I know what you’re thinking. After the media heavyweights told you, on the day Neil Lennon resigned from Celtic, that he was going because he was unhappy with the amount of money he had to spend, pitching up at Bolton Wanderers is a bit curious. What you were told that day was nonsense, deliberately headlined to undermine Celtic.
Neil had been in the shop window since the Everton job came up in May 2013 and had long decided he wanted a crack at managing in England before the end of last season.
On paper, the Bolton job looks daunting. The club are bottom of the second tier of English football, while those immediately above them, Blackpool, Fulham, Wigan and Birmingham, like Bolton have recently had Premier League experience. It’s early enough in the season that survival is a reasonable expectation, but Neil will know little about the squad he takes over, or about their ability to step up.
Taking this job is a huge risk to an accomplished CV but so is spending an extended period on the side-lines as an out-of-work manager. Whatever the reasons he didn’t land a better job over the summer, Neil is a better manager than the English clubs appear to believe. He’ll get Bolton organised and picking up points against teams with better players, just as he did regularly in Europe with Celtic.
In other news many of the same media heavyweights referred to above today report Arsenal are preparing a bid for a Celtic player, in January. After selling us the same story that the same player would be subject to the same bid back in August.
It’s as though they have space to fill on the sports pages and there’re not been a lot of football recently.
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Well wee Diego should have gone to a big Club like Celtic,to link up with Jim Melrose in our dream forward line.
…and he should have stayed off the ole marchin’ powder.
What exactly was the reason Stan looked so hacked off with WGS during the title celebrations at the end of 2005/6 ?
While I am at it, why did Sutton deliberately get himself sent off the previous season for deliberate handball against FC Dead Club ?
I’ve always been surprised that he didn’t get much stick for this.
Oldtim67
Podium! Eh :-)
Your out the traps quick.
Hope yi had good night, chattin up Ernie and all.made me smile
Hope your good
HH
DBBIA
It’s a difficult one. living here as I do in Germany and not being sure of the language I might have even vote UKIP.
MWD said Ja
I remember when Stan left Celtic he was none the hero he is now.
What has changed?
MWD said AYEJa
Fanadpatriot 15:53
Thanks for gettin back mhate
Well done to young liam
:-)
HH
Fanadabucsc
Stan was in the same position as Aidan.
Sign a contract and we will sell you for more money. Now we loose them for zilch as we don’t renew contracts.
Moonbeams WD. Wee Oscar’s our Bhoy and Kano’s our mhan. The Vow – Critically Rebuked by 45% of this fine nation.
I’m sure played his last game for us at Tynecastle and he was given a great ovation. He signed a new deal and Celtic netted £8m or thereabouts for him. He did not have to sign that new deal.
PeteTheBeat
The Sutton red card at Ibrokes was shocking. I was there that day and he wasn’t interested. I’m sure Thompson got sent off that day as well for the Lovenkrands non event head butt. Very stupid from Thompson. Whether they were bothg sent off that day or not and I can;t remember if they both saw red the same day for those incidents both were very silly at a ground whyen the referee’s don;t need to be asked twice for a red card and WGS was correct to empty both out of Paradise. It was like two wee Bhys in the huff. We were still in the game until Sutton went off. He looked not 100% and I think he had a bandage on his hand. I again could be wrong. Very dissappointed with Sutton that day.
LB
Bt,
You’re not wrong but we ain’t lost anyone for zilch recently who are in the same league as the two you mention.
If thinks had turned out differently Stan would have replaced NLennon as captain; and if they had turned out very differently in time John Kennedy would have replaced Stan as captain.
We’ve never replaced SPetrov nor JKennedy, although S.Brown does his best.
Curious that Neil Lennon has gone to Bolton but more concerning in my opinion is why he thought it best to leave Celtic at the time he did.
I disagree with your assessment Paul that it was about money or ambition at the club.
The fact that Johan left two months or so before Lennon called it a day for me shows that there was, and possibly still is, an issue behind the scenes at Celtic. In my view it shows that Johan knew Neil was going to call it a day and, if he knew, then the board must also have known so it was clearly not a surprise to them when he resigned. Furthermore it also shows that Johan was not being considered as a replacement to build on the foundations already laid.
If the above is the case then questions need to be asked regarding the structure and decision making within the club.
If Johan had decided to call it a day then why not see out the rest of the season?
If it had already been decided to get rid of Johan and bring in a new number two over the managers head then I don’t know a manager that would accept that.
The fact that Johan has joined Neil at Bolton obviously dispels the story that he was homesick and wanted to return to his homeland.
I am fully aware that our club loses money if we do not qualify for the Champions League however it becomes more difficult to qualify if the board are actually making it harder for the club to qualify by either their actions or, more importantly, inactions. This in turn forces us to sell or best assets leaving us weaker again.
I think possibly a bit more in depth analysis of the current situation within Celtic Park is called for regarding this issue.
justshatered
Go for it. Let’s have your in depth knowledgeable analysis. Please don’t pass the buck to anyone else.
Over to you.
Wee Oscar’s defence lawyer goin’ down the ole Sevconian route-‘ he’s suffered enough’.
