BUCKLE UP... WE’RE IN FOR A BUMPY RIDE
Lennon exit leaves New manager Question marks power vacuum with faces personnel over new CEO and no heir apparent crisis at Parkhead director of football
THE uncertainty over Neil Lennon’s future at Celtic finally, after months of disappointment, speculation, criticism, protests and abuse, ended at just after seven o’clock yesterday morning when the Parkhead club announced to the London Stock Exchange he had resigned.
Who replaces the Northern Irishman as manager and how the quadruple treble winners proceed from here is no clearer as a result of his sudden departure.
However, one thing is for sure; whoever comes in to take over from him faces a gargantuan task helping the Glasgow outfit to reclaim their mantle as the dominant force in the Scottish game from Rangers and replicating the success he enjoyed.
Discussion among supporters about who would be a good choice to succeed Lennon started way back in August following the painful and costly Champions League qualifying defeat to Ferencvaros at home and has steadily escalated.
Many names have been mentioned as potential candidates; Rafa Benitez,
Steve Clarke, Eddie Howe, Mark Hughes, Leonardo Jardim, Roy Keane, John Kennedy, Paul Lambert,
Frank Lampard, Shaun Maloney, Enzo Maresca, Roberto Martinez, Alex Neil, Dan Petrescu, Ralf Rangnick, Jack Ross and Jindrick Trpisovsky have all been touted... but there remains no obvious heir apparent after all this time.
Clarke has suddenly emerged as the front runner in recent weeks. The former Newcastle United, Chelsea and Liverpool assistant would certainly tick a lot of boxes. He is an outstanding coach with a proven track record, has worked at a very high level, is widely respected in the game and has vast experience.
The Ayrshireman would be undaunted by the challenge given the size of the clubs he has previously worked at and his appointment would meet with the widespread approval of fans.
Yet, the 57-year-old, who transformed the fortunes of Kilmarnock and led them into Europe for the first time in 18 years before taking over at Scotland and steering them through to their first major tournament in 22 years, is currently gearing up for the Euro 2020 finals.
How would it work if he was approached and agreed to take the job? Would he stand down as national boss beforehand? He would go from being the most popular man in the country to the most hated in the bat of an eye if he did so. Plus, he would not be involved in the competition he worked so hard to reach. Would he take charge of the national team this summer and then leave? It would be an unwelcome distraction.
But Celtic need to get somebody on board sooner rather than later. They can ill afford to leave it until June or even July if they want to prise the title from their city rivals’ grasp next term. A major rebuilding job is required and whoever comes in has to be involved.
Several key players are certain to depart at the end of the current campaign.
It will be no surprise if Kristoffer Ajer, Ryan Christie and Odsonne Edouard move on. Others who are surplus to requirements need to follow them out of the exit door. They will all have to be replaced. And quickly.
Elsewhere, is captain Scott Brown going to continue? He is out of contract at the end of the season and has still to decide if he is going to play on, join another club or move into coaching. He will turn 36 in June. Should he get a new deal? The new manager has to make the decision.
Potentially, Celtic could be looking for a new first team goalkeeper, centre-half, left-back, right-back, central midfielder, playmaker and striker in the close season.
With the Champions League second qualifying round being played in mid-July, whoever replaces Lennon has to come on board, identify the players he wants to sign and help to bed them into their new surroundings on the training ground in pre-season.
Who, too, is going to oversee
Whoever comes in faces a gargantuan task helping Celtic reclaim their mantle
the comings and goings? Peter Lawwell, who took a very hands-on role in recruitment, is due to stand down as chief executive in
June and be replaced by Dominic McKay.
Will Nick Hammond, the head of football operations, remain in situ? Many of his acquisitions, the likes of
Albian Ajeti, Vasilis Barkas and Shane Duffy, have, to date at least, been a disappointment. Rumours of a director of football coming in to work in tandem with McKay abound.
Will the new manager get to bring in his own people? Lennon inherited his backroom team when he replaced Brendan Rodgers two years ago tomorrow and always spoke in glowing terms about their contribution. But it would perhaps have been beneficial to him having his own trusted lieutenants.
The financial and logistical impact of the coronavirus pandemic will, even if lockdown restrictions are eased and the world returns to some sort of normality in the coming months, continue to complicate everybody’s lives.
But season ticket holders need to see that a plan is in place and that better times lie ahead if they are to part with hundreds of pounds of their hard-earned cash amid the financial downturn caused by the Covid-19 outbreak.
Rangers have, in stark contrast to Celtic, enjoyed an enormously successful season and appear in good shape to build on their progress next season. Yes, Alfredo Morelos will probably be offloaded. Borna Barisic, Connor
Goldson, Glen Kamara and Ryan Kent could all be the subject of bids from down south and overseas too. And they need to sell a prized asset or two to balance the books after living outwith their means for too long.
