I’m seeing a bit of “Neil Lennon cannot get the job now” comment after our capitulation at Ibrox this afternoon. Brendan Rodgers got things equally wrong at Ibrox in December but no one was calling him the wrong man for the job.
If you think the primary issue Celtic have right now is tactical choice and team selection, you are overlooking what is staring you in the face. Celtic are playing with a squad that has changed little since Ronny Deila days, despite the volume of new faces introduced to the club in the intervening period. Seven of today’s starters and eight of last weeks’ were at the club under Ronny.
Ronny won two of our eight consecutive titles, but his final squad was in need of significant overhaul. Three years on and Odsonne Edouard, Oliver Burke and Jonny Hayes are not going to significantly change things.
Neil could have played Scott Sinclair, but Scott has been dropped by both Neil and Brendan at various times over the last two seasons, there is no guarantee he would have made a difference today. He could have risked Kieran Tierney, or perhaps James Forrest, but for a dead rubber when we have a treble treble to compete for?
Eye on the prize and the prize right now is the Scottish Cup. And if you want a tip on who will be our next manager, it will be whoever we think will successfully improve the squad. Whatever Neil’s chances are, I doubt they were influenced by today’s performance. And if you believe any appointment is risk-free, dream on.
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The Hands …….
Nail on head csc
TT … @ 11.40
You are trying to argue against the Scottish cringe.
The land of the small horizon and “hame ‘ll dae me”.
Still worried about the DD Dream Team of MO’N and RK.
At least it would suggest that money is going to be spent.
thomthethim for Oscar OK on 13th May 2019 11:36 am
In similar situations ie free kicks from a distance, I’d like to see ever Celtic player move so they are either in line with, or beyond, the ball. Give the opposition a free, unobstructed shot at goal, and the keeper an unobstructed view. I reckon that on balance the benefit would be with the keeper.
Just try it and see how it goes.
Paul 67
Totally correct about the need for new faces, however it goes against the actions of our CEO in the transfer market last summer.
Thats why when we see the club posting record profits and last summer one of the new faces targeted was
John McGinn, the Aston Villa player of the year, we seen constant derisory bids spread over weeks by Lawwell for a player whose high energy game would have helped enormously in games like yesterday, but due to the gross incompetency and tighfistedness of the CEO we didn’t get the new faces required even though we have never been so cash rich.
It didn’t stop Lawwell picking up 3.5 million in the last year though.
The guy is a complete charlatan.
Lawwell is your man, but your header has had for you, the unintended consequences of showing up our CEO for the disaster last summer.
Its an interesting take on your backing of Lennon as when Rodgers left and we recouped up to 9 million for him and his staff you were all for going after another top class coach who you felt could use us as a stepping stone to the EPL with another huge compensation.
Obviously the guy who was sacked by bottom of the league Bolton and eighth place Hibs is not even close to EPL standard, however your headers over the last while have all been almost level 5esque in their praise of Lennon.
Has Lawwell briefed you to go all Traynoresque in going for the cheap Lennon appointment who won’t rock the Lawwell boat?
If Sunderland and Jack Ross are promoted , might be the last chance to grab a talented manager on the way up. Sunderland are a big club in their setup, fans, expectations etc, so has had pressure to deal with.
They must have seen something in him at interview to take a St Mirren manager
just a thought
THE HANDS CANT HIT WHAT THE EYES CANT SEE on 13TH MAY 2019 11:40 AM
I think we can all agree that Neil Lennon probably deserved a better job than basket case Bolton when he left us the first time, but that was the gamble he took, and it didn’t pay off.
No one is saying that ‘no one wants to come to Celtic’.
I am pointing out the difficulties that sometimes even throwing money at can’t overcome. Many of the prospective ‘progressive European coaches’ are already in secure employment in jobs they value and in stronger leagues than Scotland.
It shouldnt be a massive surprise to anyone that four rounds of CL qualifying with trips from NI to Greece to Kazakhstan isnt massively appealing to a young progressive coach, perhaps with a young family, to leave his current well paid job where is is on holiday until mid July, to pack up and leave for Scotland, where we struggled to get double figures temperature wise last week!
Just looking for a touch of realism.
Maybe I am giving NL too much credit and trying to look on the bright side, but young progressive coaches are generally either in the big leagues and happy to be there, or else looking to move there or stay where they are until that opportunity arises (eg. Marco Rose).
Its a hard sell. Even though we’re in a great financial position, progressive European coaches are by definition already successfull and earning accordingly.
Of course, this would all be so much easier to discuss if these guys had names!
I’ve named one for talking sake. He has a reputation as a progressive coach. Hes 60. He’ll probably be lying on a beach or dining al fresco with his family when we are getting ready to travel to NI, or maybe Norway to play Rosenborg in a CL qualifier!
