RAISE A GLASS TO SHOCK TROOPS
Lenny can’t wait to get back home at Parkhead
Scotland. There is no excuse for spending £59m on wages and not getting value for money – and it goes back to the club’s structure.
It’s youth development, scouting and coaching. The scouting part has gone awry in recent seasons and I doubt many Celtic fans will be shedding any tears when they read about Lee Congerton being tipped to follow Rodgers to Leicester City, or join Anderlecht.
He must have a good agent but for Celtic it will be good riddance.
They simply need to get the recruitment side of things back on track. There has been a lot of talk about changing the structure behind the scenes and I’ve seen chat about a possible director of football role.
I’m not against that model but it has to be done in the right way. It’s fine if they go the Ajax route but it can go the other way if you look at Fulham.
They have Tony Khan – son of owner Shahid Khan – and have spent more than £100m while sacking two gaffers this season.
A director of football can bring stability but it can also make managers pretty disposable.
If Celtic move quick to get a new structure in place it could take some of the heat out of making a permanent appointment in the dugout.
But I still believe they should be giving Neil Lennon the job so he can get to work in preparation for the summer right now.
He’s got enough on his plate at the moment and I doubt any incoming Celtic manager has ever been handed as tough a start. Tynecastle, Easter Road, now Aberdeen at Celtic Park and Rangers coming up after a trip to Dundee. Okay, Dens Park shouldn’t present many problems but he has landed the four most difficult opponents in his first five games.
Perhaps that’s why Rodgers jumped ship when he did but either way it’s up to Lennon to steer the club through this period.
The positive for him is there’s plenty of pressure on Celtic’s closest rivals as well. If Rangers don’t win at Easter Road tonight the league is as good as done.
I still think Steven Gerrard’s side will need to win both remaining Old Firm games to even stand a chance.
The next few weeks could wrap it up but Celtic should already be plotting for Europe next season.
And, as Ajax proved, there can be no excuses. BY MICHAEL GANNON NEIL LENNON insists he’s coming home as he prepares to take his Parkhead bow tomorrow.
The Celtic stand-in boss faced a baptism of fire with clashes at Tynecastle and Easter Road.
Now he’s relishing the prospect of walking out at Celtic Park again when Aberdeen arrive tomorrow.
He said: “I’m looking forward to going home. We’ve had two very difficult away games and dealt with them brilliantly.
“It has been a tough run – Hearts away, Hibs away then Aberdeen at home. They don’t come much tougher than that.
“The rest will be good for everyone and allow me to get more used to the surroundings, the players and the way we play.
“When teams play against Celtic they raise their game subconsciously and we can hopefully bring the mentality from the last two games into this one.”
Lennon admitted his first few days in the gig left his head in a spin but he was delighted to get a week working with the squad under his belt.
He said: “The boys needed some rest. It was a tough week for them mentality and physically and I’ll maybe try to get my bearings now.
“It’s not about me. I know there have been a lot of sub plots until now. It was a difficult situation going into the Hibs game for me but the players have been absolutely brilliant.
“Saturday was a good day’s work but now it’s about adjusting and getting more used to each other.”