COUNTED OUT
It’s all over for Lennon as Highlanders shock Celtic with knockout blow
WHEN Celtic lobbied for the return of supporters to Park head, this wasn’t what they had in mind. Neil Lennon entered the postmatch press conference in the Jock Stein Lounge to the sound of rebellion outside.
Around 200 supporters had gathered on Celtic Way — ignoring restrictions on large gatherings — to chant: ‘ Lennon, Lennon, get to f***.’
Asked how it felt to hear that, the Northern Irishman sat down and managed a pained smile.
‘Brilliant,’ he replied, sarcasm in his voice. ‘It doesn’t make me feel good, obviously.’
A Celtic employee for much of the last 20 years, Neil Francis Lennon has savoured the good times of titles, trophies and European finals. He was sent live bullets through the post by rival supporters. Now the ammunition and shrapnel comes from his own people. In football, this is how it goes.
Billy McNeill was a legendary Celtic captain and he was sacked. Amongst supporters, Tommy Burns retains the status of St Francis of Assisi. Yet he, too, was dismissed by the club he served loyally. For managers, there are no guarantees in life — beyond one. At some point, they will be sacked and, when it happens, fans will be there to see them off the premises.
For Lennon, the last line of defence is now gone. His tenure as manager of Celtic is surely now over.
When Ross County eliminated Celtic from the League Cup in January 2016, it signalled a changing of t he guard. The team lost to Rangers in a Scottish Cup semifinal two months later and the Parkhead board responded with the appointment of Brendan Rodgers.
Their reward was a period of unparalleled domestic dominance, incorporating 11 straight trophies and 35 consecutive wins in cup competitions and, so long as the run continued, Celtic could maintain the pretence that all was well. Already 11 points adrift of Rangers in the league, however, County’s firstever win at Parkhead saw the cup run rumble to an end. A new name will now appear on the Betfred Cup and, while Celtic might make it to 12 consecutive trophies in a delayed Scottish Cup final with Hearts next month, the case for Lennon (left) leading the team out at Hampden has eveporated. For Celtic managers, it’s the Highland teams who kill them. John Barnes was finished after a home loss to Inverness. Ronny Deila was fatally undermined by upsets involving Caley Thistle and County. And while Lennon survived the first major set back of his managerial career to the Staggies in the Scottish Cup semi-final of 2010, there can surely be no comeback from this.
Directors have so far defied loud calls from supporters to axe him after a run of just two wins in ten games. The loss of two goals to Stuart Kettlewell’s excellent, organised team made it 23 conceded in ten games. The case for retention is now thinner than Donald Trump’s comb-over.
His team lacklustre from the off, a penalty from the excellent Ross Stewart six minutes before halftime left Celtic’s manager staring down the barrel of a gun.
It was entirely fitting County should then secure their place in the last eight from a corner kick.
Of l ate, Celtic have been completely unable to defend them, and when central defender Alex
Iacovitti nodded home a flicked-on Iain Vigurs set-piece at the back post, it was goodnight Vienna.
At time up, the booming tones of Premier Sports commentator Rory Hamilton proclaiming the fall of the empire attracted angry eyeballs from Celtic players as they walked down the tunnel. Major contributors to this mess, they should really be looking more closely at themselves.
‘ The g a me was a s mall microcosm of the season and the run we are on,’ said Lennon. ‘ Penalty and a set- play. It’s symptomatic of our season. We are giving the opposition free hits.’
To have any hope of catching Rangers — and right now it’s a slim hope — they can’t go on like this. To put this in context, County hadn’t won any of their previous 13 visits to Celtic Park. They’d lost five in a row and conceded 18 goals. When the teams met in Dingwall on September 12, Celtic scored five without reply.
But this isn’t the Celtic team who used to dispatch opponents with
ease. Their vulnerability is now glaring and other teams see it plainly, they can hardly miss it.
Home games a gai nst t he Dingwall side, St Johnstone and Kilmarnock were supposed to be a chance for the manager to steady the ship. But, right now, the water is flooding in as the band plays on. There is only one way this ends.
County’s penalty in 39 minutes summed up the home side. The relentless energy of left-back Josh Reid was exhausting. He galloped unimpeded from his own half towards the Celtic byeline. After he sent a low cross towards the near post, Christopher Jullien bought the invitation to clatter into Stewart.
Referee Kevin Clancy pointed to the spot and the lack of Celtic protests told its own story. Picking himself up, the striker dispatched the ball beyond the restored figure of Vasilis Barkas to hand the visitors a lead.
Celtic should have equalised a minute later. What creativity they offered came from Tom Rogic, the Australian’s deft first-time flick sending Albian Ajeti through on goal. The Swiss striker lashed his effort against the upright, the rebound cleared by Coll Donaldson.
There and then you wondered. Was this the day?
There was nothing undeserved in County’s half-time lead. Laboured in their play, Celtic’s 3-5-2 formation effectively handed five defenders plus Scott Brown (right) the task of providing the ammunition for Ajeti and Odsonne Edouard.
Without James Forrest, Moi Elyounoussi or Mikey Johnston in the starting line-up, the lack of attacking width killed them. The job of beating the full-backs and putting in a killer cross fell to Hatem Abd Elhamed and Diego Laxalt. They couldn’t do it.
For Lennon, the second half was now huge. And how often have we said that in recent weeks?
Nine minutes into the second period, Kris Ajer turned in a crowded area and lashed a low shot against the l egs of County goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw. Yet, as the clock reached the hour mark, Celtic offered nothing beyond blind hope. County didn’t attack much but, when they did, they carried threat. Stewart, in particular, is destined for a bigger stage.
Elynounoussi missed an easy header from a Rogic c r oss. Edouard blazed a terrific chance over t he bar from 12 yards. Yet a Celtic goal would really only have papered over the cracks. The regret on days like this is that the victors rarely get the credit they deserve. But the Highlanders didn’t sit on what they had. The scenes of celebration following Iacovitti’s goal suggested they knew the magnitude of this win. The same could be said of the Celtic f ans gathering outside, the smell of cordite in the Glasgow sky.
CELTIC (3-5-2): Barkas 5; Jullien 4, Bitton 4 (McGregor 68), Ajer 5; Elhamed 5 (Duffy 79), Brown 5, Christie 5, Rogic 6 (Klimala 85), Laxalt 5; Ajeti 4 (Elyounoussi 68), Edouard 5. Subs not used: Bain, Taylor, Ntcham, Henderson, Ralston. Booked: Duffy. ROSS COUNTY (5-4-1): Laidlaw 7; Watson 6, Donaldson 7, Morris 7, Iacovitti 7, Reid 7 (Randall 78); Paton 7 (Mckay 89), Kelly 7, Vigurs 7, Lakin 2 (Tillson 13); Stewart 8. Subs not used: Gardyne, Hylton, Wright, Williamson, Munro. Booked: Paton. Man of the match: Ross Stewart. Referee: Kevin Clancy.