This is the reality. Even Man Utd with all their resources can’t get the players or the manager they really want. They got Solskjaer from Molde, and I don’t think any of us would have considered him for the Celtic job.
HH
Philip Cocu?
Successful at PSV, bombed at Fenerbahce so he’d be looking to redeem his rep, played football at highest level (I only mention this as he’ll know what’s expected )
Worthathoughtatleast CSC
When guys take free kicks from that angle, they will aim it within the frame of the goals, so if nobody touches it,it might go in,Bain’s lack of awareness was worrying.
I’d take Stevie Clarke or Chris Hughton over Lennie. Both have premier league experience and did a good job. Since leaving Celtic Lennon has got the sack from Hibs and Bolton.
I’m not expecting Jose to be unveiled but we can do better than Lennon.
basket case Bolton ?
NL: “We were looking for a reaction even at half-time and didn’t get one, so they’ve got to have a look at themselves”
Neil, I was looking for a reaction from you.
Sending out the same players (Toljan coming in for the injured Lustig), playing the same formation and expecting them to give you something different is why you shouldn’t get the job.
If you want to criticise the first goal, Oddie’s ‘jump’ is the place to be looking. Keeper had little chance.
“I am pointing out the difficulties that sometimes even throwing money at can’t overcome.”
The problem with this statement is that it makes out as if Celtic routinely throw money at problems. When have we ever done this?
We hired Tony Mowbray, Neil and Ronny all before Brendan. How much would those managers have been on (combined probably less than Brenda)? It was reported that McCoist at Newco in the bottom division was on more than Neil. Now, that is ridiculous from Newco’s perspective but equally damning from ours. I would imagine that Ronny would have been on an equivalent amount or (probably) less (certainly not more) than Neil.
Each of these appointments represented a cheap and overly conservative approach. Brendan’s appointment broke the mould and wrought untold success to the club. We doubled our turnover and have money in the bank equivalent to out turnover under Ronny- a spectacular success (all of which was paid for by Leicester when the paid £9m compensation).
So the moral of the last 4 appointments is that investing in a quality manager pays dividend.
Brendan was on a reported £2.5m. How much would Neil be on? A 1/4, a 1/3, maybe? I would wager that Neil would be on less than Newco’s current incumbent; Neil also has less pull that Newco’s incumbent- he’s just not as big a name.
We should be looking to invest the same amount in a manager. Anything less represents an unnecessary downsizing.
AN DUN on 13TH MAY 2019 12:12 PM
NL: “We were looking for a reaction even at half-time and didn’t get one, so they’ve got to have a look at themselves”
Neil, I was looking for a reaction from you.
Sending out the same players (Toljan coming in for the injured Lustig), playing the same formation and expecting them to give you something different is why you shouldn’t get the job.
======
1. Its not his squad.
2. He sent them out again without changing the formation because it looked for a while coming up to half time as if we’d stemmed the tide and were going to be able to get at them.
HH
Are we looking for a manager first, big name second, or the other way round?
No doubt Brendan Rodgers intimidated other managers in Scotland just because of his name and the fact that he had managed in the sainted Premiership. For what it’s worth I think he had done a better job at Swansea than at Liverpool. But he had a big name and that had an effect particularly in his first season.
But if we are looking for a manager first, a progressive coach, someone who has over-achieved in his current job and arguably at several jobs previously, surely a conversation with Steve Clarke has to happen – whether or not he’s a ‘dour ba@tard’. Jock Stein had his moments in that regard, as anyone will tell you!
The Hands Can’t Hit
“We hired Tony Mowbray, Neil and Ronny all before Brendan. How much would those managers have been on (combined probably less than Brenda)?”
I have no idea if that is “probably” true or not. What I do know is that Tony Mowbray cost us £4m in compensation before we started paying him. That was an ambitious layout. In contrast, Jock Stein was a cheap buy from Hibs.
THE HANDS CANT HIT WHAT THE EYES CANT SEE on 13TH MAY 2019 12:19 PM
“I am pointing out the difficulties that sometimes even throwing money at can’t overcome.”
The problem with this statement is that it makes out as if Celtic routinely throw money at problems. When have we ever done this?
======
Well, it shouldn’t really matter how we word it, the point is fairly clear… many are angling for a successful, progressive manager for Celtic. Great, don’t we all. But…too many are not factoring in the problems in getting one. Progressive, successful coaches, are, by definition, generally in a good well paid job and don’t have, for their next assignment, a pre season beginning in June or flying from Kazahstan to Norway to wherever else in pre season just to try and qualify for the CL on their wishlist.
Brendan Rodgers? All well and good, but he was an exception to the rule… timing was pretty lucky, he was out of work, it all fell into place. Yet even with the willingness to invest, the other option under serious consideration when Brendan took the job was Davie Moyes. Not exaclty considered a progressive, successful coach (debatable, of course).
