Parkhead board are urged to ‘put boss Lennon out of his misery’
MARK WILSON last night called on the Celtic board to put Neil Lennon out of his misery by calling time on his troubled Parkhead tenure. A former Celtic team-mate of Lennon, who also played under the Northern Irishman in his first spell in charge in the east end of Glasgow, Wilson was not surprised to see him vow to battle on after the 2-2 draw at Livingston on Wednesday night. But Celtic’s ten-in-a-row dream has unravelled in spectacular fashion under his command and this week’s result marked the first time that the Parkhead club, who trail Steven
Gerrard’s Rangers by a whopping 20 points, have gone four league games without a win since 2000 when Kenny Dalglish was interim boss.
Tweets from supporters liaison officer John Paul Taylor raised expectations that Celtic might announce the outcome of their managerial review within the next seven days.
Sportsmail understands, however, that plans for a state-of-play video address to fans by chief executive Peter Lawwell have now been shelved following a negative reaction from supporters to last week’s Dubai apology.
With plans afoot for a restructuring of the club’s football operations this summer, Celtic directors would prefer to limp to the end of the season before making a change at the managerial helm.
Wilson says Lennon will appreciate that a run of just seven wins in his team’s last 22 matches is sackable form.
But, while the manager has said he will never quit, Wilson called on the board to do its ‘duty’ and tell the 49-year-old his second spell at the helm is over.
The former Celtic and Scotland defender said: ‘I think a lot of people are calling for him to resign but, knowing Neil the way I do — I played under him, I played with him — he’s a fantastic leader and he’s a fighter, a scrapper.
‘He won’t quit. I certainly didn’t expect anything less from his comments after the match on Wednesday night.
‘But I do think there’s a duty of the club, from the people above him, to make the decision.
‘When you look at the results recently, and you look back to 22 games and seven wins — or eight if you include the Scottish Cup final win on penalties (against Hearts) — for any Celtic manager that’s a tough run of results to survive.
‘I think Neil will know even himself that, historically, that hasn’t been good enough to keep other Celtic managers (in a job). I was here under Tony Mowbray. I played a part in (his sacking in 2010).
‘I know fine well that the axe falls pretty quickly and, when you add in the run of results to the other calamitous things that have happened this season, you can understand why the Celtic fans are calling for change now.’
Celtic’s horrendous form comes after the hugely controversial mid-winter trip to Dubai at the height of the Covid pandemic.
After Christopher Jullien tested positive on the squad’s return from the warm weather training camp, Celtic had to face Hibs and Livingston with 13 players — plus Lennon and his backroom staff — self-isolating.
In the face of mounting pressure, Lawwell apologised for the visit to the UAE — only for Lennon to defend the trip on Monday at a press conference.
His comments were later described as ‘appalling’ by Deputy First Minister John Swinney.
With no game this weekend, Celtic are not in action again until they host Hamilton next Wednesday.
‘What do Celtic do with that time? Well they certainly don’t leave the country, that’s for sure,’ Wilson told Sky Sports.
‘They have to get back to the training pitch and they have to get all their players back.
‘I think Neil will have a debrief on how this full ten-day or 15-day period has gone and they need to get back to playing good football. Ultimately that’s what matters.
‘The Dubai debacle is over now. I think we should move past it and we hope there are no other things to come out of that.
‘But ultimately it’s about results on the park and, after Dubai, Celtic have dropped six points within ten days.
‘That isn’t good enough for going to Dubai for a performance-enhancing trip.
‘Celtic have to go back to Lennoxtown, work hard and, no matter what, they do not drop points against Hamilton at Celtic Park next Wednesday.’
Winger Mohammed Elyounoussi yesterday backed his manager and urged Celtic players to step up to the plate.
Admitting he feels sympathy for Lennon’s plight, on-loan Southampton player Elyounoussi says underperforming players are to blame for their poor form.
‘I feel really bad for him and the rest of the coaching staff of course,’ said Elyounoussi. ‘I think that we personally have to take more responsibility as well and go out and perform.
‘It is 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 are working really hard, day and night.
‘That makes me really disappointed, that we cannot turn it around for him and obviously the fans as well. So, yeah, I feel for him.
‘But he must be one of the strongest guys I have ever met. He is a strong guy and he is working hard for us to turn it around. Of course we have belief in him.’
The Norwegian insists the Parkhead players can help each other through the form crisis by sticking together.
‘It is always easy to talk about the manager or whatever,’ added Elyounoussi. ‘We are all a part of this. He is a strong guy and it is way too easy to blame him. Players need to take more responsibility.’