALOY29 on 16TH MAY 2019 2:23 PM
Happy for you to quote those facts about Rodgers. Does anyone think Neil gets close to Brendan though or that Neil is in the same class of manager?
I will accept that “we couldn’t find anyone/Neil was the best candidate available” if we go out this summer and invest in the team. However, if we have a summer like the ones that have passed I will assume that the board have little ambition and that approach also extended to their managerial search.
I don’t particularly enjoy watching Sevco come closer to us, but each to their own. At least they can’t get close to that £50m in the bank (wellnot at present; however, it will be gone in the next two years).
Hello Bhoys
Not been on in a long time .
Just had a text from a friend in Newcastle , a big Magpies fan to tell me Rafa to Celtic is a done deal . Dont shoot the messenger . HH
Which Celtic player did you pretend to be when you were younger?
https://twitter.com/CelticXtra/status/1128735548410028037?s=09
…….so Moyes it is then……
16 Roads
I was always Tommy Burns. Pity i was right footed
If no one else wants to do it, here are three names from 3 clubs doing as expected or better domestically outwith the big leagues:
Sporting Braga – Abel Ferreira
Piast Gliwice FC – Waldemar Fornalik
AZ Alkmaar- John van den Brom
Try it yourselves. Take 15 mins, Go to soccerway [.com] and look ouwith the big leagues, look at clubs high up (preferably!), see who the boss is.
Lots of question marks about the above names and would any be less of a risk than Neil Lennon?
Try it with the bigger leagues and see if theres any you think are ‘gettable’.
Wonder what the Atalanta manager is earning? Probably a pointless exercise, given the chances of attracting him to Scotland.
Bit of an eye opening exercise for some, maybe.
HH
Trad- I would take a foreigner,with a good current record,but I want a guy beside him who knows this league,and the cheating involved in it,to keep him right,and call it out.HH
CONEYBHOY on 16TH MAY 2019 2:59 PM
—————————————–
The Maestro is leading the team onto the park on Sunday, with the league trophy.
You just know Tommy Burns will be there in spirit.
HH. ?
I have no problem with who the manager will be, with the exception of Moyes really, NFL is a risk just like any one else we get. Basically he’s had since Brat Rodgers left to show us what he can do, and his only discernible task has been to motivate the players. putting it mildly weve had one good performance by the team under his tutelage, thats why its a no from me.
There are many on CQN who devote time to telling us all why we cant get someone, defeatist enablers for the PLC board really.
Whilst its only rumours, the fact that we are apparently talking to some “higher profile” managerial candidates is heartening and from someone who is usually sceptical of the board i give them great kudos for that.
being the eternal optimist i think this summer is the spend from the rainy day fund weve been looking for.
F all this doom and gloom anyway.
Trophy presentation @ Paradise on Sunday, the eighth title on the bounce.
Cup final on the 25th of May, a significant date as it is, with the opportunity to make unique history that won’t ever be replicated.
We are Celtic, and this is our reality.
Hail! Hail! ?
Paul, maybe you could have titled the article “Creativity getting kicked / elbowed/ head butted out of scottish football (again )” By whom? Well last season it was Jason Stockley with a sleight of hand and this season Dominic Ball and this week Jon Flanagan. These players from another country should have the finger of blame pointed at them. However our anti-scottish media prefers to protect the thugs and their compliant managers. God bless Ryan Christie. The only good thing that came out of Edinburgh was James Connolly.
Rafa will only come if we sign Salomon Rondon from West Brom…
James Forrest…
…”Hey, it was someone on here, in the Lennon camp, who touted Gerrard as the tactical genius who is so good he wouldn’t have been beaten at the weekend with Guardiola in charge of our club.”
Get your facts right…BSR did not mention Guardiola…and didn’t suggest Gerrard was a tactical genius…
Very SMSM from you…
!!BADA BING!! on 16TH MAY 2019 3:14 PM
Trad- I would take a foreigner,with a good current record,but I want a guy beside him who knows this league,and the cheating involved in it,to keep him right,and call it out.HH
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Good point.
Whoever gets the job, we will be able to look him up and see what his record is. We may not be in a big league but we are big enough that there will be a plethora of details about our new manager available for us to pore over when the time comes.
Which also means that those details are available right now for all the prospective candidates.
And if some are being so vociferously anti Lennon it should only be a small ask that they take a few minutes and put a few suggestions out there, and strengthen their own case in the process!
I am not saying it should be Lennon but the realities of trying to get a high profile manager in are being completely ignored by too many.
Once Marco Rose was out the running there was a lot of anti Lennon talk and not much substance about the way forward.
The names I put out there are pretty left field and would represent a huge risk, a risk I dont think we’ll take going for 9IAR.
