Brendan Rodgers resigned in February 2019, a day before a crucial league game at Tynecastle and four days before a Scottish Cup quarterfinal at Easter Road. Celtic had around 24 hours’ notice that he could be moving, that was crucial in planning how to cope with two visits to Edinburgh that could have seen us out of a cup for the first time in almost three years and facing a crisis in the league.
I know there are a lot of raw memories from last season, but Neil Lennon stepped up big time then, and in the months that followed Rodgers’ departure, taking the next available five domestic trophies.
Neil wanted the job permanently, Celtic only wanted him on an interim basis, so they agreed that he would take the job until the end of the season on condition he was considered for the permanent role.
I spoke to ‘sources close to Celtic’ when those events were unfolding. It is fair to say that in late February 2019, few at Celtic expected Neil Lennon to get the gig come the end of the season. Having appointed footballing and commercial success in Rodgers, they hoped to be able to snag an equally qualified candidate.
What became evident over the three months that followed, is that Rodgers was an exception to the rule – he came because he was an actual Celtic fan, he moved on because he was also a football man, and that’s what 99% of the games’ heroes do, folks. There would be no box office manager this time.
Appetite for another over-achieving young European, like Ronny, was low. The spectre of the most intense person to walk the earth (from Cork) lurked, as ever. There were candidates who took small English clubs for a brief moment into the sun that is the Premier League, but none had managed a club of our size, with our challenges and expectation to win.
Unlike the deliberations in 2016, when Rodgers was appointed, no one felt hopeful at the direction of travel the recruitment process was going. No one at Celtic would ever say, “We ended up with Neil”, but it’s how I viewed it.
Despite how Eddie Howe is viewed in the rear view mirror, 99% of us were delighted at the prospect of him taking over in the summer, I wrote, “the best English manager in the game” at the time. When we return to the market after Howe’s rejection, it was roulette time. There was no indication Ange Postecoglou would be more successful than Ronny Deila or Neil Lennon, but as in February 2019, a second ‘Rodgers-type’ appointment was not going to happen.
Five months in, I cannot believe how well Ange has done. We are on a path I have faith in, recruiting talented players who excite and are within our budget. The crucial difference between Ange and Pedro Caixinha, who before coming to Glasgow took his club to the CONCACAF Champions League Final, is hard to spot.
They were both roulette wheel appointments, sometimes the ball lands on your number, more often it doesn’t. On the positive side, you get to spin the wheel, maybe there’s a Pep 2008 waiting for you, but that transition from Rodgers to Lennon, seven consecutive trophies to five consecutive trophies, was one for the ages. Replacing an entire management team midseason is a business interruption even an Ulster medical testing lab cannot whitewash.
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Oh
HH
“Replacing an entire management team midseason is a business interruption even an Ulster medical testing lab cannot whitewash”
Ouch
On that Paul – fair enough.
That said, I suspect an “interim” type could simply train them as usual, trot them out and rely on muscle memory for 6 months to deliver … say … 90% current effectiveness?
Jimmy Bell taking training?
The media starting already.”GVB would be on the plane tonight,if he got the call”.Do Dutch guys do “Staunchness”?.
What they did not say is,if he had sense,would be on the first plane back out when he saw the finances.
Funny how even their forums know they are skint,plenty mention it,but our Media,totally ignore the Wooly Mammoth in the room.
“There would be no box office manager this time”
For that read = We appointed Lennon as he was the cheap option and we underestimated Sevco.
Nice to get an article about Celtic for a change, Paul – even if it is really about It’s-Definitely-Not-Rangers and as full of holes as Swiss cheese!
“Brendan Rodgers resigned in February 2019, a day before a crucial league game at Tynecastle and four days before a Scottish Cup quarterfinal at Easter Road. Celtic had around 24 hours’ notice that he could be moving.”
———————–
Errr, only around seven months after the (alleged) China offer and the McGinn fiasco. And ten months after the big cheese said he would let him speak to Arsenal (even though they hadn’t even requested to!). .
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11787/11338821/celtic-will-allow-arsenal-to-approach-brendan-rodgers-says-clubs-majority-shareholder-dermot-desmond
Hmmmmmm………..:
It may be a gamble bringing in a manager who hasn’t managed a club like Celtic but we knew what we were getting with Neil Lennon and that was the unforgiveable error by Celtic.
