Neil Lennon is big and bad enough not to need any help from you or me, but he has a job on his hands. He will prepare a squad to face Hearts twice in the next eight days, which he acquired from Brendan Rodgers in February, and which Brendan largely acquired from Ronny Deila, which is wilting before our eyes.
Injuries abound, the latest, Scott Brown’s broken toe, symptomatic of this season. Brendan tied himself in all sorts of knots in August, revealing fewer of his intentions to you or me than to Moussa Dembele. Dedryck Boyata went on strike during the latter, and unsuccessful, stage of our Champions League qualification campaign. Then Moussa went so off message Brendan decided it was best for him to leave town.
Have you worked in an environment like this? I have not, but these are just the things we know about. I doubt it was an easy shift for Brendan to lift the squad as well as he did for the Europa League, League Cup and League campaign.
Then, to cap it all, Brendan turned on his heels a day before we were due to visit Tynecastle and four days before a Scottish Cup visit to Easter Road. You may have worked in an environment like this, but I doubt you have successfully managed one.
It was demeaning for Neil Lennon to have to defend himself this week. Not to himself, but to the goldfish who are so unaware of the environment or parameters he has worked in.
Celtic won their first treble the day I was born, but I was 34 before they won their third. No club has ever won Treble Trebles in a row. Celtic have never won three consecutive Scottish Cups. The measure of our current success is so great it is difficult to quantify.
In 1995 we finished fourth in the league, two points behind Hibs and three ahead of Falkirk. But we went to the Scottish Cup Final that season and won the most magnificent dreary game played. This is football. Success is neither easy nor linear and it is never entitled. Appreciate these times.
Bring lots of change with you on Sunday, this is your one and only chance to buy a Foundation VIII Badge!
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soukous on 18th May 2019 7:16 pm
City,4 FPP investigations ongoing,a club doped up on petro dollars to buy trophies,a club used as a marketing opportunity for a country .That was embarrassing for English football.
***
Agreed.
And deep down I think some City fans will feel there’s something hollow about their success.
soukous on 18th May 2019 7:16 pm
City,4 FPP investigations ongoing,a club doped up on petro dollars to buy trophies,a club used as a marketing opportunity for a country .That was embarrassing for English football
====
That sums up the EPL and other ‘top’ European leagues, all about greed and extremely wealthy peoples play things. That is why you have the CL and 2 English teams that haven’t won their league champions in over 70 years combined contesting the final. But from a purely footballing perspective watching the likes of Man city and Barca in full flow is a thing of beauty.
http://celticbynumberscom.ipage.com/rogic-and-the-slopes-of-doom/
Rogic’s form since returning from another winter injury has not been highly productive. This is, unfortunately, part of a longer trend.
I see Celtic Underground are saying we have met Benitez’s price – up to him now.
Love a good rumour.
James,
First up, you are one of the few posters on the Timternet who uses their own name. For that alone, you have my respect.
Secondly, what follows is an observation, not a criticism. Note: you may not appreciate the observation.
That said, I observe in your writing a dichotomy; whatever the matter in hand happens to be, it’s either full-on brilliant, or full-on disaster. While your writing is always heart-felt, equally it’s always black or white.
There’s a world, a beautiful world, of light and shade, of vibrant colour and energy, between the brilliant white and the black of disaster.
You’re a good writer, but this dichotomy diminishes your work and in turn, undermines what you have to say. The louder we shout, the less folk hear us.
I’m aware that that is perhaps the most patronising post in the 15 years of CQN, and forgive me that, but I think it’s worth the personal ignominy if it gives you pause for thought. What we write is only as important as what we’ve got to say, and perhaps we can all write less and in doing so, say more.
TBB
SFTB,
P67 wrote the article that cleared it all up at the time a month before McGinn signed up for AV, the article was clear, Celtic would not be held to ransom, turns out ransom was less than £3M by all reports, so had we agreed the asking price approx £3M he would be a Celtic player on £13,000 a week. So as I say the £23,000 would have been moot.
Remember P67 demonstrated the Plc’s attitude at the time, we can sit back and get him on a pre-contract in 6 months, arrogance.
In BR and NFL’s own words they expected the deal to be done all the Plc needed to do was meet the asking price.
Has he gone ??