With the difficulty in getting a manager from a big league, it really becomes a narrow field.
HH
I think attractiveness comes in many forms.
Some managers have all the money already that they can spend and want a shot at winning things.
Other are interested in a legacy.
Some are at the start of their careers, and want to make their name.
Others need to restore a once great name.
There are some who might fancy Ligue 1 better, but who Celtic could offer Champions League football, trophies and even a better salary to.
It just depends on what you’re selling and how you’re selling it.
The package has more than money in it, and it’s about more than just wet Wednesday’s at St Mirren. You can get wet Wednesday’s in Bournemouth and Las Palmas as well. (Obviously not as many in Las Palmas!)
Every league has those kind of games … the SPL Is not unique.
So the “new” scotland manager has been suspended for 2 games for calling out the refs that are employed by the same organization that wants tae hire him. If he accepts it he can’t say cheerio tae his current clubs supporters, wonder who they’re playing on Sunday.
He should tell the scottish freemason association tae ram it.
JAMES FORREST on 16TH MAY 2019 3:46 PM
I think attractiveness comes in many forms.
Some managers have all the money already that they can spend and want a shot at winning things.
Other are interested in a legacy.
Some are at the start of their careers, and want to make their name.
Others need to restore a once great name.
========================
Lots of talk about names.
But no actual names.
If you care to venture any, we will consider them.
;)
HH
Trad-Totally agree,EPL managers won’t look at the Celtic job,the Rafa stuff is pie in the sky for me,although he will probably use it to get a better deal out of Ashley,I think it will be Moyes,because he still has a reasonably high profile in England,and Lawwell and Co like that.
TRADITIONALIST88:
You were doing just fine earlier mate, you don’t need no help from me :)
You came up with three good ones!
TONTINE TIM on 16TH MAY 2019 3:50 PM
So the “new” scotland manager has been suspended for 2 games for calling out the refs that are employed by the same organization that wants tae hire him. If he accepts it he can’t say cheerio tae his current clubs supporters, wonder who they’re playing on Sunday.
He should tell the scottish freemason association tae ram it.
Given Clarke’s previous,speaking out about a lot that is wrong in Scottish football,referees,Compliance Officer,appeals etc,he might be a wee bit compromised by taking the Scotland manager’s job……HH
!!BADA BING!! on 16TH MAY 2019 3:53 PM
Yes, its our kind of appointment, and he has been in attendance at a good few matches in Scotland recently. Maybe hes going for the Killie job :)
HH
THE HANDS CANT HIT WHAT THE EYES CANT SEE on 16TH MAY 2019 2:38 PM
@ TIMALOY29 on 16TH MAY 2019 2:23 PM
Happy for you to quote those facts about Rodgers. Does anyone think Neil gets close to Brendan though or that Neil is in the same class of manager?
____
The stats suggest they are quite close. Lennon has better win percentage and goals conceded per game. Rodgers better goals scored.
But all stats are incredibly close.
I felt that Brendan Rodgers teams exerted more control over games and the team played in a more coherent attacking style. He didn’t have much success with anything else outside of his 4-2-3-1 but it worked often enough for that not to matter.
I felt like the increase in control lead to more consistency. Even though his win percentage was slightly lower he didn’t have any surprising defeats domestically.
Lennon had a few gob smacking defeats like Ross County in the Scottish Cup and Kilmarnock in the league cup final.
Rodgers was a bit too rigid and wouldn’t change the personnel to deal with specific threats (Physical style of Hearts on a bad pitch? Let’s play exactly the same!)
The two points maybe linked.
JAMES FORREST on 16TH MAY 2019 3:54 PM
I think in 2 weeks time we will all be put out our misery one way or the other.
And then we can start arguing about signings :)
HH
There’s approx 1000 professional football clubs in Europe. We are comfortably in the top 5-10 % when it comes to size on all the usual measures. I think we are underselling ourselves if we think we can’t attract a top manager. There are only 20 or so who have any real aspirations of European glory and who are genuinely considered good enough to move from one elite club to another. English clubs have been plundering the Iberian mngmt market for years now with great success much to the detriment of English managers. We need to cast our net wide – there’s plenty of talent out there that would fancy three years with us before hoping for a move South.
We are the 42nd in terms of most valuable brands and we are 25th in terms of brand strength, surely that will work in our favour when it comes to attracting a manager.
As for those “better” Celtic supporters out there, do you think for one second the much maligned board arent thinking ahead, they may not action a lot of their thinking but im convinced they are.
Trad- He was sitting along from me at the Killie game,with his brother Kenny,who is his agent………..
DENIABHOY on 16TH MAY 2019 4:00 PM
Again, the numbers game makes it sound straightforward, but look through a few leagues and read up on the highest placed ‘gettable’ manager and the inevitable conclusion is very often….too risky.