It was always likely he would win trophies with the best squad in the land (struggle to see how anyone taking the job could not have had short term success); the key to the 10 and beyond was to have a strategist taking over; and spending our trading cash. Celtic fans are pretty smart and that’s why the air went out the room in the pub when we heard the news after Hampden.
Davie Hay won trophies, Ronnie Deila won trophies. Didn’t make them successful career managers
It’s been fun the last few days listening to some of the hysterical Sevco fans tearing their hair out over Slippy G.
It’s comedy gold.Let’s hope we can maximise this situation to the full and take proper advantage over this.
This season is huge for us and if we can get the champs league cash their demise will quickly follow.
On another note I am walking the Capital ring in London this week and I’m nearly done.
It’s 127 kilometres around London and it’s been fun.
I’ve raised about £5500 for my beautiful son Daniels Charity.
It’s the Doing it for Daniel foundation and if anyone wants to give a couple of quid then please go for it.
Go into the website Doingitfordaniel.org.uk and scroll down to the “ Brian’s walking the capital ring”,there is a just giving link that takes you into view the details.
I’ve been having an imaginary conversation with Daniel about the events at Ibroke this week and
I know for sure he’s having a wee snigger at them.
Thanks Everyone
X
Was Steven Thomson on a subway when interviewed on the BBC Website ?.
Paul67
That read back like a summary of ineptitiude by our guardians, making decisions without a coherent strategy and boucing round allowing ‘managers’ to dictate the shape of our club.
The focus on der hun means we can forget asking questions about our own club strategy, infrastructure and resilience when Ange leaves at some point. Where’s the CEO, DoF, head of recruitment and various other supporting players needed to help a guy we all want to see be successful.
Following the hun circus means we continue to take our eye off the ball. Ange is making progress but once again we have a single point of failure in place if it goes off the rails.
HH
Their they go, the Lenny haters, just waiting, a couple of
Positive posts, let’s kid the timmys on, ffs hope you all see through
that twats post.
If you don’t I despair.
H H Mick
ONENIGHTINLISBON on 12TH NOVEMBER 2021 12:27 PM
“There would be no box office manager this time”
For that read = We appointed Lennon as he was the cheap option and we underestimated Sevco.
###
You underestimate the Celtic board if you think they underestimated the huns.
Differing opinions, all part of a blog …..
“Neil wanted the job permanently, Celtic only wanted him on an interim basis, so they agreed that he would take the job until the end of the season on condition he was considered for the permanent role.”
—————
So the best negotiator in the history of football actually bought that? Didn’t think to maybe call his bluff? A guy who was sacked by Bolton and “let go” by Hibs – was he waiting for Real Madrid to give him a call?
BIG WAVY on 12TH NOVEMBER 2021 12:38 PM
Paul67
‘That read back like a summary of ineptitiude by our guardians’
#
They are not inept.
They are running a business.
They set out to achieve what they consider to be in the best long term interests of the business.
That did not involve winning the league at any cost.
So the Celtic board don’t do succession planning, shock horror who would have thunk it?
The board never had 24hrs notice that Rodgers was leaving. More like 6 months.
We should have been looking for a manager then, same as we should have been scouting for one last October.
Ange has done well with what he has been given.
But what else has actually changed at the club.
No DOF, no head of recruitment and a CEO , who doesn’t know if he’s interim or permanently in the job.
TIMMY7_NOTED on 12TH NOVEMBER 2021 12:49 PM
So the Celtic board don’t do succession planning, shock horror who would have thunk it?
————
Give Brian Cox the CEO job
Ernie,
Long term interests of the business = keeping the hun, in continuity myth form, close enough to accept the mythical English invite to the big table of middle eastern oil barons with pockets deep enough to put a smile on DD’s moustachio-ed face?
Risk may be that they take a once in a generational grab of the league trophy as a consequence.
HH
BIG WAVY on 12TH NOVEMBER 2021 1:04 PM
Ernie,
Long term interests of the business = keeping the hun, in continuity myth form, close enough to accept the mythical English invite to the big table of middle eastern oil barons with pockets deep enough to put a smile on DD’s moustachio-ed face?
Risk may be that they take a once in a generational grab of the league trophy as a consequence.
HH
__________________________________________________
Nail on head
Pingback: Ulster medical testing lab cannot whitewash this one – Celtic FC News
The huns are fortunate in that they’ve an international break to get things in order – we had hours. However, we also had Lennon available, a man that knew the club, knew the job and knew senior squad members. He was an excellent interim option. We got lazy and complacent and instead of using the months of March, April and May to conduct a discrete managerial hunt, we appointed the wrong man full time.