But Steven Gerrard is loving life in Govan, going nowhere and has an abundance of talent. He has coped with injuries and suspensions well since football resumed here last year. His team has a tried and tested system which every member of his pool can slot into effortlessly and a style of play that is effective at home and abroad.
Sporting director Ross Wilson has done little if anything wrong in the transfer market. He can, then, be relied upon to strengthen well if Morelos and others move on. The Ibrox club promise to be a formidable force going forward.
Being made Celtic chief executive last month was a dream come true for McKay, the Scottish Rugby chief operating officer who is a lifelong supporter and season ticket holder, but he will have to make an immediate impact in the most difficult circumstances imaginable or the role could quickly become a little bit of a nightmare.
NEIL Lennon’s status as a Celtic great was secured years ago. A manager and player for the club over a span of 13 years, the Northern Irishman won everything there was to realistically win, including trebles as both a footballer and a coach.
This season, of course, has been an unmitigated disaster and fans have rightfully been disappointed and upset that their 10-In-A-Row hopes were dashed by the combination of a strong Rangers and an, at times, woeful Celtic side.
Lennon resigned from his post with confirmation coming from the club yesterday morning. It comes after chief executive Peter Lawwell, majority shareholder Dermot Desmond and chairman
Ian Bankier all came out in defence of the manager this season, with Bankier doing so as recently as this month.
Celtic’s 1-0 defeat to Ross County last weekend was the final nail in the coffin, however, with the champions 18 points behind Steven Gerrard’s side. But the Dingwall defeat was only the straw that broke the camel’s back after a handful of disastrous results this campaign. Lennon has been skating on thin ice for a while now, even if he has insisted otherwise throughout, and that ice has finally cracked and given way.
Here we take a look at the results that proved too much for Lennon to keep his job beyond this week as well as a couple of major moments in the season that have built up and ultimately cost him...
BRENDAN RODGERS
Lennon’s Celtic predecessor “First in terms of Neil, I am obviously saddened when any manager loses his job or moves on, in particular someone I can call a friend, so it’s a tough day.
“But when it all settles down, Neil is an incredible legend of the club, he has given so much service to the club, won so many titles and like I say, his legacy there will be intact forever.
THE RESULTS Celtic 1-2 Ferencvaros
Celts crashed out of the Champions League qualifiers with a dreadful showing against Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros in the second qualifying round. The draw was one of the supposed easier ties Lennon’s troops could have been handed, as they dodged the likes of Cluj and Slovan Bratislava.
But even with a one-legged home tie they were unable to see off their opponents and missed out on a whopping cash windfall. Lennon said at the time his players ‘only had themselves to blame’ and he was right after David Siger and Tokmac Nguen scored either side of a Ryan Christie equaliser.
The manager revealed at that point that some players wanted out of the club, and alarm bells started ringing. Celtic 0-2 Rangers
The time was now to put a marker down to remind Rangers who the champions were. To let them know 10 in a row was the priority and they’d do everything and anything to make it happen. What transpired at Parkhead back in October was arguably Celtic’s worst performance in an Old Firm derby in recent memory.
They did not register a shot on target the entire 90 minutes and were undone at two setpieces as defender Connor Goldson grabbed an unlikely double. In terms of defending from free-kicks and corners it was a clear sign of things to come.
Celtic 1-4 Sparta Prague
This result saw Celtic lose three consecutive home matches for the first time in 30 years but it was the manner of the defeat that hurt fans most. Completely outgunned by the side most believed would cause them the least amount of problems in Europa League
“In terms of John [Kennedy], when myself and my staff went in there, John was someone I didn’t know but I heard good things about him.
“He knows the temperature of Celtic which is important. He has been through all the levels as a scout, a coach, progressed through to the first team and in my time there he was an absolutely brilliant first-team coach for me.
“He has great knowledge of
Group H, Lukas Julis bagged a hat-trick as the hosts crumbled.
The reverse 4-1 defeat in Czech Republic was just as bad with Julis helping himself to another two goals.
Celtic 0-2 Ross County
This is where it began to turn ugly for the club as fans staged protests outside Parkhead following defeat at home to County, their first domestic cup tie loss in 35 matches. Ross Stewart and Alex Iacovitti did the business for Stuart Kettlewell’s side but, for Lennon, things turned sour with supporters demanding his sacking.
The boss said at the time upon hearing the protests outside: “It doesn’t make me feel good, obviously. We are not in a good moment.”
Rangers 1-0 Celtic
Rangers took another step towards the title with a win over Celts at Ibrox in the New Year fixture. The game had started so well for the visitors, too, with Allan McGregor on top form to keep out Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths.
Nir Bitton was sent-off and a Callum McGregor own goal sealed the points for Rangers and if ever there was a result and performance which told the story of Celtic’s season it was this one.
Celtic 1-2 St Mirren
Off the back of two draws with Livingston, Jim Goodwin’s side managed a well-earned win at Parkhead. Lennon branded it the lowest he has felt in football and it was not hard to see why. Ilkay Durmus embarrassed loan flop Shane Duffy to slam home the winner and Celtic’ title efforts were doomed once and for all.
