‘I feel really bad for the gaffer’
Celtic forward backs embattled Lennon
MOHAMED Elyounoussi says it is time Celtic stopped using the Covid-19 crisis to excuse their shattered 10 in a row dreams.
From the Boli Bolingoli saga to having 13 players plus boss Neil Lennon forced to self-isolate after Christopher Jullien returned from the club’s controversial Dubai trip with the virus, the Hoops have not had their troubles to seek.
Lennon has also repeatedly suggested the closed-door conditions enforced by the pandemic has been a factor in his side’s spectacular slump this season, while Parkhead chief Peter Lawwell stoked controversy last week when he claimed coronavirus had affected their club “probably more than any”.
But that does not wash with Elyounoussi. Instead, the Norway forward reckons it is now time Lennon’s squad finally look themselves in the mirror and admit they have just not been good enough to keep pace with a rampant Rangers side streaking away, 20 points ahead.
The on-loan Southampton forward, who returned to action after his stint in quarantine only to see the Hoops drop points for the fourth time this year at Livingston on Wednesday night, said: “It hasn’t been a normal season with the pandemic.
“There have been things outside football, like our self-isolation, but everyone is in the same situation. So that’s no excuse. We have to be honest here, we cannot look for excuses any more.
“Everyone needs to pick themselves up, dig in deeper and work hard. There is always the next game. We have to keep looking forward and approach every game with positivity.”
The Dubai break was supposed to be a chance for Celtic to recharge their batteries and refresh their minds after a bruising end to 2020. But instead it backfired spectacularly. After flying out in the hours after defeat to Rangers at Ibrox, the trip was overshadowed by pictures appearing to show players breaching social distancing protocols during a day off.
Jullien’s positive test then ruled out a raft of first-team stars, leaving a scratch line-up to scrape draws with Hibernian and Livingston at home.
Lennon was able to recall a host of key men for the rematch with David Martindale’s Lions at the Tony Macaroni Arena but by then the Hoops’ fragile confidence was clear for all to see and they threw away another two points by allowing Jay Emmanuel-thomas to rescue a point in a 2-2 draw. Lennon insists he will not walk away from his job, but Elyounoussi is aware that pressure is mounting on his boss.
“I feel really bad for the gaffer,” he said. “I think that we personally have to take more responsibility. It’s easy to criticise the gaffer. When things don’t go well they are coming for him. But if you look at him and the rest of the coaching staff they’re working really hard, day and night.
“That makes me really disappointed that we cannot turn it around for him and the fans.
“He must be one of the strongest guys I have ever met. Of course we have belief in him. I think it is way too easy to just go for (Lennon) and say that we need a change. I think he does a
really good job with the motivational speeches before and after games. He’s a strong guy and it’s way too easy to blame him.”
Meanwhile, bookies Paddy Power have closed the market on Eddie Howe becoming the next manager of Celtic.
The former Bournemouth boss has been available at odds of 1/5 all week with speculation rife over Lennon’s future.
Howe has been touted as a potential successor and the Irishbased bookmakers decision yesterday to call time on a market where there isn’t even a vacancy is set to raise intrigue after the 43-year-old’s odds crashed to 1/10.
‘I feel bad forthe gaffer. It’s too easy toblame him’