” We’ve sat at the back of the bus too long ”
Jeanette Findlay 18/05/19
My take on McGinn is Celtic tried to play the ‘Celtic fan’ card,and fkd it up…..
I should clarify; the personal ignominy is mine.
Evening fholks,
Got a WhatsApp message this morn from a mate who is a Corporate Investor in Celtic. ( and also the nephew of a Lisbon Lion ) He has his season tckt in Cafe 1888 which costs 3.5k a year.
Anyway, my mate was at York Races on Wednesday with all the other Corporate Investors – Celtic take the CI’s away once a season and pay for everything to somewhere in UK as a thank you ‘re being a CI.
An agent was there also as a guest of Celtic at a table close to the table my mate was sitting at ( I subsequently phoned my mate after receiving the WhatsApp message he didn’t know agents name ) anyway agent said to him Sean Dyche will be our next manager – 3 million buy out clause which Celtic are prepared to pay.
My mate, when I phoned him, said he has no idea if the info is accurate or not but he is simply passing on the info that the agent gave to him.
Dyche is currently 20/1 with Sky bet. My mate got 40/1 with Sky bet.
HH
Roccobhoy
Canamalar
It would certianly have been moot if Hibs had accepted any of the offers Celtic made whilst they
were ‘ dicking aboot awe summer ‘ They didn’t they waited on the English deadline, and got the offer
they wanted, and McGinn got £23,000 a week instead of whatever.
Paul67 slipped up with his wait and get him for nothing article for sure, I don’t think that was ever
our intention.
A friend of mine, season book holder, is presently decorating a well known football commentators house, he was told it’s a done deal for Rafa, to be announced
after the cup final. I know I know…..
Roccobhoy
The Celtic identikit Manager is British, EPL experience, progressive record of achievement.
Dyche, Howe and Hughton fit the profile. That’s not to say they’re interested in the Celtic job, but it’s a given that Celtic have taken soundings.Howe’s a little younger than the profile, Hughton little older, Dyche is in the Goldilocks zone.
Martinez, Rafa and Wagner are each fluent in English, while Moyes lost the coin toss three years ago.
Reality suggests that landing any of the above is a stretch on a stretch, and while Celtic are aiming for that calibre of manager, given the corollary probabilities of success, Lenny’s odds shorten.
Celtic’s imperative is to deliver Nine and then Ten. There isn’t a desert island remote enough for the executive team should we end up with £45 million in the bank and no Championship. If Celtic’s manager recruitment fails, Lenny will get the gig on the basis that he is lower risk than any alternative, and therefore higher probability of delivering the prize.
Wow, real venom and an overblown touchiness in relation to Neil Lennon. Why is the attack on him so personal and vindictive, did he do something to upset you?
Fortunately bombs and bullets in the post could not stop Lenny. It seems now, after all he’s done to step in and guide us to the 8, after a fraudulent rat deserted us, that a large part of our support have turned against this man. So sad, we have collectively done what the huns, media and establishment couldn’t do. We have actually turned, on our own, in the season to beat all seasons. I’m glad Lenny has something inside stronger than me. I’ll admit, the naysayers negative attitude would have worn me down by now. Thankfully, Neil is tougher. ??????
Canamalar
BSR has already made the point I would have in reply to yours.
You are assuming that Hibs would have sold J McG to Celtic earlier in the summer if we had offered what AV eventually did. That may have been true if it was a buy-out clause that triggered the rest of the deal, but it was not.
It was merely the start of the bidding war. We bid less than the asking price, AV later on bid the asking price, we match it. Hibs are happy and J McG has a choice.
He chose Villa
Ernie-very good,but James has a few points that are worth debating
Eurovision now on, forget the cup final, this is a compulsive pish watch, first two awful??
Larssonseven 8.13pm
It’s only a large part of the “internet” not the whole support…. STILL the majority of Celtic fans are unaware or not interested in Res 12… we all appreciate the effort of the Res 12 bhoys here on the internet but the majority of Celtic fans are actually only interested in the here and now and unfortunately don’t care about the cheating … which is sad considering the Huns are still cheating .. trading insolvent and that’s probably not scratching the surface … anyhow Neil will lead us out tomorrow and next Saturday and if he is here in June for the qualifiers am pretty sure the majority will be right behind him … let the “progressive” Euro fanatics yearn for better .(I want the very best we can get as well) … but, sometimes we only realise what we have when it’s gone
Enjoy your day tomorrow fellow Celts 8, yes, eight on the bounce… even the unhappy Tims should gie themselves a day aff the morra :-)
TBB,
I agree on everything you say. Good post.
