There was an old adage in show business, “Never follow Sinatra”. If you were on a bill with Frank, make sure you appear before him; do not wait until the audience was whipped into a frenzy. No one could match his success, after him, the audience would be inattentive and disruptive.
We talked about this before when discussing the rolling managerial shambles at Old Trafford when their crooner hung up his mic. It wasn’t apparent to me at the time, but Moyes is no Sinatra and never would be. Their fourth tribute act is now clinging to his job while everyone knows he is not a good fit.
My friends, this is where we are right now. Our own Sinatra left early last year for the Midlands without dropping a trophy and scarcely a defeat. Neil Lennon took the interim job on the condition he would be considered for the permanent position. Having delivered league and cup and enhanced his CV, he should have let some other mug try their vocal chords out on an audience that had been taken to the heights with unmatched regularity. But that was never going to happen, he wanted the Celtic job, so would you or I.
Now you, me, Neil and apparently half the world texting me knows we don’t have Sinatra, and we’re midway through a gig. Does anyone have Dean Martin’s number?
We hit the jackpot recruiting Brendan Rodgers in 2016. Though not without his weaknesses (cough), he was highly talented with personal connections to the club. The parallels with Martin O’Neill are clear, both transformed Celtic on the field and commercially. Had there been a comparable option prepared to come to Glasgow in 2019, that commercial success would have made the decision clear, but there wasn’t.
The Dean Martin-types (Pochettino) are not coming. They know not to follow Sinatra and they absolutely know not to walk into a club displaying the toxic withdrawal symptoms winning 11 consecutive domestic trophies apparently expose.
If a new manager arrived today and won the Scottish Cup, he would be forgiven if he checked for hemlock before supping from it. That will deter those further down the food chain (Howe) from coming. Anyone building a serious CV, with options opening out before them, would know there is a huge risk to career progression coming to Celtic this mid-season. Instead, we would get those struggling for a job, or those who have never worked at our size of club/budget/pressure. This is not all conjecture.
What is happening in the dressing room is important. In the summer, several players had offers to treble their wages elsewhere but the manager asked them to stay, as it was a big season for the club. None of them ‘pulled a Dedryck’, there was no manoeuvering.
This week, I heard independently from two people with access to the goings-on at Lennoxtown who assured me the players are 100% committed to the manager. Everything is going wrong but the criticism and hostility has cemented their ‘sporting bubble’. I doubt any with options to leave will want to stay at the end of the season, with or without this trauma, but some of our top performers are here because Neil Lennon asked them to give it one more season.
What happens if you sack Neil Lennon and ask an assistant coach to step up, bring in an unemployed drifter, or appoint someone from a smaller club who has never learned from or been tested at this level, is open to conjecture. The possibility that you trip into the scenario Manchester United took feels highly likely.
As we all know, sacking your manager is the easy part, appointing a better successor is far more important. Objectively, we have a far higher chance of making a horrendous mistake that bringing in a competent turnaround expert right now. Our chances of getting it right in the summer will be influenced by how we, fans and club, react to the curtain coming down on our run of successive trophies. Read the headlines and ponder, what kind of masochist are we going to end up with next? This narrative needs to change or we will mix our own poison.
I’m not going to tell you we’re going to win 10-in-a-row because I don’t think we will. I don’t think Neil will take us there and I don’t think anyone else will come in and make the difference. None of us are accustomed to the defeats we have experienced in recent months, it is a bitter pill. If we fail, the regrets will be long lasting, but short of a transformational appointment that is not going to happen today/this week/this month, we need to figure out how to get through this crisis without becoming a toxic destination for an aspiring manager.
And please, for all that he has gone through in our name, respect Neil Lennon, forever a Celtic hero.
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It will rekindle memories you had forgotten and give insight into how the leagues were won.
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You could argue that BR’s star has risen exponentially since the alleged involvement of the CEO in purchasing players under his nose, round about seasons 2 and 3.
We were a stepping stone of course and I’m happy with that, what’s wrong with ambition or a plan.
We as a club or should that be PLC have neither, it appears.
Mod2
Much obliged!
JC
Neil Francis Lennon’s comeback starts tonight……
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-orFtcORyuM&ab_channel=ShirleyBasseyMusicandVids
Ave Ave
If this is true Paul…..
“This week, I heard independently from two people with access to the goings-on at Lennoxtown who assured me the players are 100% committed to the manager.”
IMO it only reinforces actually how bad a coach that Lenny really is, wouldn’t you say !!!
