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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Any business no matter how distressed it is can always find someone to lead it, whether that be at CEO or football manager level in our case currently. I didn’t believe Lawwell when he said they didn’t look at anyone else when NFL was appointed (thought that was PR crap) but am inclined to change my view on that if we are saying we can’t find anyone to take over now. Cast our net wide and cut the “he has to be a Celtic man” or “must have experience or knowledge of Scottish football” and let’s enter a new era of forward thinking from a coaching and playing perspective.
Elitism 101
VFR on 10TH DECEMBER 2020 2:05 PM
AN TEARMANN on 10TH DECEMBER 2020 1:59 PM
James rightly or wrongly its Paul67s view
Only his.
It is tho a starting point for discussion for Celtic fans
and that can never be classed as bollocks james.
ease up or i will take myself of cqn and read elsewhere…..any suggestions :-))
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I would suggest it’s Peter Lawwell’s view as well; the whole piece stinks of a ghost writing session for Celtic.
It’s not only James’ point of view, it’s mine as well as many others.
KTF
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Am tryin f :-)
I guess only Paul knows.
It may/not be so.
How does it alter focus for tonights game?
How do we get the hope goin as shown by stats in your later post?
Sid is a a metaphor for Peter in the summer u hope
https://youtu.be/rDyb_alTkMQ
HH
I hope
Today’s starting line up v Lille……
Hazard Frimpong Jullien Duffy Ajer Laxalt Soro McGregor Turnbull Elyounoussi Klimala
Subs:Barkas Bain Brown Taylor Griffiths Ajeti Rogic Edouard Harper Henderson Welsh
Reading back it’s good to see P67 largely berated for suggesting we put up with managerial incompetence because there’s no Boardroom plan B.
Lawwell and Desmond have badly read the room. The penny will eventually drop for them when the renewal stats come in.
There might be a bit of truth that it’d be hard to get a top manager at this stage – what about when we were eight points clear and odds-on for another treble?
them’s reserves 1 up at ht , sorry to say they look fitter , stronger , superbly organised compared to us.
NORRIEM
I will take a stab and say RECRUITING.
He was given enough money but did not spend wisely.
Who does the recruiting???
Have we played the same line up twice this season, we must be breaking records for team selections.
D :)
This article is complete drivel. To say we couldn’t progress after Rodgers is ridiculous. It was the very poor choice of manager and lack of a professional infrastructure that has led to this mess. Look across the city to see how easy it is to build a team to win in Europe and dominate Scottish teams. We screwed up with lennon, and no amount of board propaganda can disguise that
Watched Sevco’s first half and they are organised and disciplined if unspectacular.
Lech Poznan are pish right enough, would give us a game though……
We HAVE to play with two wide men,ffs. why no Karamoko
God knows what the formation will be tonight
Following the announcement of a proposed gathering at Celtic Park this Sunday, December 13, ahead of our league game against Kilmarnock, the Club fully understands the concern and frustration amongst supporters following recent results and performances, but clearly, we do not believe staging an event of this kind is in the best interests of supporters, the team or the Club in general, particularly just prior to the match.
For important clarification, in the present circumstances and given the health risk of gatherings of any kind, the Club has not agreed to any gathering taking place. Celtic Football Club is not involved in the organisation of the proposed gathering.
The Club is also duty-bound to point out that it has received legal and safety advice indicating that, if strict social distancing and applicable Scottish Guidance are not implemented, any such gathering would breach current legislation – something the Club would wish all supporters to be aware of.
As is always the case, the Club is, of course, happy to engage with supporters and supporter groups to understand and discuss concerns, and the Club encourages supporters to raise their concerns with the Club directly. Indeed, following a recent request, we look forward to meeting The Celtic Trust next week.
Sevco, minus McGregor, Tavernier, Kent and Morelos, up 0-1 at HT with thunderous goal. £900,000 bonus for top of the group, but a long way to go. Lots of hugging by management on the touchline. Quite a contrast with Lennon- Kennedy non-relationship.
Information on proposed fans’ gathering
By Celtic Football Club
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Following the announcement of a proposed gathering at Celtic Park this Sunday, December 13, ahead of our league game against Kilmarnock, the Club fully understands the concern and frustration amongst supporters following recent results and performances, but clearly, we do not believe staging an event of this kind is in the best interests of supporters, the team or the Club in general, particularly just prior to the match.