As I say, I am literally just relaying info my mate was told face to face on Wednesday by an agent.
For the record, personally, I’d like Dyche to get the job. Whether it’s feasible or not, I’ve no idea.
HH
Roccobhoy
Re Leith pubs, Carriers Quarters is good for watching games. Just over the road from the King’s Wark at the Shore. Definitely a fair amount of Celtic fans drink there.
There is also the Fly Half sports bar, a short walk away on Constitution Street. Haven’t watched any Celtic games there but I’ve been in for the Champions League games and it seems nice and civilised. Most bars will have a natural Hibs bias obviously.
All bars are good in The Shore area. There are 2 or 3 rough looking ones on Duke Street and Great Junction Street but it’s fairly obvious from looking at them and the smokers standing outside! Best avoided.
Leith Walk is fine these days. Used to have a bad reputation but almost all of the dodgy old boozers have closed and been replaced by bars with candles n cushions, serving food etc. Much improvement from the Trainspotting days…..
RE James Forrest, for those he seems to rile, just ignore his/her posts and do not reply to them no matter what you think about his/her assertions. Most posts on here are subjective to the view of the posters no matter the length and depth of and supposed facts and figures they provide.
I doubt that CQN users account for even 10% of Celtic suporters.
Thats my subjective opinion wouldnt you know. ☺
Ron Bacardi on 18th May 2019 8:42 pm
I doubt that CQN users account for even 10% of Celtic suporters.
———–
10% – there’s about 30 posters on CQN :O)
Ron 8.42pm
Not even 0.1% :-)
Denmark to win the Eurovision
Thank me later CSC
Hello Troops,
Haven’t been on for a while… how is everybody?
BankieBhoy. & Jan the Man
Many thanks. HH
SFTB,
Again the words of both BR & NFL at the time identified that only the asking price had to be matched, I really don’t know whats so hard to understand except through bloody minded denial, today Chairbhoy used the quotes which were ignored and then somehow the source of article which provided the quotes, became a more important reason to dismiss the words of two of the key players, this was at the time followed by P67’s article telling us all, the Plc would not be held to ransom and that the price wanted did not meet the Plc’s valuation, however both BR’s and NFL’s thought it reasonable, which would identify an asking price had been set, strange that.
Anyroadup,
bouncing around with semantics relying on interpretations that support ignorance when there was more than enough information available to support a major blunder through bloody minded arrogance by the Plc is a waste of time, be as gullible as you want, its not my bag and I’m no ready to become that gullible.
BSR 9.03pm
Am on “Australia” at 6/1 for the simple reason … “Eurovision” in Tel Aviv
Eurovision … Open to all :-)
Ernie Lynch 7.18pm
It’s the way you tell ’em.
One of your best.
HH
BSR.
Watched one song, Denmark. I agree.
Canalamar
Your post at @ 6.52am
Should be read by every football fan and not just Celtic fans
Res12 is a Celtic issue … but every football fan with the slightest interest in Scottish football should also take note as it’s actual a Scottish football issue as well
The end of a new article about trebles etc… copy and paste.
Looking at the subliminal aspect of it….anyone got an opinion on the use / non-use of forenames?
“Guardiola is now the eighth manager to have won the three major domestic trophies, joining Bill Nicholson, Don Revie, Joe Mercer, Dalglish, George Graham, Ferguson and Jose Mourinho.”
Sorry, above from the BBC website.
“Again the words of both BR & NFL at the time identified that only the asking price had to be matched”
And yet, when the asking price was met- we did not get John McGinn.
It’s not gullibility, it’s scepticism that makes me depart from your conclusion.
I don’t believe everything I read. I don’t believe that BR and NFL have always told the truth in their quotes.
But, above all, I believe that John McGinn could choose which club to go to at the end and he chose Villa.
All else is speculation.
Mrs BGFC just tells me that she has found out that her mum is the oldest Celtic Pools Agent :-))
Go Olive D !!!!
HH
BGFC
Should have said her age – 88 would you believe :-)))
Apparently sells the most scratch cards of all the agents because she punts them to her holy biddy pals at the chapel in Blantyre !!!
HH
BGFC