“The fact that Johan has joined Neil at Bolton obviously dispels the story that he was homesick and wanted to return to his homeland.”
JS,
It also dispels the story that big Johan wanted something other than an assistants role.
I think when Stan left, he left with head held high and no recriminations. He could have ran down his contract but didn’t. Signed a new one and earned us a bumper transfer fee.
Geordie Munro
16:37 on
13 October, 2014
Perhaps, although maybe he hasn’t been offered anything other than an assistants role.
Weeminger,
I havny a clue. But I’d say you probably aren’t wrong.
excathedra44 ( from earlier )
Yes, there was more than a ‘wee Jamesie’ of irony in my post ;-)
By the time JF’s hammy is well strung again, wee Jamesie Rodriguez better hold tight to his Golden Boot.
Allegedly CSC
Maradona
” I was a ball boy when Napoli won Serie a.I used to kiss the ball if he had been the last player to touch it”
Fabio Cannavaro
SofTunis -are you comin’ over in the near future?
Any dates set?
Are Sevco footballs Harlem Globe Trotters yet?
© Chorltes Green
Thoughts on Neil Lennon from the jambos.
They appear in the majority to think he is alright now! Laughable mob. Tells you everything you need to know about Scotland.
http://www.hmfckickback.co.uk/index.php?/topic/145279-neil-lennon-is-the-new-bolton-manager/
LB
Dbbia
Currently in London.We could meet in Glasgow / daytime on Monday 20th?
SofTUnis- can’t do 20th, working all day.
B*gger.
@ElDiegoBhoy
I don’t have the inside track that Paul seems to have but, in my opinion, it was decided to cut the cost of the coaching staff.
Johan was either offered less money or told his contract would not be renewed in the summer. Johan found this unacceptable and left immediately.
Neil then was told he would have no input with regard to his new number two.
Neil, after due consideration, and not wanting to rock the boat during the championship run in resigned shortly after the league was won.
Meanwhile the board decided to cut costs further by giving the job to the new ‘assistant’ and allow him no say on player acquisitions.
If that is true then that is a structure that simply does not work in football.
The simple structure in football is as follows:
The board make money and set budgets.
The board discuss budgets with the manager so that the manager knows what he can spend.
The manager, along with his support team, identify and scout new players within the budget agreed with the board.
The board then attempt to sign the requested players.
Any other type of structure within a club will fail, possibly not right away, but fail it will and when it does fail a club is left with players who are unfit for purpose because the people who are buying them do not know what tactics, or structure, they are being brought into.
En route to the Gazebo back in the day
Had a scan at the rags in Morrisons,who said the hacks don’t do irony,Bill Lackie wishing NL all the best at Bolton………from the rag which would only print pictures of a scowling Neil Lennon,and created the myth of ‘bringing it all on himself….’
Moonbeams WD. Wee Oscar’s our Bhoy and Kano’s our mhan. The Vow – Critically Rebuked by 45% of this fine nation.
15:29 on 13 October, 2014
Scullybhoy
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Cheers mate. Still annoys me, maybe I am just paranoid.
Dbbia
Such is life ! Should be back @ Christmas
Had planned to have longer in Glasgow but paperwork re selling house in London has taken longer than stated.
justshatered
That’s your reply?
Oh dear.
FanadPatriot,
You mentioned a few weeks back, Shiels Bar in Kerrykeel. That belonged to my Uncle Hugh. Used to spend every summer in KerryKeel. My cousin Gerard patrick Shiels and his family still live there.
Hail Hail,
Sean
M6bhoy
Paying the cost of a living wage by reducing the CEO pay is surely only one of the many options open to Celtic?
What would be the impact of such a course of action?
A new CEO? Now that might be popular with some but what quality of replacement would we get for that reduction?
That is a judgement of the Board and what if they decide it’s not one they favour?
Where is the cost to be found then?
I’m all in favour of paying the living wage as a matter of principle, but I’d expect the cost to be borne across the spending support as a whole, including myself, not one individual inside Celtic no matter what his position.
If a living wage is about fairness then surely that applies to all employees?
@ElDiegoBhoy
That’s you reply to my reply.
Oh dear oh dear!!!!
justshatered
16:56 on 13 October, 2014
@ElDiegoBhoy
I don’t have the inside track ……… Is that right..!!!!!!!!
Dooooooohhhhhh……!!!!
justshared
Are your comments fact based?
I wonder if you can get these in Sports Direct for a pound?
https://www.bespokeoffers.co.uk/consumer/offers/zombie-slippers–8840e?identity_token=e24303bcbfddec8cfc262a3cfea975c82af76cf050740e05b0464cd56cc3a41e&WT.mc_id=SRD06+13-OCT-2014
Billy fae Larkhall is fed up wi that Sky tv ….says he… im gone to cancel ma subscription….ave just fun oot yi can watch the ranjurs games fur free on the no history channel…….I like I like !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11….ok then you’ve heard it afore
Evening folks.
On a slow news may I share a non football story.
Was in Costa today feeding myself full of coffeee and cake as usual when a man lifted one of the shop newspapers and then went to the toilet with it for about 10 minutes. When he returned he put it back in the rack. Thoughts please, Is this unacceptable behaviour?