Football: Victory over Kilmarnock gives Celtic boss Lennon some respite
Celtic manager Neil Lennon has conceded that his side appearing to get their “mojo” back will not get some sup - porters off his or the club board’s back.
Lennon’s men made it backto-back wins for the first time in ten weeks courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Kilmarnock. Although it avoided fans gathering to protest into the night as they had following wretched results the previous three weeks, the 49 -year- old was well aware of the fans’ demonstration, organised by the Celtic Trust, two hours before kick-off.
Lennon sought top reach goodwill to all, with his side at last beginning to drag themselves out of a ruinous slump. “We just want unity,” he said, stating the support from protesters was “wonderful” and “appreciated”.
“We understand the fans’ frustrations. We’re out of the League Cup. And we’re out of Europe, so now we concentrate on the league. So it’s important that the fans get behind us, but we have to replicate that with performances and results. So it has been a good day but that’s all it has been so far. It won’t placate all of the fans, because of the position we are in, so we have to work at it and make it better.”
Focus now turns to the Scottish Cup final against Hearts next Sunday, and the bid to complete a world-first quadruple treble. Lennon hinted that even though he left stalwarts of the four-year trophy-hoovering run in Scott Brown, Ryan Christie and Tom Rogic on the bench against the Ayshire men, he won’t necessarily consider emerging inspirations David Turnbull and Ismaila Soro for starting slots at the national stadium.
“They have given me options,” he said of the pair, and 22-yearold keeper Conor Hazard, who impressed against Kilmarnock and in the Lille victor y three days before it. “But I’d like to think about the boys who got us there as well. We can’t just write them off, but the lads who have come in have done a terrific job.”
Lennon could also take satisfaction from being able to bring on winger Mikey Johnston for a first appearance in 11 months as the result of knee and calf problems. “We’ve missed him,” Lennon said. “We’ve missed that type of player, what with Jamesy [Forrest] being out as well.”
CELTIC 2
Elyounoussi 57, Duffy 70
KILMARNOCK 0
At a rough count, 16 police vans were stationed outside Celtic Park as Neil Lennon’s men overcame Kilmarnock 2-0.
I t w a s r e s u l t t h a t e n s u r e d t h e human cargo inside the wagons did not have to disembark. The outcome made the occasion a red-letter day, not another of the red alert Sundays the Parkhead club have endured of late to have their fans descending on the stadium with their metaphorical pitchforks.
The ‘back the team, sack the board’ Celtic Trust protest before kick- off meant the day was not without a demonstration.
Mercifully, for Lennon, pictured below, it was not the only one. His players demonstrated that they aren’t simply the failing, feckless bunch they have appeared for so much of the past two months. They showed they can play with a lick of style, and even - shock - prevent their opponents from scoring.
A first clean sheet in nine games, a first home success in domestic football in six games and, following on from the 3-2 victory over Lille at Parkhead on Thursday, the first time they have secured back-to-back wins since the opening days of October, it feels like Lennon’s men have picked themselves off the canvas in recent days.
That has b een achieved b ecause of the Celtic manager’s inclusion of, what have proved, punchy performers against the French and the Ayrshire side. He retained David Turnbull, Ismaila Soro and keeper Conor Hazard following the freshness and drive with which they imbued a Celtic on their knees after the draw at home to St Johnstone a week ago.
In a matter of four days, they have doubled their win quota since midOctober. And that wasn’t just all to do with Lennon being rewarded for keeping faith with Turnbull, S oro and Hazard, a trio that injected their team with drive and confidence once again. It was also to do with Lennon’s holding on to the belief that he can get a turn out of the universally-filleted Shane Duffy. It was notable that when Turnbull crafted another fine deadball deliver y, to drop a corner on to the head of the Repulbic of Ireland captain to bury for Celtic’s decisive 70th-minute second goal, he was engulfed by all his team-mates.
Commitment, character and comp etence of the entire Celtic squad a n d t h e i r man a g e men t t e a m h a s been understandably questioned as they have found themselves 13 points adrift of Rangers, who have played two games more, in a quagmire quest for an historic 10th title. Yet, they have shown all these facets in lancing Lille and a typically troublesome Rugby Park opponent. Evidenced by the fact that only once in the past three years have they beaten them by a greater margin than two goals.
With Turnbull a blur of invention and intent, and Soro grafting for possession, Celtic had a different complexion to them even as they struggled to get on top of a visiting side that had lost four of their past five Premiership matches.
They spread the play b etter, had more rhythm and precision to their attacks. But for Danny Rodgers maki n g s ma r t b l o c k s f r o m Tu r n b u l l , twice, and Christopher Jullien, while Odsonne Edouard was wasteful with two gilt-edged opportunities Celtic would not have had to wait until the 57th minute to translate their dominance into a lead.
When the opener did arrive, it was of the untidy variety. The beavering Mohamed Elyounoussi exhibited balance and acceleration to car ve his way off the left flank and along the edge of the penalt y box before letting fly.
Then came a bounce around, with his effort grazing Duffy and Aaron Mcgowan to divert past the Kilmarnock keeper. It was still the Nor wegian’s goal, no doubt, and took his tally to eight goals in only 11 outings.
The final act to cheer Lennon came w i t h H a z a r d s h o w i n g a l e r t n e s s to pull off a point-blank save from Kirk Broadfoot in the closing minutes. It could be a save that guarantees the 22-year-old Irishman a place in next Sunday’s S cottish Cup final a g a i n s t He a r t s . L e n n o n wi l l n ow h ave muc h to p o nd e r a b o u t wh o plays in front of the Northern Ireland under-21.
H e h i n t e d p o s t - m a t c h t h a t h e feels a sense of duty to captain Scott Brown for his contribution to the club on the verge of a quadruple treble. Lennon cautioned before the Kilmarnock game that the emergence of Turnbull and Soro didn’t suddenly mean the creation of a ‘new age’ Celtic team, but the £3.5m summer signing from Motherwell has breathed such
life into the Scottish champions, it would seem contrar y to drop him for Hamp - den. Likewise with Hazard, even if Ivorian Soro gives way for Brown.
If not for the backdrop, Celtic’s display against Alex Dyer’s team would have seemed the sor t of bog-standard harvesting of three points they carried off for ever and a day. And it will exasperate Lennon that such straightforward victories have proved so elusive.
The floggings in Europe, the League Cup failing against Ross County, all of these would have been forgiven had Celtic maintained their early Premiership form over the past two months. Instead, seven straight league wins gave way to only six points being accrued from their next five ahead of a Kilmarnock success that at least allowed so many officers of the law to stay warm inside their vehicles. Celtic: Hazard: Ajer, Jullien, Duffy, Taylor (Laxalt 80); Frimpong (Christie 70), Soro, Mcgregor, Elyounoussi (Johnston 86); Turnbull (Rogic 80); Edouard (Klimala 70).
Subs: Barkas, Brown, Griffiths, Ajeti.
Kilmarnock: Rogers, Mcgowan, Broadfoot, Findlay, Haunstrup; Kiltie (Burke 68), Tshibola, Mckenzie, Power, Pinnock (Mulumbu 70): Kabamba (Brophy 79). Subs: Doyle, Waters, Ibsen Rossi, Taylor, Whitehall.