I get the feeling the huns are in a state of panic right now. They’ve got no budget to offer a new coach and so will have to set their sights accordingly.
Paul67
Excellent rational understanding of events and why merely hating ‘the board’ cannot detract
from how football works. Celtic couldn’t do it mid season, so they chose rightly or wrongly not
to try. Given, that they took an entire summer and some may say didn’t quite manage ‘change’
up to now, its not surprising Neil Lennon had to be mutually consented. He wasn’t for walking
when he knew the only other show in town was Kennedy and Strachan. ( still is ? )
Sad, but inevitable given the geography and proximity of where they play that you make continual
comparisons with a brand new club, men of any vision would be in ‘The Green Room’ planning how
Celtic quickly regain pole position, by strengthening how football is delivered properly, and with
continued accountability.
st tams- agree,just shows what a good job he’s doing up till now
Bada Bing 12:19
https://media.giphy.com/media/l4FGnrNJ3aYNX3dug/giphy.gif
We were lucky to have Lenny able to step in at such short notice. He knew the club, league and the teams we’d be playing, the players and very importantly, he had John Kennedy and knew him well enough to trust him. He knew instantly what we’d face against Livi away, and how important just winning was.
We were also fortunate that he was able to leave things as they were – we were on the back of 9 straight wins domestically with a 9 point gap
Lenny also had a cast iron mentality, an ability to deal with the pressure of managing Celtic that comes from everything he’d been through. He knew what to expect. His mentality was probably the undoing of him in the end, or at least partly to blame, but it was very important at that point in time
I don’t think any of that applies the them and their situation, unless they really pull a rabbit out of the hat. If it’s to be GVB he has about as good-looking a CV as they’re likely to see among the real candidates, but he arrives at Ibrox with no coaches, an inconsistent team narrowly ahead of an in-form Celtic and zero knowledge of Scottish football over the many years.
Most importantly he’ll be dropped into a dog fight with huge pressures to win the league, a massive weight of expectation from the fans and a club facing an existential crisis. You don’t get pressure like that ever at Feyenoord
We’ll soon find out if the new man has what it takes.
That article Paul puts the board in very bad light!
Anyway I have a meeting at 2 pm and then at 3 pm I retire, yippee👏👍🍺🍷🍸bye bye work hello retirement!
In season 8 of our 2nd 9iar we supported Neil Lennon
In season 9 of our 2nd 9iar we supported Neil Lennon.
He didn’t get the 10
Celtic customers adapt or die.its tough!
He is not the loan fall guy for that happening
100m ‘promised land’ to todays 60m+ was not Neil Lennon.
It was bad for business.the 10 was just another season to a board who have not limited their emoluments at any time thro covid
Thats why Dermot will never speak for Celtic.
Dismissed.much in the same way his great club with great traditions shoite at Gleneagles when they didn’t even exist.
HH
“on condition he was considered for the permanent role.”
—————
What does that even mean anyway?
How would he know if he had been genuinely considered?
They could just appoint someone else and say we considered you but decided to give it to another candidate!
“I’m not taking the job unless you consider me for the permanent position.”
“Okay – we’ll consider you.”
“Right – hand me the pen!”
Seriously?????
PPB
Congratulations, hope you have a great retirement.
PRESTONPANS BHOYS on 12TH NOVEMBER 2021 1:43 PM
That article Paul puts the board in very bad light!
Anyway I have a meeting at 2 pm and then at 3 pm I retire, yippee👏👍🍺🍷🍸bye bye work hello retirement!
——————————-
Congratulations!
Prestonpansbhoy
May your retirement is long and happy .
Be
us – Board and in particular PL assumed they were bulletproof and smartest in the room. As long as PL was there he considered he was ultimately in charge (incl football dept) and being that he was such a genius he would be able to run everything – all he needed was reasonably compliant manager. Thats why NL got the gig but when the wheels started to come off thats when we found out how smart PL actually wasn’t!! Not just in the day to day but particularly when you look under the bonnet……..there was nothing, no support, no plan, no expertise basically no modern football club infastructure. So well done with that but hopefully our Ange can pull you out of that hole and we can hope and pray the lesson is learned and we start to behave the like big boy club they always tell us we are.
Congratulations PPB!