I’m open to suggestions, but they are thin on the ground.
And we need to be careful and more respectful than falling into an ‘anyone but Lennon’ approach.
I am looking forward to a big summer of reshaping the squad, and I expect it to be under Neil Lennon, and I hope he is as successful in the transfer market as he was last time.
HH
new article posted.
GO TELL THE SPARTIM on 13TH MAY 2019 11:59 AM
Philip Cocu?
Successful at PSV, bombed at Fenerbahce so he’d be looking to redeem his rep, played football at highest level (I only mention this as he’ll know what’s expected )
Worthathoughtatleast CSC
=====
Thats an interesting suggestion, and won a couple of titles at PSV..not sure why he left, or what happened at Fenerbache?
Celtic will be well aware of him anyway, maybe even asked the question if they thought he ticked the boxes.
HH
@ SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 13TH MAY 2019 12:32 PM
It’s a bit flippant to reference Jock Stein in relation to the current discussion. In that case, why not only sign players from within 30 miles of Glasgow? We had stunning success with that formula before…
Hands can’t hit
It was a bit flippant as an example but Tony Mowbray wasn’t.
If a successful and sought after manager is only measured by the cost you pay for him then Tony Mowbray has to be included in the Brendan Rodgers bracket.
We had to compete to get Tony Mowbray. I am not aware of any other club competing with us to get Brendan.
I see lots of names being chucked around as being suitable candidates for the manager’s job. Neil Lennon is obviously still in the frame, as he should be. I don’t understand why there seems to be an acceptance that Steve Clarke would not consider the job. The manager of the year in Scotland, is a worthy candidate, and if asked the question may turn it down. However, the question has to be put to him, if NL is not the man, then I think it would be an error if we didn’t at least approach him, he has demonstrated that he has the skills, in Scotland. He also has had a long and successful career down south and is well thought of. Big name foreign coaches don’t particularly excite me; our major goal is 10 in a row, not European success, although that would be a lovely added extra. We need someone who gets it, someone who knows the environment and someone who can operate in our transfer market place. That list will be quite short. Celtic must announce a full time manager, before the 1st of June, he’ll then have only a couple of weeks before pre season training begins, to reassemble a squad. I’m sure PL and DD already have it in hand, or is that me being optimistic ? Hail Hail
TRADITIONALIST88 on 13TH MAY 2019 10:38 AM
THEORIGINALSADIESBHOY on 13TH MAY 2019 10:35 AM
CQN isnt the Celtic support in its entirety. I am referring to fans across all platforms and, you know, at matches, in pubs etc.
Lots very vocal against Lennon, maybe around 10% who have an alternative suggestion [which is often Steve Clarke, a guy who doesn’t even want the job…but this is what you’re up against. Folk in denial and wilful ignornace].
HH
………………….
Around 10%.
Did you pluck that figure from out of your head or did you conduct a survey?
The point you are totally failing to see and trying to berate Neil Lennon’s detractors with is that when we had Brendan Rodgers in charge we got a glimpse of the type of manager and management we need to progress as a club. It is not the job of fans to identify individuals who fall into this category it is the job of someone at Celtic Park who is handsomely paid to do so. Job Specification, Person Specification. Compile list of candidates who meet these most closely then interview and appoint.
Or alternatively adopt the approach, Mourinho?, Rafa?, Marcus Rose? nah they’ll not come to Scotland. Steve Clarke? Nah, says he doesn’t want it. What do you mean, talk to him and make him an offer he’ll be tempted by? There’s not exactly a list of candidates queuing up to come to Scotland, is there? What do you mean check who is available, check who might be tempted? They’ll cost a mint. They’ll want us to spend money on buying players. Nah, we’ve got Neil. He gets the Club, knows it inside out. If it doesn’t work out we can widen the search next time.
Disaster of a match for us yesterday . If ever the absent landlord and his right hand man needed convincing we need quality brought into the team it was yesterday . Lack of strengthening over the last couple of Windows have let them catch up with us . Does Desmond really want us being to far in front of them , after all as we heard he wanted them back ,great club that they are . The lack of backing for new signings from this guy and his staff have put 9 and 10 in a row in question . As I posted yesterday and have done on many occasions ,we played yesterday with at least 5 men posted missing ,as many are now seeing we were bullied in all departments ,apart from broonie our other midfielders bottled it ,as they did the last time at there place , the Scouser knew the score , he sent his players out to get stuck in , he knew we didn,t fancy the battle . Not going to mention names ,most will know who they are , anyone think ,Sutton, hartson, Lambert , bobo, mjalby , and our present boss Lennon would have been bullied by arfield , jack , kent etc dear god , see if better quality isnt brought in , more of the same is coming our way. We will soon see just how important us getting the magic 9 and 10 is to Desmond, because he calls the shots .