As for the rest of the leader…..Dearie Me
Must say you’ve not half changed your tune, P. The letter P being the appropriate one since we don’t know if it’s the blog man or the plc man that’s writing the articles these days
In common with many others I/we said he was the wrong man for the job from day one. In the shower!! Like the scene from Physco .
Dinosaur then dead as one now.
We’d need Fatima and Lourdes combined… and i don’t mean a girl band.
I was at Barcelona for the 6 goal humping and this is ten times worse.
SFTB……
smiley I thought you were smarter than that thing
An electorate can (and often does) change its mind, sometimes on a dramatic scale and with great speed. But you can’t have an election after every opinion poll, so the democratic parts of the world have settled on a system whereby the people express their views every five years or so.
And if on one of those occasions the people vote for a party which has stood on a platform of having a referendum about something, then that’s what happens. That’s what democracy is. That’s the absolute definition of it. The losers don’t get to say “But you voted for us a few years ago, so you’re not allowed to vote differently now”.
Smiley the times they have a changed thing
Saor Alba
ps thanks for posting that poem yesterday …that wis braw….perhaps there is hope for you yet ….smiley thing
Braw
Kevin Barry by Gary Óg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbBK515MH0o&ab_channel=TheRebelCollective
Ave Ave
COSY CORNER BHOY on 10TH DECEMBER 2020 4:11 PM
I was at Barcelona for the 6 goal humping and this is ten times
=============
So was I – and it was Wee BGFC’s first away European game
Although – as I recall – it was “last goal’s the winner” – Big George did the business for us that night and we came away with a 1-6 victory :-))
HH
BGFC
Looking at the stats although we have been piss poor and sevco are allegedly super-Galacticos we are still within touching distance and a decent effort in the next few games and winning a quadrofenian treble could set us up nicely for a come-back. Get big Forster in on the 1st of January and turn them over at Snake Mountain and it genuinely is game on.
Kilmarnock, Ross County and Dundee United at home and Hamilton away could net us 12 points if we start playing well; all easily winnable (and all easily drawable the way we are playing). They are away to Dundee United, St Johnstone and St Mirren and at home to Motherwell and Hibs; all winnable but Motherwell and Hibs could potentially cause them, problems. It’s a funny old game so I ain’t throwing in the towel yet.
Let’s start the ball rolling tonight with a decent result against Lille and hope the Poles get a result (and a few dreadful tackles 🤣) in tonight!
We are 6 points and 15 goals worse after 14 games this season to last; Sevco 1 point better off and 1 goal worse off after 14 games this season to last. So it’s a 7 point & 14 goal swing after 14 games this season. It’s not unrecoverable but we MUST start winning and scoring goals a-plenty starting with Kilmarnock on Sunday!
The 2 games in hand are skewing it badly, soon to be 3 games in hand after the quadruple treble final.
KTF
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 10TH DECEMBER 2020 4:04 PM
VFR
I have no problem with that.
Criticise Paul’s article for what they say but just credit the thoughts to Paul.
______________________________________________________
SFTB: https://youtu.be/mLNrLI3OBwg
Funny how in the good ole days a European night was all about big passionate crowds and the disco lights.
Nowadays it’s about putting a big cage around the stadium and a heavy police presence.
HH
Neustadt Braw
My argument is NOT against the right to a 2nd referendum. I agree that democracy should allow people a re-think (though I suspect if Yes triumphs, there will not be a further referendum to decide on whether to reverse or to allow other parts of what we deem to be Fixed Scotland, to breakaway and exercise their democratic rights).
My argument WAS directed at those who dispute that there wasn’t a generation of domination already or that we were promised (and believed, god forbid!) that we would never ever ever lose a league again.
Win, lose or draw.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iUEwB4ME3I&ab_channel=KilkeesOwn
Ave Ave
Sevco are flying this season because they are very well organised in their pressing & play to their individual strengths. Combination of good coaching, positional structure and good recruitment.
How on earth does one derive there is nobody available or willing to come in at for us and at least get us firing on 1 & 2 above.
Complete drivel Paul67.
VFR
If you don’t take Paul at his word, then we legitimise the contrary position
i.e. Everyone with a bad word to say about Celtic is just echoing hte views of FF and are, therefore, Huns.
It’s an absurdist position either way.
SFTB- speaking for a demographic of one csc
VFR
hope the Poles get a result (and a few dreadful tackles 🤣) in tonight!