Of course, we may disagree on the highest placed ‘gettable’ manager – I am working on the assumption that we are not going to go to Portugal and get a manager from Benfica, Sporting or Porto, likewise in Holland from Ajax, PSV or Feyenoord, and that getting any manager from any of the big leagues is unlikely.
Really narrows the field.
But I’m open to suggestions, as are we all I’m sure. Its interesting if nothing else.
HH
!!BADA BING!! on 16TH MAY 2019 4:07 PM
Trad- He was sitting along from me at the Killie game,with his brother Kenny,who is his agent………..
====
Its decision time you feel anyway and hes probably in the mix alright,
HH
Trad- They will have had 3 months come Cup Final day to have it sorted,26 May announce who it is and support him,and the Board need to back him too.HH
The thing is, those guys arguing about stats are arguing only about one element of this.
There’s more to consider here than just Lennon’s record as a boss, and whether or not he’s likely to see off Gerrard. There’s a lot more to this.
Our club has moved significantly forward in the last four years – and yes, under Ronny too. It was Deila who brought certain European, modern footbaling attitudes to Celtic Park and Brendan benefited from that as much as anyone did. That old school “players eating pies and crisps” nonsense was dispensed with under Ronny and a lot of major structural changes brought in behind the scenes.
Lennon isn’t interested in the sport science aspect of the game. He doesn’t value players as atheletes first, and I don’t need to demonstrate that as there are numerous examples of it. In an article last week or the week before I highlighted his long-term view on academy development which he does not rate and which he’s expressed over and over again, even when his view is demonstrably wrong.
He is too lax on the players in terms of their lifestyle choices, and too critical of them over what they do on the park, where he has steadfastly refused to accept any responsibility for performances. He blames fatigue – perhaps he shouldn’t give them so many days off, but that’s just me – and or he blames them or the previous manager’s tactics … a little self anaylsis would be welcome.
Something bad happened at Hibs. Something we didn’t get to the bottom of. I hear stories, none of which I’ll repeat, but there’s no doubt he lost the dressing room and the confidence of almost everyone at the club and anyone not worried about that needs to get real.
If something he did there was serious enough to warrant his suspension it might be serious enough to disqualify him from getting this gig, that just on its own.
The NDA both parties signed and the statement which accompanies his final departure from there would not stop me from digging if he’d been hired at Ibrox and I’d start every article on him with the question “what happened at Hibs?” and I’d wait for a similar implosion there, whether that involved falling out with players or with other people.
I thought his behaviour as Hibs manager at times bordered on the disgraceful; public threatening to resign over the budget and again over the players? if he did that once at Celtic Park his feet wouldn’t touch. Did he consider himself too big for the club? He left them eighth in the league.
Last week his pre-Ibrox press conference had moments of OMFG in it … a lot of people cheered it on, to me it smacked of unprofessionalism. His dig about the disciplinary problems over there was right and it was welcome, all that “they fear me at Ibrox” stuff … if Gerrard had said that we’d have crucified him.
By his own admission, he actually got BORED with the Celtic job fairly early last time around and said he found it hard to get motivated for domestic football … guess what? That’s the ballgame for the next two years, so appointing someone who’s publicly made that admission isn’t as risk free as it’s been sold.
There are a lot of elements to this, apart from the football being unconvincing.
Based on Lennybhoys posts the other night it wont be NFL, so im happy with that. If its Moyes then thats just blind laziness on part of the board, i can see nothing positive coming from that. Our main focus every year is to win the league, Moyes would jeopardise that both in terms of style of play and of the players he would recruit. Winning the ninth and then potentially the tenth will kill off the Tribute act and their predecessors cheating legacy, would you be confident of Moyes delivering that.
iknownothingisguaranteeditneedstobeearned CSC
I understand we are not likely to get manager’s from the top leagues but that accounts for 5 countries out of about 29. What about Belgium? Apparently many Brugge fans were disappointed when Ivan Lenko, 41 years old, was appointed coach last summer as his inexperience counted against him.
But Brugge have flourished under Leko, reportedly playing the best football in Belgium. He won the league title and the Belgium supercup in his debut season and they are 2nd in the league at the moment.
Are people like this out of our reach?
DENIABHOY:
He had a phenomenal season, so good that it overshadowed the performance of one of the guys on my own personal shortlist, the one Ibrox missed last summer (and I’m glad they did) Michael Preud’Homme. His record at Brugge was absolutely stellar but they overhauled his Standard Liege side this year.
James Forrest – I feared Van Bronckhorst might have been lured to Ibrox. He is another one likely to end up in a top job in one of the top 4 leagues.