Ross County 1-0 Celtic
It was County’s second win over Celtic this season when Jordan White powered home the game, very loyal, very supportive, very hard working.
“He knows the demands of the club and obviously with Neil moving on he is a great pair of hands to go in there and just stabilise the players, the club and I am pretty sure he will do a fantastic job in the period he is in there.”
ALLY McCOIST
Former Rangers counterpart “The first thing I say is, hopefully he can get some sanity back in his life and go and enjoy himself and relax with his family for a period.
“That’s the one thing, looking at Neil, that he needs and wants – so that’s the most important thing.
“But in terms of the decision itself, I’m not overly surprised at all. I think the way the season has gone for Celtic this year has effectively been one disaster after another, and there are a lot of people
Dubai brought with it criticism and the first real signs Lennon was feeling the pressure
responsible for that. Neil, being the manager, is obviously one of them but the people above him as well, and indeed the players have to shoulder a lot of the responsibility.”
JOHN HARTSON
Former Celtic team-mate “I think Neil shouldn’t be accountable for all the decisions that have gone wrong.
“I think the recruitment officer has to look at himself and say, ‘was paying £5million for Barkas, the Greek goalkeeper, [he right thing to do]. He is not in the team now, he has not even made a decent save all season in my opinion. Five million for Celtic is an awful lot of money to pay for a goalkeeper.
“They brought in Albian Ajeti from West Ham, played about six times off the bench for West Ham. Celtic could have got Ivan
Toney for £500,000 more, Celtic were alerted by Peterborough when Brentford put up the £5.5million fee to sign Toney, why Celtic didn’t go and get him I don’t know.
“There have been other players as well, loan players. Laxalt, who has come in.”
“It has all gone desperately wrong, the results have not been good enough.
“They’ve gone out to the bottom team Ross County in the (Betfred) cup, lost again (to County) on Sunday night.
“A pivotal moment, yes because they need to get it right.
“Celtic have been so, so successful in the last 10 years and the big thing for the supporters is that this was a massive year for them.”
JOHN HUGHES
Ross County manager a header from yet another set-piece. It’s been hard to see a way back for Lennon for a while, but this defeat sealed his fate with the patient board.
THE BIG MOMENTS Summer recruitment
Celtic splashed the cash bigtime on goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas with the Greek joining from AEK Athens for around £5million. His signing has proven to be a disaster as he has struggled to adapt to life in Glasgow. The stopper has failed to do his job on several occasions and been heavily criticised for some dodgy performances and woeful goals conceded.
It’s gotten so bad that the 26-year-old has been left out the squad entirely the last few weeks with rookie Conor Hazard and Scott Bain being picked ahead of him.
Shane Duffy was tipped to be Celtic’s defensive saviour when he joined on loan – with a £2m loan fee and a staggering wage – attached. His performances have at times been comical and some high-profile mistakes have cost him dearly.
Albian Ajeti, another £5m signing, has been struggling for fitness since joining and, despite a decent goalscoring return to kick-off his Hoops career, he has failed to keep it up and has not made it off the bench at times this term, with Lennon instead opting for Odsonne Edouard and midfielder Ryan Christie as his strike duo. Somewhat bizarre decisions considering the cash spent, but Ajeti has obviously not earned the trust, nor has £3.5m man Patryk Klimala.
“My heart goes out to Lenny.
“I pay tributes to his accomplishments and success he has had at
Celtic, as a player and a manager.
“Someone showed me his [Lennon’s] statement and he is 100 per cent right, he is Celtic through and through and he will be hurting.
“As a fellow manager, I can only sympathise with him and I wish him all the best.”
Dubai and the fallout
Lennon was adamant Celtic’s Dubai trip was for the good of the club and his players. But not everyone saw it that way. Former Celtic striker Andy Walker had umpteen pops at the manager and the club over the ‘jolly’ – which did not sit well with him – and the Scots government also questioned the trip.
Peter Lawwell came out publicly and apologised for the decision to go-ahead with the trip, but a furious and defiant Lennon ripped into everyone and anyone during an explosive press conference where he slaughtered the media, pundits and the government over their criticism.
He also insisted Celtic had been held to a higher standard than other Premiership clubs and he took aim at the likes of Hamilton and St Johnstone over their Covid-related matchday protocols not being up to snuff.
That brought with it further criticism and provided the first real signs that Lennon was beginning to feel the pressure. Of course it was obvious he was feeling it beforehand but it must be said he had been good at masking his disappointment. But this presser showed the frustration and it was clear he was a man under a lot of stress.
Two Celtic stars also tested positive for Covid-19 following the trip which sparked more fury among fans as well as government officials.
As many as 14 players as well as Lennon and assistant John Kennedy were forced to self-isolate and missed draws with Hibs and Livingston.