Barkas or Bain? For Neil Lennon the gloves are off

There will be a multitude of different areas of the team Neil Lennon will be pondering over this week. He should have the time, with only four first team players reporting for duty and the rest globetrotting around the International Covid-19 exchange programme, also known as the Nations League.

Lennon will no doubt be debating the balance between attacking full backs and being wide open to the two- pass counter attack, perhaps Central defensive concerns around set pieces and cross balls, or how to persuade Tom Rogic to wear a cotton wool body suit in training.

But perhaps the one that came out of left-field most in the last few weeks was the decision to drop Vasilas Barkas and bring in Scott Bain to compete for the No1 position. Suddenly Neil Lennon has created a rod for his back. Not only has Lennon indicated that Scott Bain has the gloves for the interim, he has strongly suggested the gloves are Bain’s if he can convince the manager to continue with the experiment.

Except the results of the experiment have been inconclusive, in fact it’s starting to look like Neil Lennon has a Morton’s Fork dilemma on his hands. Does he have two goalkeepers where he is really convinced by neither rather than really having a preference at all? Is it the devil and the deep blue sea or the rock and a hard place conundrum? The equivalent of choosing your match summariser between Kris Boyd and Alex Rae, well OK perhaps not that. Just out of interest who would you choose in that scenario?

In considering the dropping of Barkas, many were surprised. There were few real mistakes from the £5million man, however the poppadum hands effort to save Conor Goldson’s opening goal in the Glasgow Derby won’t have helped. There were few goals conceded where you would have expected the summer signing from AEK to make the saves, but then again, the point of having an above average goalkeeper is you want him to pull of saves you wouldn’t expect, that’s why you buy Greek Internationals for £5million rather than Jonathon Gould from Bradford City reserves.

Indeed, when you think of the goalkeepers Celtic have had since Gould you can see why the bar was high when Barkas came in. Prior to the signing of Barkas, the gloves and big ones at that, have been filled by David Marshall, Artur Boruc, Fraser Forster several times over and Craig Gordon. All excellent goalkeepers without question. So excellent that it may be a little unfair on Barkas to compare so soon.

Yet the man with the gloves at present also suffered the same fate. An awful performance against Cluj in Champions Leage qualifying and suddenly Scott Bain was out as quickly as Neil lennon could say ‘he’s not dropped, just a minor injury’ So if we suggest Barkas deserves a shot, does Bain not deserve to be afforded the same opportunity?

Well personally I don’t think he does. And nor do I believe Lennon does either. The decision to go and get Fraser Forster last season was made because Lennon didn’t trust Bain as a number one, yet few would argue as a back-up he can do a job. At least he won’t bang down the manager’s door asking for a chance, he knows his place, and his recent unorthodox approach to goalkeeping and concession of 15 goals in seven games should draw a line under this experiment.

Not only was Barkas purchased for £5million, he was extensively scouted for two years. Both Stevie Woods and our Director of football operations, Nick Hammond gave him their personal seal of approval. Indeed, Hammond put his neck on the lie with this one and pushed for this deal.

Bain on the other hand was a Rodgers signing -and we know how they work out – and purchased more for his ability with his feet than his hands. Yet even on that score Barkas seems Bain’s superior, the Greek’s distribution is quick and decisive whereas some of Bain’s was questionable to say the least at Fir Park. There is a certain eccentricity to Bain’s goalkeeping that I think an already unsure defence could do without.

Barkas at least seems to have a technique, skillset and calmness you’d want from a goalkeeper. Yet he has looked ordinary so far. Not poor, but far from as spectacular as some of his esteemed predecessors. From that perspective perhaps Lennon was looking for a fresh approach, but more likely he’s looking to give Barkas a boot up the backside, time for some one-on-one work with Stevie woods and time away from the firing line, until he can get up to speed.

Funnily enough there are similarities with Barkas time with AEK. Having joined from Atromitis, Barkas was criticised early doors. He took a while to settle in the big club environment and exited the AEK first team for a couple of months, yet he returned, made the shirt his own and became what is now 12 times capped Greek international, a Champions league performer – and we sure need them – and a player who turned heads at Celtic. Is Lennon then hoping a little bit of history will repeat this time out?

If so, expect Scott Bain to have the gloves until the inevitable mistake occurs, and let’s hope that moment doesn’t come at a significant cost, before Barkas returns. Or will it be a case of post-international break Barkas will return between the sticks?

One thing is certain, there is a plan for Barkas. Celtic won’t be writing off a £5million signing quite so soon. Barkas will be given another opportunity, a chance to prove Lennon is not faced with a Morton’s Fork dilemma after all, that he has a goalkeeper that was recommended because he is a £5million player after all.

If Barkas is to be that man, it may be advisable to show he’s got the match winning saves in his locker to match the rest of his game. It’s what is expected from a Celtic goalkeeper. At least it has been for 20 years.

Niall J

READ THIS…Celtic Huddle Podcast, Mjallby on Lennon: “He breathes Celtic. He breathes football. So I think he loves this challenge”

Listen to The Celtic Huddle Podcast below…

About Author

As a Bellshill Bhoy I was taken to my first Celtic game in the summer of 1987. It was Billy McNeill’s return to Celtic Park as manager and Celtic lost 5-1 to Arsenal . I thought I was a jinx, I think my Grandfather might have thought the same. It was the finest gift anyone ever gave me when he walked me through Parkhead's gates.

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