Now now, I wouldn’t wish serious injury on anyone , not even them , BUT a 14 day Covid isolation for 4/5 of their main players …..that’s a different story !
BHOY FROM THE BOYNE on 10TH DECEMBER 2020 4:35 PM
Sevco are not “flying” this season; they are 3 points and 5 goals better off than last season after 16 games. The difference is their win over us. It’s us that have regressed, not them progressing at an enormous rate.
Reverse the 2-0 result and they would be 0 points and 1 goal better off. This myth that they are far better than last season is simply that, a myth.
They are doing well in Europe but that could come back and bite them in the erse later in the season.
KTF
I have few expectations of tonight’s game.
I will watch and I wil be delighted if we get soething from it and produce a good performance.
But, it can change nothing. The Europa League is gone for the year along with the LC. Only the league and two years worth of Scottish Cups remain to be contested.
The only result that can give me any hpe this week is that of Sunday’s match
Bada Bing………….Colonel Tom Parker probably would have applied for the job if he was still around. Great managerial skills.
I’m not gonna stay on tonight but feel compelled to comment
In Paul’s view we are unlikely to win 10 with NL in charge
We are unlikely to appoint any replacement mid season because Sinatra isn’t available
The CEO needs to go now what we are witnessing is the beginning of a campaign to lessen our expectations soften us for failure and find forgiveness for unforgivable fuck up
Then sell season tickets for Sinatra next year
Ffs
Celtic FC should deduct money from the Players wages when they FAIL to ” Entertain” the Crowd…win, lose or draw.
The Celtic players would then ask…” What Crowd” ?
Celtic FC would then say…” Aye right…dont give us that auld chestnut” !
Put the Board on the Bru…Simples.
LOL
HH.
VFR – Good to see you posting.
Come on the Celtic, not my usual level of excitement but I am still and always will be excited to see our team take to the field.
So COYBIG
HH
D :)
(Full Concert Orchestra)
Vol .Joe McDonnell, Óglaigh na hÉireann.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_7S18Ga88A&ab_channel=WolfeTonesTV
Paul 67 started this blog and the blog has done many great charitable efforts and Paul allows us to post away after his leader but it’s very difficult to believe he has not been got at by the board. A few years back he was backing resolution 12 then he did a 180 it’s pretty sad that this site is now considered a bit of a laughing stock within the Celtic blogosphere. This was,for many,the most important season since 74/75 and Celtic as a club have self imploded,yes of course the last few seasons have been incredible we are going for an unprecedented 12 trophies in a row but the 10 is the holy grail and for the club to be in it’s current state is unforgivable .No onewants to sound like entitled “rangers ” fans we as a club have been very successful and we are grateful for that but to make a mess of the 10 by not ensuring we had a top class manager in place (well for Scotland) is careless though in the usual penny ponching (Toney) and it’s a perfect storm.
With all the doom and gloom about there’s a couple of matches to watch tonight. Supporting the Hoops as always and taking a look at the other guys to spot any weaknesses.
At the beginning of the season we were informed – ” We know how this ends…” Still the same feeling ?
Celtic will never move forward until Lawwell is removed.
£250 XMAS SHOPPING AT STORE WITHELD UNTIL LAWWELL GONE !!!!
HANKRAY
Celtic playing the night?
Who’d have thunk it CSC
David Bowie – Five Years
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bcnO3VQ_fc&ab_channel=VirgilpinK
Ave Ave
‘Nicola Sturgeon pledges £30 million package for Scottish football’
That’ll be £29.9 million for re Rainjurrrz and the remainder to be divided among the rest -))
NICK CAVE – Leonard Cohen’s Suzanne
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwIZdh6MqIo&ab_channel=OMIROS2
Ave Ave
Glen D- £30m for football, £20m for rugby? How did rugby get that amount?
If ,as it seems our custodians have given up on the 10,Maybe they will give the season ticket holders a partial refund,only fair don’t you think .
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Hello…….is it me you’re looking for?
Beeswing, performed by Gary Óg, Chris Crooky & Coach
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT-_9Y0hEUE&ab_channel=TheRebelCollective
No time to ask why
TOMMOCELT on 10TH DECEMBER 2020 5:00 PM
Celtic will never move forward until Lawwell is removed.
£250 XMAS SHOPPING AT STORE WITHELD UNTIL LAWWELL GONE !!!!
………………………………………………….
Me too!
Not a penny more.
Bournesouprecipe……….A welcome diversion from all this medical Jargon, vaccines, managers and lockdown fatigue.