New chief ’s prospects all wrapped up in how Lennon successor fares
Obviously required to adhere to Stock Exchange rules, these early morning bulletins of news emanating from Celtic convey the impression of a club setting the agenda before the rest of us have even opened the curtains.
Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Dynamic is not a word anyone would associate with the Parkhead club’s manoeuvres this season unless used in connection with the sprint to get to the sun loungers in Dubai.
In any case, the club need to set their alarm clock for even earlier if they want to fool Celtic fans. It did not take long for the claim that Neil Lennon had in fact “resigned” to be ridiculed.
Mostly, it’s been sluggish from Celtic, off the pitch and on it. The attempt to track Jordan White’s back-post run on Sunday night in Dingwall before the big striker headed in the winning goal summed everything up. The prize of ten-in-a-row should have put a spring in everyone’s step at Celtic. Instead, it has weighed on them to an extent few could have imagined.
The apology for that season-defining as well as season-ending jaunt trip to the sun took six days and ended up being roughly four minutes too long when it did arrive. Chief executive Peter Lawwell has barely been heard of since except for another statement delivered with the dawn chorus revealing he was retiring this summer. There was an obligatory photograph of him driving purposefully into Lennoxtown
yesterday. It’s strange to think that a defeat that was greeted with relatively little hysteria is the one that finally convinced the Celtic board to act. In the eyes of many fans, it was the right opposition, just the wrong game. The defeat to Ross County in November was the one that saw Celtic fans break lockdown restrictions and gather on Celtic Way in what proved the first serious show of dissatisfaction with their team’s efforts.
It seems perverse the axe should fall now. Prior to the latest Ross County reversal, Celtic had been on a fivematch winning run. If they had only emerged unscathed from Dingwall and then dealt with Aberdeen at Parkhead this weekend, Lennon might have been the unlikeliest ever manager of the month. He has at least been spared that uncomfortable photograph.
So, what happens now? Confirmation this weekend’s Six Nations clash with France goes ahead means Scottish Rugby’s chief operating officer Dominic Mckay can’t lose complete focus when it comes to his current employment. However, it’s likely he is already drawing up a short list of potential candidates on his SRU notepad prior to taking over from Lawwell this summer.
As unpalatable as it may be to the rugby bigwigs, it’s unrealistic to think he isn’t already involved in discussions with the Celtic hierarchy to some degree. Mckay’s own hopes of succeeding at Celtic are so wrapped up in how Lennon’s successor fares. He badly needs a Brendan Rodgers rather than a Tony Mowbray, a Wim Jansen rather than a John Barnes.
In the meantime, John Kennedy will take the reins until the end of this calamitous season. He might even have to endure seeing his side dethroned by Rangers at Parkhead next month. Celtic fans will hope it’s the darkest hour before dawn.