For important clarification, in the present circumstances and given the health risk of gatherings of any kind, the Club has not agreed to any gathering taking place. Celtic Football Club is not involved in the organisation of the proposed gathering.
The Club is also duty-bound to point out that it has received legal and safety advice indicating that, if strict social distancing and applicable Scottish Guidance are not implemented, any such gathering would breach current legislation – something the Club would wish all supporters to be aware of.
As is always the case, the Club is, of course, happy to engage with supporters and supporter groups to understand and discuss concerns, and the Club encourages supporters to raise their concerns with the Club directly. Indeed, following a recent request, we look forward to meeting The Celtic Trust next week.
TET
“there’s your Record readers for you SFTB.”
I could have put up a post that said
“they are more fans of Brendan rodgers than Celtic”
or “they are more fans of Pocchetinno than Celtic’
It was meant to be a mirror reflection of the unjust jibe that Paul was more a fan of PL than Celtic”
It was meant to be equally unfair.
Now you are taking me seriously :-)
looks like 5-3-2
Haw Jamesgang
Thot u were redcarded…!😉🤭😊
!!BADA BING!! on 10TH DECEMBER 2020 3:03 PM
AT- Gerald Ratner then? 😆
There is plenty in the statement bada,to many ratner liike flatulance
I would like to know tho the thinking of the Apollo13 mo? The point pl set sail for our current icefield.
HH
Embramike
so it’s 3-6-1 again. Never learn, 2 strikers!!!!!
PS how did you know before BBC?
JIMMYNOTPAUL @ 6.29
It’s all temporary – Celtic are permanent
SFTB
I know what you meant as you know what I meant >:}
HH
Team tonight
https://twitter.com/CelticFC/status/1337106092657143811?s=09
HH
how much are we paying Ralston to do absolutely nothing.
BGFC @ 5.46
Picking holes in P67’s articles is like shooting fish in a barrel.
However top marks for bringing that article into the here and now.
No wonder we are in the mess we are if that is the collected thoughts of P67 and PL.
You wouldn’t leave them in charge of hamster — hopeless / clueless / useless to the core.
CONEYBHOY on 10TH DECEMBER 2020 6:47 PM
Embramike
PS how did you know before BBC?
UEFA posts teams for European games 90 mins before ko. Other outlets pick it up from there
Conor Hazard starts
Soro in
3-5-2
Criticism of the content is justified.
Critism of the motivation for it, less so.
Ernesto79 above gives a good example. He has taken the article at face value and criticised what he thought was wrong with it. He blames Paul for the article not PL.
I thought there was stuff wrong with the article too, the Sinatra analogy for starts, but I addressed the guy who signed the article not who we imagine did it.
Mate of mine is a Falkirk fan.
Really rated Hazard when he was there on loan.
Mibbe’s aye!
“ For important clarification, in the present circumstances and given the health risk of gatherings of any kind, the Club has not agreed to any gathering taking place”
Now I’m confused because we’ve been told for months now that some fans should be allowed into Celtic Park.
Now there’s a “health risk to gatherings of any kind”.
They’re shameless, we need them chased.
Glad to see Soro and Turnbull getting game time but would like to see Ajeti play….is this guy ever going to be “fit”?
Is that 3-5-2…dropping to a 5-3-2…mmmm
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 10TH DECEMBER 2020 6:18 PM
Around 50,000 people have died in Scotland since Paul wrote those words in February 2017.
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Point being what? That he was factually accurate because people have, indeed, died since 2017? Some people will live the rest of their lives and never see another sunrise is just as factually accurate.
I expect, though, that most people reading the leader would have taken from it that Paul was envisaging a longer period than three years before Celtic were in real danger of losing the league to St Johnstone, or any other similar team.
However – the main point that I was making, and that JG had also made, was simply that we were uncomfortable with the hubris. Whenever I see that sort of leader article, it reminds me of what we had to put up with during the Rangers 9-in-a-row.
HH
BGFC
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX
I did say it was board propaganda, so who do you think I am blaming for this deflection message?
If I was any of the strikers on the bench would be pissed off, cause if it is two up front why not two strikers. Even 45 minutes each, seriously lenny never learns or has the memory of a🐟🐠🐡